2017 Week 38 Update

What happened this week was a reminder to me to keep listening to my intuition or gut! I am going to put it here, maybe someone reading it can advise me?

This week, almost exactly three months and a couple of weeks to the date I joined the organisation, I was let go! It was quite uncanny that almost immediately after I finished doing the signature event and helped them move office. I was asking HR about my confirmation which was due to happen in three months when my reporting manager called me for a meeting with HR and said they will not be confirming me. I was shell-shocked! It took me around four days to come out of that shock and then think back to all the red flags and that’s when I realised what my gut was telling me all along!

The red flags in order of appearance were: having only one interview before an offer more an a month later (which almost never happens, and knowing the CEO as I do now, it seemed very strange since this person was personally arranging the stationary cupboard when we moved, this after someone else did the job first). The next came the week I joined – I had to chase manager for a week before they would sit down with me for a chat to discuss the role, which was extremely vague. Then after that, at the end of month one and during all of month two, I kept chasing for a one-on-one, which would either be ignored or if scheduled, would be cancelled at the last minute (after I have prepped for it). I kind of gave up during the third month, when I knew it would never happen. Other red flags included pinpointing at every small mistake I did (others could do bigger mistakes and it was inadvertent, but not me) and making sure I was always under stress. I was never given the time to learn the new environment I was in and the processes they followed, I used to joke to myself that the role needed psychic abilities in addition to the ones advertised. In fact, the biggest red flag was that I had no real experience in the role; I had done similar roles, but nothing like what was expected of me. I actually wanted to ask the manager during the exit process why I was hired but kept quiet because I didn’t want to burn bridges.

I was super unhappy there and from the first month itself, I was looking to leave. I have actually psyched myself that I should stay a year for it to look good on my CV but looks like the forces above me had a different opinion. I now believe that this was a God-sent opportunity to get out while I still retained my sanity.

So what now? I restart my job search again, this time with a hope that something good comes up and soon! An organisation where I can stay for a long time and be proud to be a part of.

My parents are here for a few months and I am looking forward to spending time with them. Thanks for reading my rant and have a blessed week everyone!

 

 

2017 Week 37 Update

Gosh, what a week! It started off quite badly for me (with a ticking off from my manager) and ended well (I think). But it took a very hard toll on me physically, I needed more than the next few days to physically recover from the three intense days – two of the signature event and one of packing the office!

For the event which was in the planning stage for the good part of a year, it was really surprising to me that speakers were finalised only a week before and a lot of arrangements left to the night before. We slept past 1 pm most days and this, coupled with the amount of time I was on my feet made my feet swell up, which made walking a real pain and torture!

I am now seriously reconsidering if this position and organisation is a right fit for me. I don’t think I can take many such days and especially since I am getting older and this is something, someone who is much younger can do a better job than me!

This time though, I want to make sure the next organisation is the right fit, so I will take my time and also am thinking of getting professional help for this. More details later as I firm them up.

I am really hoping this week is much milder than the previous week and I have some time to myself. I am also excited for the weekend which will come as it means my parents will be here to spend a couple of months with us! It also means I need to start planning our year-end holidays!

Have a good weekend folks!

 

 

Secondary 2 Week 37 Update

This week is the week before the year-end exams for BB & GG and so they’ve been studying hard (or so I think)!

As I have mentioned before, results at this exam (which get included in the overall marks for the year) will determine the stream the children get. They do have to choose their top three choices of subjects, but if you’ve chosen a popular subject, then the school starts looking at your marks in that subject and if there are enough students with higher marks than you, it’s quite possible that they get in and you get bumped off!

That was our short and sweet school week! Have a wonderful Sunday folks!

 

2017 Week 36 Update

This week has been a very intense week for me, especially at work. We have our signature event two days from now and the last week has been busy at work, so much so that I’ve had a chance to even think!

The place that I am now working in, is pretty notorious for doing things at the very last minute! If you are efficient and do things ahead of time, you are penalised for it because things change between the time you do it and the time it has to be ready. For someone who always (and I mean always) is ready ahead of time, this is serious anathema to me! Every time this happens, I wonder what I am doing here!

I’ve been here for slightly over three months now, but I still have not gotten the confirmation letter from them. I am going to wait until the end of this month and then check with HR to see what they say about this issue. Maybe also speak to my manager (who still hasn’t done the one-on-one with me, even after three months!) to see what is the process here.

This week is also going to be a super intense week, what with the event and then the after the event, we have to pack up the office because we are moving the very next day! No rest for the wicked here!

Have a wonderful week folks!

 

Secondary 2 Week 36 Update

This was a stressful week for BB & GG since it was their Hindi exams yesterday, which was also their 14th birthday! GG had been especially stressed because she badly wants to do well in this exam.

Year-end exams also start within the next two weeks and so there’s a lot of angst going on in the house, especially since (as I’ve mentioned earlier) this year is streaming year for both of them.

There is also some serious politics happening in BB’s school Parent Support Group. There is a woman, who has been associated with the PSG for the last six years and who had hoped to become the chairperson this year but was not even considered because of her slightly abrasive personality (or so I was told). She was quite close to the current chairperson in the beginning of the year, but I was told, she started taking advantage of this closeness and started demanding things be done her way. I am guessing this friendship soured and so this lady started bossing around in our PSG chat group. The meeting yesterday was forced by her and happened without the chairperson because the chairperson was traveling for work. Actually, I am surprised that this level of politics happens even in school PSGs where all parents are volunteers and there only because they want the best for their child.

This was our school week, have a restful Sunday, all ready for the new week!