Five Cents Ten Cents

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 02:05 AM CST

fabrisalvetti

Some of you may have noted that I’ve made a career move from one organisation to another. What you may not have known is the circumstances surrounding that change. My story is not unique and I believe some of you may have gone through similar situations. I hope by telling my story, some of you will dare to change for the better.

The Phone Call and the Betrayal

Ring ring….

Panzer: Hello, Panzer speaking.

HR (HQ): Hi Panzer, how are things with you?

Panzer: They’re ok, what’s up?

HR (HQ): Oh, I just called to ask you about possibility of postings…

Panzer: Huh? I thought I was not due to move until March 2009?. [It was then July 2008].

HR (HQ): Err… well you known HQ is currently unstaffed at the moment, so we are sounding out the people if they would be open to posting back.

Panzer: Actually, I’d rather not because my daughter was still young and there’s still projects to be completed at my current post. Leaving now would be somewhat abrupt.

HR (HQ): Oh.. not sure if you director mentioned this to you, but we checked and she’s okay to release you now.

Panzer: ????!!!! [I regained my composure and continued the conversation.] I see… thanks for telling me. To be honest, I’d much rather stay until my posting date because I’ve to complete the projects before moving on. But if the current director doesn’t need my services, I don’t know what to say…

The conversation went on but the gist of it was this: I was being kicked out without being informed about it. Not exactly the best human resource management practice by the current unit director.

Crossing Swords with Powerful People

Thinking back, I started to piece together why I had been unceremoniously dumped when I was still a productive and contributing member of the team.

I have been in my current role for the past 2.5 years and worked well with the people in this unit. Things changed when a new director was posted in to head the unit as the previous director retired.

Like any management transitions, even in a small unit of 10 people, management change usually comes with staff changes as the new leader seeks to surround himself or herself with her own “yes-men/women” or people who will follow his/her (I would use the feminine “her” instead of him/her for convenience) directions.

The episode that triggered the director’s decision must have been one department meeting when myself and other staff members objected to the new director’s initiative to do a 100% inspection of all our entities. Myself and another senior colleague had objected professionally and politely and presented an alternative to her big idea. This didn’t make sense as some of the entities were only “shell” organisations that only existed on the books. There was no value-add in inspecting something that didn’t have any real operations or office or full-time staff.

She didn’t see the logic and responded emotionally, “if you have to go down and see a computer you jolly well do it!”

You can’t respond to emotion with logic or reason and you are the loser when the director makes decisions that affect your posting.

Since that day, I noted a subtle change in her approach. I was no longer asked for inputs on unit’s initiatives and no longer had direct contact with the director. The issue came out in the open only when my HQ’s HR called me up about the posting. The director didn’t even have the integrity to speak to me to say they were posting me out because she didn’t need my services anymore.

I don’t mind if people cannot work with me if they don’t agree with my approach on something that is based on professional assessment and not emotion or trying to shirk work. But I cannot stand them not being upfront about it and having the guts to tell me what they think. But office politics and organisations being what they are, I was merely a pawn to be swept one side because the empress was not happy not because of my work but because I was not submissive enough to her imperial decrees.

Opportunities Arise from Change (Planned or Unplanned)

If HQ had been a suitable place to work, I would have been glad to get back. But it was the case of changing different workstations but similarly unpleasant work situation. HQ was a messy place. Messy in the sense that turnover was fairly high. Entire cohorts of 10-15 staff recruited in one year would be 100% gone in 2 years’ time, with 20-30% attrition of the cohort each year.

Things were unstructured and people just dished out work without head or tail what was the context of the assignment. You could be working your butt off to get the assignment out despite the poor support and the best thing you get is a sour note from the boss, “this is no good” even though no-one else could produce anything better in the short-span of time.

I decided, instead of being resigned to my “fate”, to proactively search for greener pastures. I had not intended to do so because I was fairly comfortable in the unit my HQ posted me too but I just didn’t want to be unhappy going to work everyday.

My decision to move on was also facilitated by the fact that I had built up 1 year of reserves of monthly expenses in addition to my home being fully-paid up. Thus, even with a young baby, I was in a financially independent position as I had no major liabilities except for a car loan that could be paid off from existing reserves with ample left. Thus, I decided to take control and do something constructive.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I was fortunate to be able to land another job (at higher pay) after sending out some resumes and attending a couple of interviews. This was despite the global financial crisis happening even as I went for interviews.

One of the reasons why I was able to land the new job was due to having the necessary skills and experience. But more importantly, I applied and tried for it. Thinking back, during the time when I was still serving my housing loan and going through the dot.com crash in 2002, people were afraid to change jobs then because the market was not favourable. I was in the Information Technology industry then and the dot.com downturn affected larger IT companies as well.

The push factor was actually the director who kicked me out without having the integrity to tell me to my face. Even till the day when she handed over the “farewell” gift contributed by my colleagues, she still never mentioned that she was the one who kicked me out despite myself, my supervisor and my HQ HR people all knowing that it was the main reason. It was not even considered downsizing because they hired another person to replace me! Hence, the projects still had to be done and a new person had to be hired to do it!

Can You See Your Light?

Being caught up in such situations happens. Work-life is full of stories of good and bad bosses. My career has seen 40% bad bosses and 60% good bosses. I chalk it down to experience in managing higher-ups the older I get.

One of the benefits of being financially independent where you are debt-free or little debt, ample buffer of at least 3-6 months living expenses, is that you are more open to change. Change can be scary. The unknown brings with it fear, uncertainty and doubt. But it also brings with it, opportunity, possibilities and openings.

Why do you seek financial freedom?

Because it first brings you to financial independence.

It gives you more options in life.

Be well and prosper.