disgruntled

Im am so frustrated.

Now working in a big company, I enjoy the perks, both monetary and in terms of benefits.
However, I feel that there is too much red tape and that the size of the company is inverse with the level of empathy towards employees.

Recently, I have discovered that I am suffering from a gastro-intestinal condition and I am pretty concerned about it. I went to see a specialist after a recommendation from my GP. They put me on medication and I even did a scope to see what is inside me.

The scope revealed a lump in my intestines, although it is benign, doesn't offer much consolation when u see the pictures taken. My doctor adds to my misery saying that he cannot be 100% sure that it will go away for the moment.

Well, the medications doesn't work and this condition has been bothering me for a long time now.

Finally when I am due for medical review, I have to work on the same day. Instead of resolving everything with a quick medical certificate, I had decided to consult the company on allowing me to take urgent leave for the review.

Alas, the procedure and time that is going to be spent discourages people. There is only 1 administrative officer on duty each day and other that seeing him, there is no others in the office who is going to share his workload. When he goes for lunch or something, everyone steers clear. When you try to call him, no one answers. Maybe they should take his phone away from him.

What makes it different from other companies is that we only go back to office when we work; and we don't work everyday. For me to travel to the office just to get a simple administrative request through will often take half a day. What ever happened to the Internet, telecommunications, computers....etc.
Technology has taken a step back for bureaucracy.

More often than not, I have heard of incidents where my colleagues tried asking for help in taking urgent leave and certain administrative requests. Most of the time they have difficulty and problems dealing with the administrative officers.
These people never realised that they are actually the image and the face of the company to their internal customers; the employees.

By putting up a cold, icy and hard front, employees like me view the company as a stiff and without empathy. Long-term exposure to this factors will cause resentment and soon employees would be thinking about their job options.

If you try all sorts of means to keep your consumers, business partners with you, why not use the same approach towards the people who matter; your employees, internal customers who pour their heart and soul, putting in their small contributions everyday to make a difference?

Anyway, I believe this is a human resource and mismanaging problems. It usually comes right from the top and spirals down.

In comparison, the smaller firms that I have worked with, though less glamorous and with lesser perks and benefits, shows more empathy. When the workforce is smaller, everyone has a face, a character, and a background that the boss understands. Everyone has their problems and needs, but the boss usually listens.

Yes, usually, the smaller firms try to work you to death...but at least you pick up the ropes much faster. You also have your own identity...the boss knows you and you are not some guy in marketing or accounts...

I think one day I would love to go back to working in a small firm...not that I missed working myself to death, but more for learning the ropes and building relationships with business partners and customers.

While I am still stuck to my job here, I better bear with it and persevere... and keep on bitchin'
:-)

Oh yeah, my call was finally through but the guy told me to take an MC because I have no more leave to take...

CRAP...