Ok, I did not get the resolution I wanted from my confrontation at work, telling my bosses how unhappy I was with the desk situation--in fact it is still largely unresolved, as it is up to the directors of the company what to do in the long run.
But do I regret standing up for myself, touting my achievements, and making my own luck? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Not even when I count not sleeping at all last night and barely eating today because I was so anxious about the result of my confrontational email. :)
It turns out that my one boss and the directors were incredibly misinformed about the desk situation and how my work was going to be split between the two bosses. My email clarified this, and I expect changes to occur just from that fact. Basically, one boss is being moved to another building, and my company thought that I was going to go with her 50% of the time--not so. Just think if I hadn't said anything!
Once this is cleared up, I think my main issue is going to be solved--I will have a permanent desk and I won't have to share with a part-timer.
After talking to both bosses, it became clear that one boss was completely, 100% on my side, as she said, and thought I should stay where I was. The other was in favor of the crazy split-work, share desk plan because she was severely misinformed, even though Boss 1 very clearly stated her plans for herself and me starting a month ago.
The two bosses didn't have time to meet to come up with a compromise, but I spoke to both and I think one boss and I came up with a solution to make us all (mostly) happy:
I will move desks and floors, but I won't be placed in the office with the 12 other temp people. I will have a permanent desk with one or two people, maximum, in my office. One of whom I completely adore and have a huge girl-crush on, so that is pretty awesome. I may lose my fantastic view and window and perfect office, but I will be closer to the boss that initiated this move, and she will be happy with this compromise.
The other boss that wanted me to stay where I am may not be on board with this compromise, but I don't know how else to handle it. She will have to battle my other boss to figure out something that makes her happy. All I know is, I stood up for myself, and maybe made a few mistakes along the way, but the end result makes me exponentially happier than the original change. Also, one boss respects me more for standing up for myself, and the other maybe lost a little bit of respect for me, but I respect the boss that respects me more, so...WIN? I would much rather get a recommendation from the boss that was on my side than the other one, and that boss is in my line of work, so I don't feel like I lost any ground for that potential mistake of touting my achievements. I also apologized to the boss that was a bit affronted at my American-I earned this-attitude, because I know, as she is a Kiwi and they DO NOT (typically) DO THAT, she thought I was getting too big for my britches (Look up Tall Poppy syndrome--she definitely tried to lop me off today during our talk--so culturally fascinating and ludicrous from my American standpoint). :) I thought it might offend her a little, but dammit, I have worked EXTREMELY hard to get where I am. I don't intend to lose ground without fighting for every little inch. I am happy that I listed my credits compared to others and fought for my rightful place with slightly more benefits than those that have not put in the time and effort that I have.
It takes a lot for me to say anything at all in my defense, but the change was so out there that I was forced to stand up for myself. I'm glad it was a bit crazy, because I went out on a limb I don't often go on.
I celebrated with two of my favorite mood-boosting, complimentary male friends over a liquid dinner. :) I think I even got a European travel buddy out of the evening!
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