Any knights around?
By whyaskq
@whyaskq (7523)
Singapore
June 25, 2007 6:48am CST
Hold there, don't wander off. Save the damsel in distress, please....
Now supposingly you are in a new job with a new portfolio. The job scope is currently handled by 3 heads and with the new portfolio, you are supposed to take over it single-handledly.
Day1 - Your predecessor is on leave. Nobody bothers about you. You speak to your boss, he assigns someone as "standby" to brief you on your duties.
Day2 - the "standby" goes on Medical Leave for 2 days. You heard from the other colleagues the "standby" has never gone on medical leave. You get to know the extent of the workload of the first head.
Day3 - After feeling it is a waste of time idling there and feeling sick, you took the afternoon off (unpaid leave) to see a doctor for severe migrane.
Day 4 - Your predecessor "reported" for work and claim that he has served his termination notice and is not obliged to teach and do any handover. You get to know the full scope of work. And also realised that Sunday is a working day for month-end closing.
Day 5 - People commented that it is better you die than they die when you commented that they are overloading a newbie and is expected to close the books this month-end.
Friends, this is not a cooked up story. I consider it a job from hell and I recevied this news realtime. Do you agree that the company is abusing and bullying the newbie? What other alternatives does the newbie has if not quit?
My friend is considering tendering but needs a job. I think that those people there are playing games. Can anyone give some ideas or share your experiences if any?
Any mighty knights or ladies around? Please save the damsel in distress. Thank you!
2 people like this
4 responses
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
25 Jun 07
It is not always, but newbies are allowed to be abused. Isn't this an unspoken rule? - unless the newbie happens to be on top of you. :P
I think your friend should try to make friends with those people bullying her. Ask her to try learning something from the job too. In all the work that was dumped onto him, try to find something useful that can be picked up.
But of course if your friend is convinced that the situation will not improve and her e.g. pay is not impressive enough to make her stay, then perhaps, yes, it is time for her to move on.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
26 Jun 07
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Start swearing.
1 person likes this
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
26 Jun 07
Yes.
When I started working as a waiter my boss tried pushing me into other areas because I'm a fast worker. I did it, but I wasn't happy because they often tried to not pay me for the over time.
It's stupid, they should get away with and I stopped. Personally If i worked somewhere which did that, I would tell the newbie to stand there ground and not to be a push over. (unless they wanted to do it) of course.
~Joey
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
25 Jun 07
Hello Whyaskq,
Hmmm, you friend is sure in a pickle. Is your friend experienced in the field that the job represents? It sounds as though your friend might be a bookkeeper or accountant. Is this her first experience with bookeeping, or with this particular industry? Or, is she seasoned, but new to this organization?
I can only tell you what I would do if I were in her shoes. I would go to the person that hired me, or the big boss, and say the following:
I am a competent bookkeeper (or accountant or whatever), but every business has very particular end of month needs. In order to satisfy those particular needs, I need to know what they are. Who, among your employees, can offer me some guidance on how to produce the end of month report, to the level and satisfaction that you've become accustomed? The two people who I was to believe would offer this guidance have either resigned, or have been out on leave. I haven't much time to get the reports completed, so who do you suggest I contact?
And, see what happens.
For her fellow employees to leave her to 'sink or swim' indicates that they haven't much regard for either her, or the business that employs them. Going above there heads may allow her to keep her job, and get much needed notice from the top.
I wish her good luck with this tough situation.
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
25 Jun 07
Thanks for your suggestion. If the boss does not know who is proficient, I guess the boss is not proficient himself too :P
She was a qualified accountant, stopped work to be a full time mom. First time in this organisation and industry though. The post was a cost analyst. What you say might be true, those colleagues there does not seem to welcome her. They have been there for donkey years and have close cliques, and not on good terms with my friend's boss.
1 person likes this
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
26 Jun 07
that's a horror situation. obviously they were hiring to fill up a 'bad' position. One must be really careful when going for interviews these days. Apart from convincing the coy to hire you, the responsibility rests on the worker to find out the current situation in the coy.
My friend had a similar experience. She joined, and it has been a few months, but her original team of 3 all tendered together. cos it's a horrid job, and when she heard that 2 of her colleagues were going to quit, she was faced with doing it all herself and training a new hire, when she herself was new.
I think your friend the newbie should quit. She should not be expected to take over all this crap without guidance. things will go wrong, she will have a bad start, impression wise in the company and first impressions last. She's starting from a no-win situation, so best to get out of it.
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
26 Jun 07
Team/block resignation, I think it not new. I have seen it for myself too. Personally, I would think if all the staff are newly recruited, things will be easier to manage. Which industry is your friend in? Just to make sure I dont get into that company. lol.
And yes, my friend started from a lose-lose situation, but to get out of it without having some fun, isn't it to much to lose :PP
