I have been cultivating a relationship with a big American defense contractor that deals with the Navy. The customer dudes are former US Navy and they are wonderful, kind people with so much integrity and honesty that it restores my faith in mankind. Seriously - ok maybe that is over the top, but it is like that. Anyways, I feel that I am leaving them in the lurch by involuntarily leaving them to the company I work for. I think they are feeling the same way. Its not like I can do anything about it, but I feel very bad about it. I know that they won't receive the same service and care once I'm gone. C'est impossible. Not gonna happen. The top dude has gone so far as to offer to write to the company owner and explain that they don't want to deal with anyone else. If it does make a difference to the owner, and he decides to counter-offer, I have a stock response prepared...
Inevitably, however, the company will cut off its own nose to spite its face. They'll fire me - at a mediocre salary - because I have integrity; meanwhile hire unqualified, unprofessional, inept people for more money with better perks (that I have never received even though they were IN my contract) who are willing to stoop to new lows. Why can't we just do good, decent business here? Why? One retard (got the company car I wanted and way more salary, the swarmy bastard) in my office said, "I'm sure it was nothing personal (to fire you), it was just a business decision. Read my hips: IT IS ALWAYS PERSONAL. Dude, when you make a statement like that, you are literally begging Karma to whoop your ass.
I had a very nice conversation with a woman last night who will probably become a Desert Girl Role Model. She's elegant, she's well-spoken, and she holds many of the beliefs that I do. She was also wearing Desert Girl PINK. (Very good sales approach by the way. It didn't go unnoticed.) We talked a lot and we share the belief that if a company doesn't have integrity, we don't want to work there. It all comes down to what kind of a person you are. Money is not always a motivational factor (I'm going to keep saying that).
When I got shitcanned from Agility, the good people I worked with (and some of the shits) literally shunned me. "Persona non grata" one manager (who later came to my friends begging for a job in the local market) said about me and my colleague who were first in line of many Americans who were terminated. WHAT could I have done to get fired? Perhaps they never knew why, but with all the hot water that Agility is in now, I'm proud of what happened to me and why - even if people that I respected thought I had done something wrong (not knowing the full circumstances). Maybe they see it differently now. I should be proud of this move now.
What is happening at my office now is somewhat similar: When my sister had cancer, people wouldn't make eye contact. They might make small, cliche conversation, and then walk away. That's kind of what's going on in my office now. People don't know what to say. Generally, when employees of the company leave, that's it; no party, no gathering. If you're really well-liked, the employees will get together during break hour at McDonald's or Hardees and pay for your lunch and wish you farewell. The guy I replaced was MD of the company for TEN years. No one even shook his hand. Well y'alls, phuck that. I'm having a party at my house and calling it a "colleague appreciation night". Let ME thank the people who have worked for me and with me. A-holes are not invited. Maybe I'll go buy a box of fake Rolex watches to give to people who will never get them when they retire...
I have made it a task to leave my office squeeky-clean (Windex apple scent) and put all my hard and soft copy files in order. I don't want anyone coming back and saying that I didn't do my job to the best of my ability; or that I was a slob with dirty drawers. I have opened my office window shades so that people can see that I have all my files in order - in boxes - ready to either go to storage or to whoever wants to dig through them.
They won't care. They have no value in lessons-learned or historical company business. Do they have ANY idea how much money, time, or manpower they are wasting through the years? Do they care? The company paid KD 300,000 to implement Oracle throughout their offices. That was 3 years ago. What has happened? The company now owns a US$ 1M dinosaur that NO ONE is using. Why have transparency when we are doing so well losing money as it is? Why bother archiving documents? The company had a warehouse fire where all their documents went up in flames (no one archived the soft copies). Who cares? Just like me - Here today; gone tomorrow. SO much potential, so much wasted potential for good solid PROFIT-GENERATING business.
Yak yak yak yak yak
All this and I haven't even had my coffee yet.
