In a writing class, we eventually get around to one of the jobs business writing does: create a paper trail.
Paper trails exist to create a shared understanding of a commonly experienced event at work, to document progress in problem-solving (or not), and ultimately, whatever the goal, to establish a history that can be argued if a conflict erupts about what happened why at a future time.
When a business reaches that point, the paper trail becomes a first line of defense.
They are necessary, but, at times, they feel false to me, as if I am always thinking about having an alibi in case I ever need one. I don't like living like that. I prefer to work companionably and in good faith, and the constant creation of a paper trail feels like I am planning something mean. Like I'm smiling while I have my dukes up and ready, tucked behind my back.
I have never really put up my dukes for any reason, preferring to lose a battle or be smacked around than pummel someone else. But that's my preference. In a job situation, I represent the company, and my dukes are their dukes. So, my dukes help create paper trails that serve many purposes--most of them good ones: record-keeping documents, transmittal documents, accounting documents, and the other kind that tries to make sure that if trouble comes, it hits someone else harder than it hits you.
Paper trails exist to create a shared understanding of a commonly experienced event at work, to document progress in problem-solving (or not), and ultimately, whatever the goal, to establish a history that can be argued if a conflict erupts about what happened why at a future time.
When a business reaches that point, the paper trail becomes a first line of defense.
They are necessary, but, at times, they feel false to me, as if I am always thinking about having an alibi in case I ever need one. I don't like living like that. I prefer to work companionably and in good faith, and the constant creation of a paper trail feels like I am planning something mean. Like I'm smiling while I have my dukes up and ready, tucked behind my back.
I have never really put up my dukes for any reason, preferring to lose a battle or be smacked around than pummel someone else. But that's my preference. In a job situation, I represent the company, and my dukes are their dukes. So, my dukes help create paper trails that serve many purposes--most of them good ones: record-keeping documents, transmittal documents, accounting documents, and the other kind that tries to make sure that if trouble comes, it hits someone else harder than it hits you.
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