The Rut-tenness of it All
Four months ago, I've been dying to get off work. It's September now, I've signed a contract with another company, and is expected to start ASAP. Well, that's what they told me when I got the job offer, and that was three weeks ago.The end of the month's coming up and will soon find me still jobless, with no other means to earn money except to go beg for some change from my mom. What's worse is the fact that I have a lot of things lined up for my first paycheck. Oh yes, I have yet to start earning money but it will all be gone once payday comes. I've accumulated so much IOUs that I think I'd have to work my ass off for the next 10 years before I can even begin planning an out-of-town adventure (of which I'm fond of spontaneously doing).But is there a lesson to be learned from what I've been through? It's been exactly a day and three months since I resigned from my previous employer, and within that amount of time, I still have not received my separation pay, got no updates at all about any payables that I may have with the company. I worked there for five years and 10 months, but it felt like I gave the company 20 years of my life. So this is the first time I actually sat down and tried to think things through, identify what I learned, what I can discard , and what I can keep in my mental scrapbook.So here are the first five:
- The corporate world is a primeval jungle. No wonder bosses wear monkey suits. The chance for survival, if you don't know how to fight dirty is very slim.
- People in the office are never what they seem, no matter what they tell you.
- Bosses have favorites too.
- Never expect your boss to compliment your work. They hate knowing that a subordinate is better than them.
- Gifts make the world go round. Give your boss an expensive gift, take him or her out to dinner every now and then, and be sure to get a good evaluation.
Yes, I am a little bitter. Not all employers are like my previous one though, some are better, some are unluckily worse. The corporate world is an impersonal bitch so don't expect to go high up the ladder if you have the tendency to let emotions rule.