OH! Speaking of coffee - Y'alls have to try the Mocha Cafe Deluxe at The One Cafe. Oh... my... God. I actually dreamt about it last night. Yummy! Butterfly ordered it the other day and now I'm hooked (as if my ass isn't large enough).
In a week's time, I'll have plenty of time for HipHopAbs. Will I do it?
I was in the Navy!
ReplyDeleteOk now Tom, we're not talking about the video clip for the Village People. You know that, right? :P
ReplyDeleteGood luck DG I got canned last year from my Kuwaiti company last year for no reason. COme to work on Sunday get a call from HR, head to HR, do you know why you're here? Um because of my visa renewal? Nope you're fired! Fired? For what? I don't have that information but sign here. They thought I would stay another month and work um no I left the same day and that shocked them. If you want your money you have to transfer first then get your indemnity, no prob transfer to my husband's company within 2 weeks which was another shock to them. I still don't know the reason and to think most of the American companies were with them because of me, the only American there. They hired some TCN who didn't know how to use Microsoft Outlook. I was also working for a low salary but I liked my job so it didn't matter. I too would like to know how firing someone with great potential and replacing them with cheap idiot laborers makes sense? If you find out why let me know :)
ReplyDeleteHey DG,
ReplyDeleteI've been a lurker far too long now, but similar experiences have motivated me to comment here.
I'm Indian and have been here for less than 2 years. At the risk of sounding immodest, I can say that I am a qualified and GOOD writer and editor with experience to boot. After 6 months of looking for a relevant position, I settled for a Marketing/ Admin position out of boredom. I was made to do tasks that my colleagues could have very well done for themselves. I also saw first-hand how some people ruin their own business. At the end of my 3 month probation, I was told, by the secretary no less, that my services were no longer required. I was told that I did not bring in any new business (not a part of my job description) and so I was being let go. I had one more day to go, but I decided to leave the very same day. "Nothing personal, just a business decision." The native Managing Partner, who was at the office everyday, did not have the courtesy to even speak to me even though I requested an exit interview. I decided to take the high road and email everybody I worked with, only to find my email had been deactivated! Took the high road and emailed everyone from my personal account. I felt very bad about the whole experience because I have always been good at everything I have done. All my former employers have only had good things to say. But I see now that this is not an isolated experience. I strongly feel my talents were wasted in the company and that I am better off without them. After reading this post, I certainly feel that this was also personal and not “just business” because I had refused to write a university assignment for the boss’ brother. Not only did they expect me to do the ridiculous task, but it was handed to me on Thursday evening and the submission deadline was Sunday, meaning I would have to ruin my weekend.
This long comment does have a happy ending because I am now working with a good company where merit matters and not nationality. The other company? Judging by the remarks of my ex-colleagues, they are barely getting by. So, please know that good things await you.
Once again, sorry about the long comment, I just had to get it off my chest
Crazy - it is some bullshit that they just can't be direct here. "I'm sorry, but management has decided to cut costs" or whatever. Make an excuse even, but have ONE! Karma is a bitch and shit like this comes back to them.
ReplyDeleteIt makes no sense, but I call it the Kuwaiti Business Model. Hire westerners, get some business, fire westerners, get some TCN's to replace, get no business, hire more westerners. Meanwhile, their businesses are stagnating.
Further, if you don't feel that an employee is doing the business that you want them to - talk to them. Invest in training (and/or frank discussion). Do they not GET that the learning curve for a new employee is quite long and during that timeframe, they are in jeopardy of losing business (profit/cash)?
It is as if Kuwaiti companies cut off their nose to spite their face.
No wonder Kuwait is no longer the model market that it once was. No wonder places like Qatar and the Emirates have surpassed Kuwait in almost every possible aspect of business. Oh - and guess what - Oman is the next emerging market of the GCC.
I can't believe some of the morons in the market paid extravagant tuitions to business schools only to go into business and BE COMPLETE MORONS. Shit, stay home and drink chai haleeb.
What is a TCN? I missed something..
ReplyDeleteI <3 Navy guys. Working with them is the best part of my job in Kuwait. :)
ReplyDelete