Facing the Boss

I woke up this morning feeling a little depressed over my job situation. I have been having such moods frequently of late ever since the team I was working in was absorbed into another department headed by a lady boss using top-down management style.

The lady boss is a practitioner of every aspect of what we typically learned from management studies in using negative motivational tactics to get staff working in fear following a hierarchical structure. Her personality and disposition is generally fierce, and she constantly breathes down the necks of her staff every weekly department meeting. Words from her are like fire—hot and fiery, and like storm—cold and harsh, filled full with regular reprimands. The way her staff is handled is similar to the way elementary school teachers treat the kids. It is as if every of the staff owes her a living, and any difference in opinions finds trouble for oneself. Few are willing to put their jobs on the line to practice the freedom of speech.

Such is the depressive moods I faced these days, which similar feelings have once faded from my past many years ago. No such negative feelings existed when I began working in this corporation some six years ago. Things have been fairly well with everyone doing their part as a team, working with each other to resolve issues rather than being driven from top-down. When I woke up this morning, however, the first thing that came to mind was the urgent need to calm down and seek God. I knew in my heart there was a verse that express well how I felt and therefore desperately searched for the Bible verse to calm myself and cry out to God. I knew I was already late for work, but felt the need to read the verse I was seeking to express myself, and eventually found it.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. (Psalm 42:5 NAS)

I then read the entire Psalm 42 and realized the cry in verse 5 ended with the same starting words in verse 11, but with a different ending.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

In my desperation I cried out to God. Yes, I shall call upon the Lord and seek His face in my time of difficulty.

Hostile Work Environment

Ever since the department I worked in was dissolved after a hostile takeover by another, I have had a hard time adapting to the new top-down management style of my new boss.

Just yesterday, I had an intellectual argument with my new department head (stationed at another country) about the importance of the media when writing press releases and news feature story in an email copied to my new supervisor as well. After several to and fro email correspondences, I decided it should end, so I thanked her and signed off.

All I need now is calm in my heart, and I'm not asking for more. In a few days time, my current new supervisor will be leaving the organization and her position will be replaced by another. My prayer is that everything will turn out fine, but for now, it's wait and see.

Busy or Free?

We often complained about being underpaid and overworked, and we envy people who are seemingly quite free at work. Question is, is it better to be busy or free?

In a workplace consisting of employees, productivity is of utmost importance to a business. If a worker is not fully utilized, the business cannot thrive, and if a business cannot thrive, the business will sooner or later die. If everyone else is working hard and there are staff that are not, it is not a sight to admire, because it means the department or the section requires less staff than they currently have. This means essentially some staff are probably destined to be fired because they are not busy enough.

Being busy and overloaded with work often means the need for more staff, but if more staff is added and some become free, it is time for some to move on. I am saying this not without experience, as I have been invited to leave before. When I was employed to provide professional services some years ago, I was trained, certified, and after three months was still not assigned any field job. I knew therefore that business in the area I was trained in was not picking up in the region where I was to cover – South East Asia, and before long, I was given the golden handshake.

That handshake meant almost three years living without income, apart from bits and pieces received from freelance jobs. I have apparently left a 'secure' place to join the corporation because I could see potential in them, but after five months, I was retrenched. To the employer, it seems normal for them to hire and fire, even though all other areas of their business are doing well.

Is it therefore better to be busy or free? Consider now from a different light what it means by being overloaded with work, because it may just be the reason why we are still employed.

My Place of Work

Where I work these days ...