The Highs And Lows Of Firing And Hiring

It's been a month since I've last updated this blog. I've been very busy trying to hold on to my present job while looking for a new job. So many things had happened but to cut the long story short, I was fired, resigned before the effective date of my termination and got a new job two weeks after I got the dreaded letter from HR.

This was by far, the lowest point in my career. I doubted my skills and my capabilities only to find out that no matter what I do, it is still not enough. Why? Because I am not like them.

When I went on board, I've been putting our fires and that went on for months. The company was and it still is, in total disarray. Resolving the multitude of issues cannot be done overnight.

The environment is the exact opposite of what I've been used to. There's a lot of bureaucracy inside. The image it portrays to the public is deceiving for it's mostly prestige.

It'll be tough to instigate professionalism with that kind of environment. And fear is what drives people to do their jobs. Fear is the motivating factor.

In a few days, I'll be leaving a team of demoralized people. People who cannot afford to quit their jobs because they have loans in the company - name it: car loan, salary loan, etc.; they say that their rates have become too expensive which makes it hard to look for another job (salary rates can be justified as long as you have the qualifications which is really not an issue, if you ask me) and work-related legal issues.

It was a huge blow to my ego to be sacked just like that. But that's one of life's lessons.

Moral of the story: it's not enough to be a performer in the corporate world. You also have to know how to play with the office politics and make it work to your advantage in order to survive. Most importantly, the rules of the game varies, so it is best to be always on the offensive.

Stress: What It Does To Your Body

I know. Stress is part of our lives. You can't do away with it. You have to live with it and manage it and not the other way around.

But what is too much stress?

1. If it makes you sick.

2. If it encroaches your personal time and you can't do anything about it.

3. When everyone clocks out, your day has just started.

4. You start to ignore personal hygiene because you're too busy with, what else, work.

5. You lost your sense of humor.

I can name some more but you get the drift. There was a time when I let stress bog me down. It's draining and no amount of rest can make me feel good.

Part of me thinks that maybe, just maybe, I am adjusting to the culture. But, I was wrong. This is the culture and the culture is eating me alive.

Of course, I can't allow this to go on and on. So, what I did was to go with the flow and multitask like never before. It was, for the lack of better word, insane. It took a toll on my body, my face (breakouts like there was no tomorrow) and my personal relationship. My plan wasn't 100% working because I can only do so much in 8 hours which is really 11-12 hours in reality.

My dermatologist is my new BFF and my boyfriend exercised the highest level of tolerance I can imagine.

I don't think this is worth it. Maybe I should move... again.

Dealing With A Bait and Switch Boss

If you happen to work for a bait and switch type of boss, what do you do? Do you defer to everything the boss says to keep your job? Or would you rather leave and look for another boss, someone who is fair and treats you with respect.

Despite the bleak economic climate, there are options. While it's true that the chances of switching jobs nowadays is entirely dependent on the industry or the field you are in, it pays to have a good set of friends, acquaintances and former co-workers to help you out when you decide to leave your job, regardless of the reason/s.

My most important rules are to maintain communication with previous co-workers and network with a lot of recruiters in LinkedIn. In my career as an insurance professional, job hopping is not that difficult. Most jobs in the insurance industry are not posted online rather people are sourced via referrals and headhunters.

It's been over three years since I quit the industry to explore opportunities in the outsourcing field. There are a lot of things I learned especially on the technology side. If people in the local market are dreaming of a paperless office, this is it. It is possible. The downside is that there will be lesser jobs available because most of the tasks are automated. That's the ugly trade off, unfortunately.

Other than the learning part, there are also dead ends. The opportunities are limited if you're a specialist. Difficult if you're a stubborn specialist like myself who wouldn't accept other projects that are not insurance related. Well, let's just say that I have other plans and the day job is just a job because I have other sources of income. But if we turn the tables around and put me in a situation wherein I'm completely at the mercy of my day job, then that's a different story altogether. I will accept any project offered to me in a heartbeat.

And as for the bait and switch boss, there are a lot of them. The tricky part is adopting to their style. Sometimes, they like you. And on other days, they'll say nasty things about you, about other people and the whole world in general, to put down your morale and of course, to get rid of you. In my opinion, these types are not the best in confrontation. They prefer skirting the issues and furtively drop the bomb when you've gotten comfortable with them.

When faced with this type of employer or boss, take extra caution, always be on your guard and if possible, look for another job.

Wishing For Longer Vacations

When I’m on vacation, I can’t help but check out office emails. I know that I’m supposed to be enjoying the R&R but when you’re running a one-man team, it’s just too tempting not to take a peek at your emails (even while waiting for my next flight). Had there been somebody to pitch in for me while I’m away, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. I feel like I’m always connected to my work.

Timing vacations is an art. I have to schedule family and work commitments and make sure that everything is taken cared of during my absence. At work, I give a two month’s notice for a one week vacation. I plan my trips 6-8 months ahead of schedule. Not only I save money on fares and hotels, it also gives my boss and family ample time to adjust.

Another thing that I’m really frustrated about is the number of my vacation credits. It is way too short. In addition, every legal holiday is deducted from my allocated leaves. So if there are 7 official holidays in the calendar year, I only get 8 days remaining to spend on real vacations. I end up coming to work even if I’m not feeling well. And I end up advancing leave credits for the following year.

