I too feel under appreciated in my company. I was asked to write a poem on drafting standards. No one appreciates it because I wrote it in free verse, and not in the industry iambic pentameter style/standard.
Who the hell writes essays for work? What kind of place is this, jr. high engineer of the future class?
desnov74, writing a 'white paper' on a topic isn't that unusual. I've had to do similar, on a limited scale, many a time. While using the word 'essay' is unusual lambasting the poor guy/his management for wanting 'white papers' written is silly - given all the other good targets.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies: