A Luxembourg woman who was suffering from generalized dislike for her job before her summer vacation has returned from three relaxing weeks away with refreshed and refocused hatred.
“Before I left, I was really suffering from discontent for my work,” said Gaelle Leckey. “But it was a feeling that was all over the place, and I had difficulty describing what, precisely, I didn’t like.”
Leckey says that thanks to 12 relaxing days in the Pyrenees and a week on a quiet beach in Menorca staring at turquoise water, meditating, and reflecting on her professional life, she has achieved clarity.
“Let’s start with my boss, who micromanages everything I do but complains that I don’t take enough initiatives, yet when I do, he scolds me for not getting his approval,” she said calmly. “My team members are even worse, doing the bare minimum and still doing it badly, knowing that I’ve got to sign off on and fix everything they do.”
“Our office is cramped, the lighting is terrible, and the temperature is always two degrees too cold,” she continued, focusing on her breathing. “The break room stinks like fish, as does the security guy. The parking policy is unfair. We have far too many meetings and not enough digital tools. Onboarding is virtually non-existent. And I am plagued by email chains that go back to 2006.”
“I can’t believe my holidays are already over and I have to return to that hellhole,” she added in a Zen-like manner.
Leckey says that it is amazing how much better she feels now that she has allowed her true negative feelings to take shape and emerge.
“I’ve already booked a holiday to the Dominican Republic over the Christmas holiday so that I can work on reenergizing my antipathy for my personal life,” she said.