I am not sure if the same system applies with other organizations. Or are we the only one putting up with this kind of creative employee benefit.

Bullies at work

There was an article from the New York Times about Women Bullying Women at Work (5/11/2009). According to research, 40% of office bullies are women. Male bullies tend to bully both men and women while women choose other women as victims in as much as 70% of the time.

Women who bully other women employ a different strategy than men. Male bullies scream and shower their targets with tirades whereas female bullies prefer sabotage, backstabbing and gossiping. It is not easy to spot a bully in the workplace. Some bully bosses would reason out that their bullying is akin to tough love – to mold the person into a better employee. The bullies may even cite their victims as too soft. This line of thinking is two-prong, in my opinion. Either the bullied employee accepts it as a challenge and endeavors to improve himself or better yet, tailor-fit his work ethic according to what the bully boss expects him to do. Or the employee would simply treat it as abuse, an unprofessional behavior and most importantly an inhumane, ineffective and degrading management style to boost morale.

In addition, the bullying itself is done in bits and pieces. You don’t get showered with bullying in one day. You may even regard it as a harmless joke but when you carefully analyze it, your colleague, whether it’s your boss or peer is actually bullying you.

Bullies create a tense working environment. It lowers employee self-esteem and at times, force out valuable employees to leave the company. Employees who opt to stay request transfers to other departments or put up with the bully for as long as they can until they find a new job.

What can HR do about office bullies?

Since bully behavior is different from discriminatory harassment and bullying in itself is not illegal, the offense may be regarded as a minor violation. That said, the bully may be sanctioned to HR counselling only or written/verbal warning.

What are the signs of bully bosses?

- They ridicule other employees.
- They embarrass staff in front of others.
- They pick on people who are different from who they are or what they stand for i.e. politics, religion, etc.
- They play favorites.
- They impose discipline for no reason at all.

Employers should be mindful of the effects of bullying in the workplace. It is bad for business and costly in the long run.

Getting too comfortable in the workplace

In the past, I had this co-worker who constantly updated the team about the status of his hemorrhoids i.e. the uncomfortable feeling of having one, his impending operation, etc. It was so annoying. And what do we care about his hemorrhoids, anyway. On top of that, he had this habit of making long personal calls during business hours. His voice was loud and crisp and so every time he talked with someone on the phone, all the juicy details of their conversation resonated in the office. Everybody was updated on his personal life. We grew tired of his antics and eventually, we reported him to HR.

Now, there is another pesky co-worker of mine who is in the same category as the “H” guy. But this time, it’s not about hemorrhoids but her frequent trips to the loo. She has this habit of announcing to her team that she needs to take a dump. She becomes fidgety and more chatty than the usual when she’s about to go. I find her announcement unnecessary and very inappropriate.

What is wrong with these people?

There are certain actions that don’t belong in the corporate such as the examples I cited earlier. Sharing too much personal information not only embarrasses oneself but also one's co-workers. Office etiquette and proper work ethic is like an unspoken agreement in the workplace. It escapes me why they are not aware of such rules.

Here’s an excerpt from an MSNBC article that tackles sticky situations at work:

2. An employee shares too much personal information with co-workers.

This is the employee who talks in excruciating detail about his impending divorce, recent doctor's visit or latest romantic relationship. There's no topic that's off limits — and for co-workers, there's nowhere to hide.

Tim Young, founder and CEO of multimillion-dollar software firm Socialcast, has dealt with "TMI" employees at the company's Irvine, Calif., headquarters. He takes these employees to lunch and brings up the topic. Says Young, 27, "You can coach them on reducing the amount of information they're providing to [other] employees and refocus them back on the company."

The office is a place of work. That's common sense. It’s not an extension of one’s home and co-workers are not psychologists nor family members with whom one can freely discuss personal matters and bodily functions at that.

The usual summer outing

We, "they" is more appropriate, just had our summer outing last weekend. I have to skip it because I'm not in the best physical condition to subject myself into further sleep debt. The resort is located in the South and approximately 4-5 hours drive. It looked good in the internet: lush greens, white sand, turquoise-blue water. It was unfortunate that I wasn't able to come. Ha! Truth is I don't feel any remorse for not attending.

You see the company operates 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. There's the day shifters and the night owls. Each company outing is geared towards the day shifters, methinks. Why? The schedule favors them. While we, the night owls, have to work our butts off the night before, wait for daylight and the day shifters to arrive, hop on the rented tourist bus, wait some more for the late comers then after an hour's wait, we're finally en route to the resort. For the past two years, it's been like that. Nothing has changed. And it ticks me off every year.

Going back, so now we've reached the resort. First, we do some cheering competition followed by parlor games then feast on buffet-style meal. After these, we're free to do whatever we want e.g. take a dip in the pool / beach, sing our hearts out (read: videoke time) and so on. By high noon, most night owls are lethargic and exhausted. It has been a very long day.

The experience wasn't something to rave about. I was tired and I couldn't wait to go home. It's good that the company manages to come up with a summer outing despite the economic downturn. But I was hoping that they tweak the schedule a bit and give thoughtful consideration to the people who work in the graveyard shift. How can you enjoy the activity if you have a nagging headache from lack of sleep?

Come Monday, I won't be surprised if HR sends me an email asking me to explain why I didn't join. Good thing I was sick. It was a valid excuse. I hope.