1) Within the Department
“We have to spend more time than those colleagues in other countries due to a lot of the local work has yet to be automated.” Amy shared the work situation with her manager, Miranda.
Miranda was transferred from and then based in the countries that already have most of the accounting transactions and processes automated. No matter how many rounds of walkthrough and explanation given by Amy, Miranda still couldn’t comprehend the actual situation in local company. Perhaps, Miranda didn’t even want to understand it.
“Check with colleague A in country B and learn from him the automation work they have in place.” Miranda re-directed Amy to Finance Manager of inter-company in country B.
(What help could there be? We already knew what needed to be done, i.e. approach local banker for their standard template, reach out to our IT team to link the accounting info onto the bank’s template and then send it straight to the bank for their further processing. This was one of the process improvement tasks we intend to implement for local company. But, the progress was nearly stagnant. There wasn’t a process improvement team set up within the company to handle such work but it was fall onto our local finance team’s shoulder instead. When we were tied-up by load of manual works. To top it off, the respond from banker was so slow and our internal IT team would only start their job when all information is readily fed to them. Jeez…) Amy felt frustrated by the progress on this particular process improvement topic. Her manager was only giving lip service, as usual.
Together with the team members in finance department, Amy tried to squeeze out half an hour from the team to work on the process improvement to compile information for bank payment automation workflow. This has been the most manual work required and consumed much of their working hours. Amy has to lead this project as no one would do that for them. No one would assist the automation setup for finance team unless they have all information ready to feed IT team.
“Sigh…”
2) Cross-Department
“They have been doing double or even triple jobs for the same report.” Timothy raised his concern on behalf of customer service team, in the meeting room. It was a meeting participated by Customer Service team, Sales team, and Timothy (the local General Manager). Amy joined the meeting representing finance team. After Timothy finished his words, he looked at Amy’s direction.
(Hmm… What’s this? Why was everyone looking at me? What do I (finance) have to do with Customer Service’s reports? Can anyone tell me what this meeting was all about?) Amy raised her eye brows, look through each person in the meeting with her clueless facial expression.
“What do you mean by double jobs?” Amy requested for more information from either Timothy or Customer Service team on their statement.
“Colleague A from Customer Service team filled up this master report. And the Supervisor B has his own excel file to keep track on the weekly work he planned for this service crew. And at the month end, Colleague C in Customer Service team will filter the master report and save it as a separate file for finance.” Timothy tried to use his own words to form a big picture (based on what he has just understood from a complaint made by Customer Service’s team).
“It’s the work coordination between Customer Service team, isn’t it?” Amy took a step back and looked at the issue. “Who should maintain the master report? Clear communication with Supervisor B if there’s any information he could use from the master report kept by Customer Service. If there are, then no need for Supervisor B to prepare his own excel file. But if he needs to prepare something for weekly work arrangement for his service crew, I don’t see any issue of him keeping a separate excel file for his own work. As far as month end report to Finance team, I trust that Colleague C didn’t do any double or triple job. The master report was maintained by Colleague A and Colleague C was just referring to the same file and retrieve the information he needs to submit to Finance team. That’s all. No double job at all.” Amy put down clearly the purpose and work needs each of her cross-department’s colleagues have been doing.
(Seems like Timothy doesn’t understand the purpose of their work and too quick to jump into conclusion that there was duplication of jobs here and there, cross-departments. I know that he wished to simplify the manual work as much as possible for local company; but first, we need to understand the purpose of each report and the needs of clear communication between departments. Without communication, of course, each person would prepare their own reports.)
“Yeah, but Supervisor B has been manually entering the information into his own excel file when most of the information wasn’t flow to Customer Service team.” Timothy added.
“Then, communication between the Customer Service and Supervisor B is needed to clarify who to feed the information, who to enter the information into the master report, and any double information entering work can be eliminated. I wasn’t in the job handover meeting within Customer Service team; I wouldn’t know what their work arrangement be.” Amy made her stand clear.
(Why pulling me into other department’s work arrangement topic? Am I looked free? I have a bunch of month end closing job on my desk with deadlines behind my neck; and here, you guys pulled me into this meeting that took up nearly two-hours and still no conclusion made.)
“As for process improvement, I did share with the Sales team that they have to be cleared on what information they need to present on a report, then only would IT team help to customize a report for them. Sales team has to take initiative on lead this process improvement project. You can’t just sit and wait for IT team to have the information compiled and then spoon-fed you with the customized-report just like that. It doesn’t work that way; not from what finance team has experienced so far.” Amy’s blunt words might have, once again, hurt the ego in some of the colleagues in the meeting room. But, that’s the fact though.
3) Bottom-Up To The Management Team
It’s the time of the year to fill up the Annual Survey initiated by Human Resource department from head-quarter office. The deadline to submit it was by end of January.
(What should I highlight, this year? There were too many things happened last year.)
(I voiced up to my concerns and the needs to change the work process within finance department, to Miranda. But… I can tell that she was annoyed and seemed offended by my suggestion. Was she holding grudges against me? I wonder. Maybe I was wrong but I somewhat sensed that she started to nitpick on the small errors in the works I have submitted to her, and send her verbal blames my way. I wasn’t the type that would quietly swallow and take in all the fact-less blames just like that. I responded to Miranda’s discriminating comments, one by one, supported with facts, i.e. the email correspondences and instructions given to me. I made my best assumption and decision based on that information I have at the point of each incident. I did what I could as the local finance manager while Miranda didn’t bother to understand and involve in local company’s activity even though that’s part of her scope of supervision.
By all means, Miranda didn’t seem to listen to my explanation. There is nothing I could do to change the mindset of my manager. If she sticks to her egoistic way of doing thing, what’s more to say on process improvement?)
