Lunch with the boss: Part II
I finally had lunch with my boss last week on Thursday.
I bit confused so what i am going to do is give excerpts
that I can remember:
...after alot of small talk
Boss: So what do you think of Company X?
Me: Well, the place has changed alot since I joined (back in 2001). there
is a lot structure (bureaucracy) which has increased the pressure on the
guys at the bottom. The work pressure has increased alot. So its different.
Boss: Where would you like to see yourself in Company X?
Me: Well, In a challenging and fulfilling position. Ideally i would love
to be in a position where i would do research. For example , given the time
and opportunity i would love to automate the work that i am doing right now.
Boss: What do you think are some the things that can be improved?
Me: Well, there is alot of information abstraction, alot of information is
kept to the managers and so the lower level employees cant align themselves
to the goals of the organisation , as such we dont even know the future
of the organisation
Personally, I am swamped with work (many responsiblities)
, and if I knew this when i was asked how
much i would like to be paid , I would have asked for much more.
I dont like the idea that we work from 9-6 (read 9 till whenever the urgent
work is finished) I would rather work from 8-5.
Boss: Well, as for the pressure, the managers will only be taking as much
work as we can do and doing it at the pace that we can do it, they realised
that they (managers) thought that they were expected to do everything but
they were told /realised they should only take as much as there plate can
hold.So apparently thats no longer an issue. (That may not be completely
true if you ask me...this things are usually implicitly stated..)
Work only within your contract hours, never beyond..
As for 8-5,that is a company policy , nothing can be done about it.
Boss:I admit we as managers have not been doing agood job of communicating
matters to the employees, I guess this will have to change.
Me: Well as you have admitted, change has become harder to implement
since the company was bought by a bigger one..so that means the
question of better renumeration cant be dealt with immediately or
in the near future or with certainty.
Boss: Thats true.
Me: The promise of better things to come , from where I stand, are carrots
that the managers have been given because
I cannot see any signs of anything changing anytime soon...
Boss: I believe what the managers in the UK say , they have never lied
before....
Boss: If you have problems, how come you dont speak up?
Me: I wil never speak up if I feel nothing will be done about it
Boss: well recently you spoke up and said the project team shouldnt
work on weekends and that was respected, so you should speak up...
Me: blank
Boss:Here is what you should do: make your presence felt in whatever you do.
Look for something that you want to do/be within the organisation and go
for it, thats the only way to get what you want..
me:Point taken.
====
My general feeling is this:
This is a company that took me in while I was a teenager. They saw the potential
in me and they took a chance in me.
I asked not to be doing some work and they are respecting that and looking for
someone else to fill that post as I handle it..
I stil have a lot to learn from this place, alot, so would i be throwing an
opportunity...
However, i hate the fact that I have to work from 9-6 , and the fact that i dont
really have control of my time..but isnt it like that everywhere?
I want to learn alot but the work saps so much energy from me when i reach home I
am too exhausted to learn anything, so will i really learn anything?
I would love to get some certifications, but where is the time and energy?
Am i being unappreciative and making much ado over nothing?
I bit confused so what i am going to do is give excerpts
that I can remember:
...after alot of small talk
Boss: So what do you think of Company X?
Me: Well, the place has changed alot since I joined (back in 2001). there
is a lot structure (bureaucracy) which has increased the pressure on the
guys at the bottom. The work pressure has increased alot. So its different.
Boss: Where would you like to see yourself in Company X?
Me: Well, In a challenging and fulfilling position. Ideally i would love
to be in a position where i would do research. For example , given the time
and opportunity i would love to automate the work that i am doing right now.
Boss: What do you think are some the things that can be improved?
Me: Well, there is alot of information abstraction, alot of information is
kept to the managers and so the lower level employees cant align themselves
to the goals of the organisation , as such we dont even know the future
of the organisation
Personally, I am swamped with work (many responsiblities)
, and if I knew this when i was asked how
much i would like to be paid , I would have asked for much more.
I dont like the idea that we work from 9-6 (read 9 till whenever the urgent
work is finished) I would rather work from 8-5.
Boss: Well, as for the pressure, the managers will only be taking as much
work as we can do and doing it at the pace that we can do it, they realised
that they (managers) thought that they were expected to do everything but
they were told /realised they should only take as much as there plate can
hold.So apparently thats no longer an issue. (That may not be completely
true if you ask me...this things are usually implicitly stated..)
Work only within your contract hours, never beyond..
As for 8-5,that is a company policy , nothing can be done about it.
Boss:I admit we as managers have not been doing agood job of communicating
matters to the employees, I guess this will have to change.
Me: Well as you have admitted, change has become harder to implement
since the company was bought by a bigger one..so that means the
question of better renumeration cant be dealt with immediately or
in the near future or with certainty.
Boss: Thats true.
Me: The promise of better things to come , from where I stand, are carrots
that the managers have been given because
I cannot see any signs of anything changing anytime soon...
Boss: I believe what the managers in the UK say , they have never lied
before....
Boss: If you have problems, how come you dont speak up?
Me: I wil never speak up if I feel nothing will be done about it
Boss: well recently you spoke up and said the project team shouldnt
work on weekends and that was respected, so you should speak up...
Me: blank
Boss:Here is what you should do: make your presence felt in whatever you do.
Look for something that you want to do/be within the organisation and go
for it, thats the only way to get what you want..
me:Point taken.
====
My general feeling is this:
This is a company that took me in while I was a teenager. They saw the potential
in me and they took a chance in me.
I asked not to be doing some work and they are respecting that and looking for
someone else to fill that post as I handle it..
I stil have a lot to learn from this place, alot, so would i be throwing an
opportunity...
However, i hate the fact that I have to work from 9-6 , and the fact that i dont
really have control of my time..but isnt it like that everywhere?
I want to learn alot but the work saps so much energy from me when i reach home I
am too exhausted to learn anything, so will i really learn anything?
I would love to get some certifications, but where is the time and energy?
Am i being unappreciative and making much ado over nothing?
posted by Athena at December 05, 2005
1 Comments:
First off, you are not being appreciative. As a friend of mine constantly says, you have a contract with your employer - he gives you stuff [salary etc] and you give him stuff [work etc]. Your employer isn't doing you a favour. He's not giving you charity that you should be grateful for, just for the sake of it. It must go both ways. When they fire you, there will be little emotion on their part. As soon as they feel you are not good for them, that's it. [Unless perhaps you work for your parents or something]. Your life is your own, and as much as you can, you shouldn't be held or feel as if you are a hostage to your employer. Look out for yourself. I really stongly believe in enjoying your work.
I realise that this isn't always possible for everyone, and God himself says it's a gift. A bonus, if you get to enjoy your work. I ask him to give me stuff to do that I enjoy, and am confident that I will find that [given that I'm not really enjoying myself at the moment].
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