“What have I done?” Jana tried to understand further. What factors for having such conclusion? And how this judgement was based upon?
The level of impact to hear such accusation was beyond Jana’s comprehensive zone. She was ready to hear what Tom would going to share with her next.
That day was Friday, Tom called Jana for a quick chat at 4:30 p.m. “Okay. Let me go to your office.” She replied to Tom’s messages, via Teams messenger apps.
“Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~” count-down mode enlightened Jana’s Friday at work. (Another one hour to go.) “Hey, Tom.”
“Come, have a seat.” Tom replied. Jana closed his office door before walking towards Tom, and sat down at the seat opposite his huge rectangular work table. Tom, the managing director, has the most spacious office and large work table. That would facilitate him in meeting clients, guests or even calling his team for a meeting in his office.
Jana already had a few 1:1 meeting with Tom by then; to discuss on the issues at work or concerns among the team members that need to be address, with Tom’s advice and/or direction.
“What’s up?” She asked with a smile on her face. Jana enjoyed the conversations with Tom, as he demonstrated rational and high-EQ in his way of analysing the subject matter and his advice to the team, thus far. She’s open to discuss any matters within the company that Tom would bring up. Jana would share her piece of opinion, without bias.
“There’s something I would like share with you. In our current situation, we already have quite a handful of issues to handle for Company A (another company in ASIA), so I would like to have a much…” Tom somewhat couldn’t find the vocab to use.
“Harmony?” Jana continued.
“Yes, I would like this team to work together, combine both local way of doing things and without ignoring the needs from MNC’s way of doing things.”
Jana nodded her head. “Yupe, agree.”
“Candice informed David that she wants to resign.” Tom continued.
Jana listened to this news quite calmly, as if that kind of surprising news from that Drama Queen wasn’t anything new. The nick name Jana has behind her monkey mind for Candice was formed after several issues she gave the team members, from time to time.
“I just had a discussion with David, and he told me that high likely it was due to the communication between you and Candice.” Tom said it in calming tone, without any accusation or anger elements in it.
“What? Me? Which topic are we talking about?” This time, Jana really was shocked by what she just heard. All her career life, she resigned from her past jobs due to the bias treatment or irrational in her ex-bosses’ way of doing things. But never in her working life to have someone resigns because of her! (What have I done?) Jana tried to browsed in her mind in quick flashing films, which communication or email she had with Candice. (Which one might have triggered her ‘Drama Queen’ attitude?) Jana looked to the space about Tom’s head; rolling her eyes left and right, tried to figure out the situation.
“I hope that you could tone down a little when talking with Candice, as well as David. As they feels…” Tom paused to search for the vocab, again.
(There he goes again… Trying to balance out which word won’t be too sharp to be used in his words. Words from the management team would bring huge impact on their image and onto the audience, especially pertaining to a topic such as this.) “Like everyone is attacking them?” Jana’s blunt trial in giving Tom the best-fitted elaboration that she could think off.
“Yeah… At this moment, they’re quite sensitive.” Tom shared his opinion honestly, He trusted that Jana’s open-minded and her professional work ethic won’t lead her to simply share what they have discussed about with anyone else in the office, unnecessarily.
“I understand. About the change in company’s organization chart and the sort… Which topic she’s referring to?” She asked Tom.
“I don’t know what history or issues you guys had in the past; what I hope to see, moving forward, let’s work together, get the team work together and achieve the target. We need David’s knowledge in the sector that he is good at.” Tom shared his thoughts.
“Yeah, he is the only that have the customers network on sector A.” Jana truly understood the importance of David’s role in the company. The profit of the company, literally, still heavily relying on his contribution from sector A. The other sectors still not getting to the stable contribution level yet.
“I know… But I’m matter-focused, not individual-focused. If we are referring to the IT printing issues, I wasn’t blaming her on anything. The whole team members are having printing issue, and it can’t be solved even after two tickets I raised to IT helpdesk. And I just asked for her help to contract the vendor to have their technician come over to check on our printer.” Jana tried to guest on the most recent email conversation she had with Candice, that might have triggered her uneasiness.
“If you’re referring to the tax information on that gift to employee K, well, it is my job to inform the consequences of spending such amount on a gift.” (Could it be this matter?) Jana explained on each subject matters that Candice was involved in.
Tom listened, without interrupting her.
