theory Y management....maybe the stepford wives had it wrong

My new job involves working in a long-term medical community of ill and elderly people.  I love it.

I first applied for this job the week I got layed off in November.  I interviewed for it the following week.  They contacted me to start the first week of January.

50 beds worth of work had been without a social worker for over a month. 

On my first day, I met my co-social workers Angie and Linda.  Angie laughs at anything.  Linda likes to tell jokes.  Awesome first impression.  "We are SO happy to have you here" they told me over and over again.

On my second day I met the rest of the group.  The recreation department, 3 unit managers, the director of nursing, the administrator, the billing department, the maintenance managers, 3 care-planning managers, the medical office manager, and dietary department.  We all crowd into a room half the size of my bedroom every morning at 9:30 am and review the day's happenings.  They say you have to laugh to keep from crying, and that is as true in medical communities as anywhere else.  My team and I laugh a lot.  "You fit in really well with us, everyone is enjoying you."

Every time I show them that I already know how to do something, or I take care of something that they had gotten used to being behind on in the 30 days they went without a social worker for my hall, they say again "We are so happy to have you here!  Isn't she great?"

I'll be the first person to let you know how great I am, but really, I don't usually elicit a response like this.

I keep wondering if there was a meeting before my first day where they were all told to tell me the same thing.

Acting on the chance that there wasn't such a meeting I keep trying to locate the leader of the kindness committee and see how they positively motivate and reinforce performance so seamlessly.

The whole situation would seem really Stepford if I didn't absolutely love my job as a part of it.  There's usually a hostile take over before a person suddenly feels perfectly content with their situation.  To be honest, if there's a dark secret here, I don't really want to know what it is.