Amy was disappointed and demotivated by the characters demonstrated by her manager towards her and the local finance team.
4) Process Improvement, Process Improvement. But No One Is Ready.
Out of expectation, Amy was called to join a meeting at 5pm, Friday. She went into the meeting room with a writing notebook and a pen. The HR personnel, Miranda and Timothy were in the meeting room. Instinctively, Amy sensed something fishy was schemed behind her back.
“Thank you for attending this meeting. We’re so sorry to tell you that your last working day will be today. It is management’s decision to end your employment contract.” The HR personnel delivered the message to Amy.
(Hmm… So, this is the ‘solution’ you have in mind in solving process issues in Finance department, huh, Miranda? Just get rid of this annoying Amy from your team? Or was it due to the blunt feedback I wrote in the Annual Survey about what was happening at local company that seriously needed to be fixed? It could be both…)
To Amy’s surprise, she was so calm and cool in that meeting, even though she was the one that has to face the huge impact and damage.
“Meaning to say, I don’t have to come to work from Monday onwards?” Amy clarified further.
“Yes. And we are paying you the notice compensation in your final salary as well.” HR personnel continued.
“It’s management’s decision. Not that you didn’t perform well in the job.” Miranda added right after. Amy give a glance at Miranda and then turn her gaze back onto the HR personnel.
(Hopeless creature… Like I’d buy your story. You were my manager, your decision leads to the action from both management and HR. If this is how you (and company) handle honest feedbacks for process improvement’s sake, then have it your way. I’m cool about it.) Amy thought to herself.
Amy’s poker face hasn’t changed a bit since she entered the meeting room.
“This is the best solutions. Company paid the notice compensation and you don’t say bad things about the company.” Amy looked at Timothy who said this.
(What ‘best solutions’ are you referring to? What base for you to form such conclusion, Timothy? If the company and HR are professional enough, at least a warning letter to be given to the employee if he/she ever done something terrible at work. Nothing was mentioned beforehand. The only reason given to me was ‘It’s all management’s decision’. Miranda has tasked me to rush up the year-end audit work within quarter one when in reality audit work usually takes five-months to complete. My whole finance team has been stretching ourselves to get the audit work completed. And now, when the audit work was almost at the wrapped-up stage, Miranda gets rid of me right after. What a jerk. Maybe she felt the pinch for there’s more people in headquarter realized her way of doing things and treating the local finance team. Hmm… At least, one or more people know what we were struggling locally. It’s clear that the management and the company are not ready for process improvements. For one that can’t handle honest feedback and process it properly, but use it against the employee instead; what’s more to expect from such a company?) Amy was quiet but she was actually busy analysing the situation in her monkey mind.
“So, next, how would you like us to tell the others (colleagues)? Termination of Contract or Resignation?” HR personnel asked Amy.
“Say what you want.” Amy’s instant reply has somewhat caught the HR personnel off guard.
“Between these two documents, which one would you preferred?” HR personnel changed her approach. She laid two documents in front of Amy. One with subject of ‘Termination of Contract’ and the other one with ‘Acceptance of Resignation’. Amy smirked and chose the latter.
(What a joke, did I ever give or tender a resignation to the company?)
“I am so proud of you.” Miranda’s voice echoed in the room.
(Oh my gosh… so fake, can you please shut it? Like I’d believe your words…) Amy didn’t respond or divert her gaze towards Miranda. Amy gave a short thank you words to those three people and excused herself from the meeting room. She has to pack her own things and leave the office next.
Most of the colleagues has left the office for Friday. Maybe that’s the way corporate do things – immediate termination of an employee at after office hours, so that no further communication between the person being sacked and the existing colleagues.
(But, have you forgotten something? The work-relationship one has built up with their colleagues, doesn’t just ended right there and then. We have mobile phone, we use messenger applications and even group chat was set up for work needs.)
The calm Amy walked towards her office and HR colleague has already put a big carton box in Amy’s office.
(Wow! So efficient! Haven’t seen HR to act so efficiently before. Haha…) Amy packed her stuff and put them into the box. She shook hand and bid thank you with one or two colleagues that were still around the office. She didn’t tell much.
Only to her assistant who then asked her why in a rush to leave the company? As the team truly knew how work committed Amy has been; no one would expect Amy to resign.
“They asked me to leave; so I leave. Thank you for everything!” Amy gave him a firm hand-grip and said her ‘Thanks’ loud. Her assistant was frown and speechless.
“We catch up for a meal later on.” He suggested.
“Sure. No rush. Take care.” Sincere words exchanged between these two – that has always been well-cooperated – team members.
The HR personnel as well as Miranda has been stopped by Amy’s office several times, just to check on her packing progress. Amy was pushed by their body language, so she quickly packed her stuff so that everyone can leave for their Friday appointments. HR personnel took away Amy’s laptop and bank tokens. Amy didn’t even have the time to write a ‘Thank You’ email to all her colleagues. Amy did ask if she could pack her stuff on Monday morning but HR personnel shown her reluctant in her words. “We can help to courier your things to your house.” She suggested otherwise.
(Oh… So, they already have new replacement onboard on Monday, huh?) Amy sensed that and said no more. Timothy gave Amy a lift in the cab he called. He mentioned that it was all the decision from Miranda.
“I know that.” Amy replied. She bid her thanks to Timothy when the cab reached her house.
Amy looked up to the evening sky with a recycle bag that was full with her back-support pillow, the porcelain cup for her daily coffee, the laptop stand to cure her neck pain for long-hour sitting posture at work, and a few glass ornaments she placed on her cupboard as decorative items.
“That’s it. Move on to the next journey.” Amy marched towards her house, still, in a calm mode.
Life goes on.