“About that employee’s leave application issue… Nobody in the team was aware of the changes she has made in the leave application setting. All this while, we can apply our leaves in advance, I mean the numbers of annual leaves we are entitled to in a year. But they changed it without notifying; everyone was shocked by it and suffered the leaves application, especially during the new year celebration, like Chinese New Year or Raya New Year. They weren’t given any option but to have their salary deducted for taking unpaid leaves. On one hand, HR emailed employees encouraging them to clear the annual leaves before year end. Candice said that she’d send that email on quarterly basis. On the other hand, you deduct their salary when they take their annual leaves simply due to leave application setting stop them applying their entitled leaves in advance. What are we doing here?” Jana shared a few topics that she could think of that might be more relevant to Candice’s annoyance.
(Am I wrong in raising those concerns to HR when everyone in the company is facing but no place to voice out?) Jana shook her head when she thought about the bossy attitude both David and Candice still carry in their attitude at work.
“Everyone’s education level is different, David built the business from scratch. And Candice is not initially from HR background. As a small company, they have to be multi-tasked and covered many aspects of works. From the owner of the company until sold off the company to MNC and become an ‘employee’, there are many things that MNC does, they can’t follow. We take what’s good between the two, and work out on what best for now to move forward.” Tom added.
“Yes, I can see those matters are something that we can improve. As finance team, we have been helping warehouse colleague on reporting work, reminding them on deadline, but it is still late. The deadline from group we can’t ignore. If warehouse gives us the closing stock report late, then finance team has to rush up the reconciliation work, like Sean, he worked overtime over his Sunday! And we don’t even have time to further check with warehouse as deadline already passed! But what David replied to my reminder email, he was just pushing away his responsibility and ignore what deadline is all about. His understanding in process and ownership were totally wrong.” Jana pointed out one of the root causes to the whole process issue that they faced almost every month end.
“They are quite sensitive for the time being. Just… try to talk to Candice instead of email. Words sometimes mislead the readers. Especially, when one holds some grudges from past events.” Tom understood what Jana was trying to explain. He has been observing the process and energy from the floor, ever since he took over the Managing Director’s role from David. He could also sense the emotional issues both David and Candice have.
“Yeah, she might have been keeping everything accumulating up till now, in her heart. As if I’m attacking her personally.” Jana let out a heavy sigh.
“We can attend to it, one-by-one. I don’t intend to change the existing team in one go. That’s not healthy. Changing the team too quickly, some mistakes or some issues might be overlooked. We prioritize what to attend to first. Since David doesn’t want to get involved some much in managing work. I’d do that then. As for Candice, I told David that, what Candice wants it to get rid of her HR roles and work. Then I could hire a new HR to take over this job and let Candice focus on lab test work. Currently, we don’t have anyone else is well-versed on lab test work. If she resigns, we’re be in trouble on that part. David will try to convince her but changes are low.” Tom said.
“I understand your point and I am not intending to have anyone leave the company. All those (i. e. issues she raised to Candice and /or David), can be improved.” Jana opened her right palm when she said this. Her ‘Can-Do’ attitude allowed her to see what is doable, what can be done, in a better way taking into consideration the current team and resources they have.
“Try to talk to her and improve the work relationship with her.” Tom convinced.
“Ha-ha…” Jana frown her eyebrows when she heard this mission impossible sent her way from Tom. She gave a fake laugh that Tom surely can tell. “She doesn’t even want to talk to me. That’s why I sent email. You should see the feedback from the office staff onto her attitude and reaction when they discussed work with her.”
“It’s not easy to change one’s mindset, Tom. Only when she, herself, wanted to change her attitude and way of doing things.’ She continued
“I will try, from my end.” Jana gave another heavy sigh.
Tom nodded, “At least, they are still ‘normal’, not one that with psycho mind that goes the extreme way of looking at everything.”
Jana was humoured by Tom’s words. She chuckled. They ended their discussion; she walked out from his office.
(Right on time, 5:30 p.m., time to go home.)
(What should I do? I don’t even want to lay my gaze to those people that are unwilling to look inwards to reflect on their action and putting efforts to improve themselves to be a better self (at least), and the situations.) Jana knew her own issues in handling those negative-energy people, in her surroundings. She would look away as if those people were transparent. That’s rude. She knew that too. (Is my Can-Do attitude intimidating to many? Is my positive doable mindset led me to the extreme point that I would even treating those ‘refuse to change’ group of people as germs to my eyes?)
(Argh! It hurst my eyes!! Let me look at other things.)
(Hmm…)
Well, that’s another lesson that Jana was still trying to handle and improve on.
