lox.Journal

The Bestest Assets

Posted on 2006/06/27 10:10:36 (June 2006).

[27th June 2006]

"HR is the best asset that companies have, shame that it's often sacrificed to feed management ego and cover their blatant mistakes", Lorenzo Pirisino

Once again a comment made in the previous post is the source of inspiration of this entry.

This time it was Mad Mumsie, who pointed out the fact that I really didn't talk about the fact that Marta resigned from my present company too.
The faithful reader will remember that there was quite a lot of trouble when she left our division, the company promised her a place in sales in another section of this firm, and the chance to go back to Japan.
Quickly, although someone (me) warned her about the problems and the "pitfalls" of the scheme, she realized that the offer was quite crap, the job was by far worse than what she was doing here and therefore decided to ask to be re-integrated in our division, as it was clearly told by our bosses in her first meetings.

As it happens, "Scripta manent, Verba volant" (the written stays, words fly away), and our bosses decided that she could go back to our section, but that would have mean a demotion, a salary cut and of course the "management evil eye" set on her permanently.
Let's say that she had little choice but to keep her new position, being completely unhappy and under pressure. In the end she started looking for new jobs just two months after she was offered the new position.
The good thing this time is that she DID get a job in a company that does final goods, i.e. has its own shop chain and all the rest. She will take care of the Franchise contracts around Europe and the opening of new outlets, all in all a different job, the one that I wished I was offered, with a lot more chances and a bigger challenge!
Way to go!

On the other side there is my case, five years working in the business, managed to get good results in markets that have very little consideration in Italy (strange but true). I resigned and as I wrote my boss didn't take it badly, but we all know that in the first moment of "void" there will be some losses for the company.
I thought that after the emails of the agent and clients, telling the management NOT to let go of me, at least an offer would have come from my superiors, but once again (at least this is for the last time), my ego has been slapped around the face, as they decided that I wasn't worth the effort.

I am a professional and I am doing everything to help them soothe the blow of me leaving as much as possible, but on the other side there is the strong wish of completely ruining the market for them, so that they can see what they are loosing.

Fortunately I am too nice a person to do that, and even if that was to happen they'll probably tell the board of directors and the employees that "...the recent loss on the Japanese market is a result of different factors interlacing with each other. At first the loss of the sales manager, but after reviewing the sales patterns and the quality issues, we have taken the hard decision of letting go some orders that were too risky and too little profitable, in order to increase the quality average, and having to manage less troubles." (i.e. we lost the orders because he left, but I am telling you that I did it on purpose, because otherwise you might think that I am an idiot as I let him go)...

Spot the similitude here?

Only one, little care for your employees, even those who could really make the difference... And then they wonder why things are so bad here in Pizzaland! All the major companies are run this way!

Comment 1

Good luck to Marta in her new job, hope it works out OK.

How long to go now Lox?

Posted by Mad Mumsie at 2006/06/27 10:21:06.

Comment 2

MM: Thanks for the wishes, she reads the blog every now and then so she'll probably see it! :)

As for me I still DON'T know what am I going to do.
There are still two options opened for me, the only thing that is given to me for granted is that I will certainly move back to Florence.

Posted by Lox at 2006/06/27 10:31:31.

Comment 3

Interesting reading! Is Marta moving closer to Florence? That would be nice for you both! :)

On the back of all your recent blog entries, Lox, I am now applying for other jobs myself. Let's all change, shall we?!?!? :)))

Not sure how easy it will be here, in my area, but I'm gonna try!

Posted by Nigel at 2006/06/27 10:49:54.

Comment 4

Nigel, I think I might stay where I am - only a couple of years to the pension, and I do like the FIVE guys I work with. "My boys" as Fran Godfrey on Radio 2 would say.

Posted by Mad Mumsie at 2006/06/27 11:09:48.

Comment 5

Nigel: Nope. She is staying up north, it's going to be a bit hard to see each other, but it could also be an important test for the relationship...
As for the job side, I wish you luck! Changing job made me feel alive as I hadn't felt in ages!

MM: Understandable, if I was close to pension I wouldn't dare moving from here, but as I have a prospect of at least other 34 years of emplyment...