The Employee speaks
I
suppose I have myself to blame.
I
was warned by a few good people that coming into your company would be the
quickest route to career sabotage.
Nevertheless,
I tried to analyse their experiences and justify my decision. After all, I had
always prided myself about being a rational and practical being.
I'm even-tempered, professional in all my duties and above all, reliable. When I
was interviewed, I'm sure all the relevant boxes were ticked.
Knowledgeable
about the role with a verifiable track record?
Check.
Glowing
references and recommendations?
Check.
Analytical
mind with excellent teamwork skills?
Tick.
Proactive
leadership? Good communication and presentation skills? Strong IT awareness
with the 'big picture' focus?
Tick.
Tick. Check. Check.
I
listened to your
'messengers' during the interview with rapt attention, paying
attention to what they declared and more importantly, listening to what they didn't
say. I asked all the right questions about your company's culture, the career development
plans, the employee relations' history, the compensation package, etc. Armed with over two decades of consummate
experience in various managerial roles, I had a realistic picture of your
company and thought that I'd be a perfect
'fit' for your organisation.
I
was completely wrong.
Barely
two months later, I've realised that I made a serious mistake by accepting
your now too-good-to-be-true offer.
However,
all hope isn't lost. Being the ultimate realist, I took a four-month leave of
absence at my previous job to test the waters at your company. So I only have
to endure working for you for two more months.
You
of course are not aware of this plan and frankly speaking, I couldn't care less about you. What I've noticed about you, the Management is inexcusable:
1) You set
unrealistic targets and threaten staff who can't meet them
Being a sales professional my entire career and
having held both associate and
managerial positions, I'm amazed that you haven't adopted the
recommendations made by your staff.
First,
they suggested selling at a pegged price in low-performing regions to remain
competitive - an idea you turned down, declaring that it was your company and you knew better.
Then
they proposed granting concessions or rewards to your loyal clients/dealers
who record the highest sales volumes. Again, you scorned their sound advice.
Having
discussed with your clients on several occasions, I can guarantee you that they
won't remain loyal for very long. They've been threatening to take their
business elsewhere and now, I'd simply encourage them to do so.
Now
pray tell - how do you expect your staff to sell a volume worth USD X million at
an astronomical price of USD Y per unit, when your rivals are selling at almost
a quarter of the price? Your products are not superior to theirs!
And
what is all this nonsense about summoning your sales staff to headquarters
towards the end of each month to threaten them with sacks, demotions and
salary slashes if they fail to meet 80% of their targets?
So,
if you are willing to accept 80% of the target as revenue, already translating
to USD X billion nationwide, as profit after tax, why even state that all regions
must attain 100% of their targets?
It
all doesn't make any sense.
2) You're not a
credible leader
Even
your most loyal
'henchmen' would abandon
ship when it
all comes crashing
down.
And
it will, sooner or later.
Surely you must have observed that your company has been 'dethroned' and relegated to the fourth position for two consecutive years.
Now
that I'm an insider, I found out that this decline occurred during the period
you increased targets to unattainable levels, sacked people indiscriminately,
and slashed salaries.
You've failed to realise that disillusioned and unhappy staff have cost you
significantly in a dented corporate reputation, mediocre performance and lost
productivity. This reality check won't go down well with your investors.
How would you explain your actions, the disappointing figures, and paltry
dividends to them?
Moreover,
because you're neither respected nor trusted, you've lost exceptional talent
to your competitors. It may surprise you to note that those 'renegade'
ex-employees are now excelling in their new roles, nurtured by empathetic cultures, sound corporate
structures, consistent organisational support, and crucial training - basically
all the facets your company lacks.
We've also heard rumours of unethical practices carried out by your 'inner
circle' with your full approval.
You
lack integrity and I don’t wish to
continue working in such a toxic environment.
3) You don't care about your employees
Your employees don't even have free basic healthcare!
Now this is just plain wrong.
I
heard that you made a feeble attempt to provide medical cover for your staff
and their families via a private healthcare provider. They were initially
surprised you had made the effort. However, three months after the scheme began,
it was discontinued due to complaints from your healthcare partner that you,
the Management, reneged on the business agreement.
Old
habits die hard I suppose.
You
haven't even bothered to resolve the conflict, nor have you provided your staff
with an alternative medical cover.
It
all boils down to you not being concerned about the welfare of your employees.
The stories get worse.
I
also heard that there's no genuine support, emotional or otherwise, for
bereaved staff, apart from a few superficial declarations of condolences and a
relatively brief period to "attend to private matters".
Likewise,
those who fall ill are automatically regarded with the suspicion that they
feign their ill health to avoid work. So they often return to the office,
clearly unfit for work, just to avoid queries. Not surprisingly, the stress
levels trigger further ill health.
Given
that you treat your employees as commodities and not real people, I'm not surprised that you continue to lose them in droves.
And
I'm no exception as I plan to leave soon.
Conclusion
I
may have believed you during
the interview that
working for you would be a rewarding experience, but the
scales have fallen from my eyes.
I
don't believe that you deserve a formal notice for my exit. Therefore, I intend to simply
quit, and yes, in the middle of that critical rollout project.
True, I'd forfeit a month's salary in lieu of my sudden departure, but money isn't everything.
Not only would I gladly return to my previous job but I'd derive some joy in leaving you stranded until my position is filled.
And I promise you that I'd discourage everyone I know from working for you.
So good luck with trying to attract and retain new talent of my calibre in the future.
P.S
You
may recall that a poll was placed
on this blog a few months ago, requesting
that viewers should vote for their favourite topics from a list of four themes.
Below are the results.
As
can be seen, “Management-related posts” were preferred, so we shall endeavour
to tie in more articles of this theme to the overall focus of communications.
For all who voted – thank you for
taking out the time to do so.
For those who didn’t – please try to participate
in future polls. Remember our goal is to enrich your reading experience on this
blog, while continuing to provide practical and useful information.
Cheers!
What
other tales of woe can you share as an employee? Do post your
comments below, anonymously if you prefer.
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N.B– First image courtesy of
Pakorn, via freedigitalphotos.net.
Second, third and fourth images courtesy of Jesadaphorn, via
freedigitalphotos.net. Fifth image courtesy of Stuart Miles, via freedigitalphotos.net.
Image of poll results supplied by author.