hi all,
i am facing a big prob here sad.gif joined a new company (a healthcare MNC that has Singapore as its regional office) as Marketing Executive. As I applied for the job online www.jobstreet.com, the job agency called me and asked me go down to let them vet first before going for the interview. Over there, they made me signed a contract that has 1 of the clauses stated as if i leave the job less than 2 months, i need to pay this agency 1 month's pay. I signed it cause i was really interested in the job scope and i believe it can add upon my experience in the health industry and expose me to better aspects. I mean, i understand from the agency's point of view that they dun wan job hoppers and i, myself, for 1, stayed with my previous co for 4 years, my first job since graduation too. And who would wanna go in a co and quit less than 2 months? Well, i signed it and off to the interview i went. that was 2 weeks back.
2 days later, i was offered the job and i went back to sign the employment contract which is very standard and indicated my job scope and stuff (all marketing-planning related). though tis company offered me $200 lesser than my ex company (i was at 2.2k), i still take it as i am really interested in the product range i am going to promote and i believe in it too. Most importantly, i will also be reporting to a brand manager who is from one of the global MNCs based in Singapore who will plan together the strategy and it's my best chance to learn from her. These are the reasons i joined though pay was slightly lower. my boss said that upon probation of 3 months, he will up my pay and so i thought, why not? i can use these months to prove to him as well thus i accepted it. during probation period, i just need 1 day notice for termination. He added that one lady who was doing shipping and delivery of goods will be on maternity leave, so i just need to ensure that i chased after the headquarters via email. All other shipping documents will be prepared by him (boss). So i thought ok, i can do it.
Last Fri (16th), i started work and early morning, i realised that i have no other colleagues! All the while, i thought only 1 woman is on maternity but i din realise that there are no other ppl. i know it sounds dumb, but when i went for the interview, the boss room was the first one, and his window panes were frosted painted, i can only glimpsed there was 1 large cubicle of 4 seats and the rest are all offices (3 more in all). Naturally, i was quite shocked but i did not enquire much.
For the whole day, i was busy with getting familiarised with products, setting up my email acc, following up with all sorts of things. The funny thing was when i went to look for stationary. i cant find much (yeah, i am really in a shi*hole). i asked him (isn't he supposed to inform me???) and he said i can go and buy and claim back. OK, i thought, what to do??? *SKEPTICAL*
then he told me this whole week, he needs to go on a 1 week trip to HK, China and Taiwan for business. So basically, i will be the only person in the office. I tried to take down all the things i am supposed to do and follow up and make sure things run smoothly. The pissed off thing was that he is a VERY disorganised person, when he think of something, he asks u in, write a few things, go out, go in again when he calls. i was shocked that if he knows i am coming in on Fri and he knows the woman will go on maternity and he knows he is going on a bloody trip, why didn't he plan things in advance? all in all, it was a very bad first day and for the first time in my office life, i stayed till 8pm (knock off is 6pm). well, overtime to me is OK if it's justified, but looking back, the reason was because he is too slack and a total time waster. i couldnt go back cos i need all the information for this week's duties.
i went home and the worst thing is that i have to go back the next day (sat, when it's a 5-day week). why? cos the regional product manager can only teach me product info that day! and i only knew on fri. can i say no???
i went in at 9 and we started the training. at 10, that asshole boss came in and he just opened the meeting room door and asked me to book hotel rooms in HK for him! what the F***! u can see this guy really bo chap! he was so rude i told him that i will do it for him in a moment (cos we are in the midst of 1 slide) and he says 'Now!'! if he going for a trip, isn't hotel rooms the most impt thing together with air tix?? so i helped him! note this is not within my scope, but i do it, else how? i cant refuse. what a nice person i am sad.gif
and he has so much trouble to give me, cos 1 need to make reservations for 4 persons and he has only 1 credit card number. the online site he gave me was able to make bookings with 1 number. so i told him and he said ok, charge that to his card and he will claim later. after i confirmed everything via email with the site, he suddenly come tell me that he wants the individual person to pay for his/her own room! what the hell?? so i ended up calling the customer service hotline listed and it was based in thailand. after all the hassle, i told him flatly that either we have 4 credit numbers for each room or 1 number for all bookings. it just worked this way, dun ask me why. so he LL face and said ok, go ahead. note he said OK second time here. i proceeded with the booking confirmation with the operator and can u believe that this damn site he gave me was so inefficient. i got a mail 30min later telling me the rooms are all full. yeah yeah, then why list the hotel as available???! i was so pissed off as i came back for product training and the poor guy was in the room (well, his position lower than this asshole boss) and i can see he empathized with my situation but cannot do much la. so end up, we called the hotel staright for bookings (yeah, costs more but what to do for ppl who was so last min in getting rooms!) also gotten the credit card informtion of the rest of the ppl and finally managed to get rooms after 2-3 hours. went for lunch, came back, continued training. product manager left at 5 for airport. i cant go home cos the basket still have tons for me to take note, same thing! in, out of his office at his beck n call!
i went home only at 8pm for a sat! i finally cannot tahan and asked him got compensation for sats and weekends when we have events or not. he gave me a neither yes or no answer and swayed the topic to the pregnant colleague that ' u know, ___ always stayed back too and .... blah blah ...' , ' yes, yes, i will do something!'..
ya, do what??? i dunno what i am expecting! and is he telling me that i should not be making overtime requests???! i have been so accomodating and he is asking for more??? next comes the funniest thing in my working life: he says that usually over the weekends, calls gets diverted to his mobile and cos he is going overseas, it will be diverted to mine. damn it, i was so tired physically and mentally and i still have to be on standby mode waiting for calls! i really feel like crying le.
i feel that alot of information are withheld from me and i cannot do anything. i am not a jobhopper kind of person and i never regret my choice of joining this co. but alot of things really are withheld from me! u cannot blame me for not asking cos these are really abnormal situations that will not occur in a comapny with system, what's more an MNC???? isn't this just packaging? like my title is marketing but yet i am doing weird and disorganised things? this is not being efficient.
mon, i turned up for work, i have a whole bunch of things to take care of! all sorts of cards and keys, collect mails etc etc. he said he no time to collect mails! come on, the mail box is in the carpark when he packed! and next to the damn lift. fine, i do it!
so i go work mon and tue, opened the door, stayed in office whole day. no lunch, well, too many things to handle and i am mentally breaking down. cried on mon suddenly cos phone calls are coming in and weird ppl asking for my boss and things i dunno..
end up my whole email system is not marketing-related, but more shipment related cos the assho*e screwed up the shipping documents and things are stalled up! there were so many emails from him requesting this and that from the other colleague's pc. look! alot of things are so sudden and information are not provided. 1 good example is that, he told me he needs to dispatch a parcel of 12kg to KL by train (KTM train station) and told me to make an invoice. so i prepared the invoice on sat, he only talk talk and say look for the template in my colleague's pc. i ended up preparing an invoice by myself with the necessary info. he gave me a number and say this co will take care of the delivery and he ALWAYS USE them! so i called them up on mon to come collect. from the guy, i understand that they ONLY deliver to train station and that's all, they dunno how to prepare any consignment note (another document i required for my side and KL)! i was so shocked. things are so different from what was explained to me. i called up KTM and know they can help prepare the consignment note but i need to pay for the charges which is like $44. the delivery co picked up the parcel yesterday morning and i gave them $50 and told them they must fax me the consignement and receipt so that i can claim back sad.gif end up total costs was $50 cause of $6 parking charge. the delivery fee of $16 from my office to KTM (note, not KL!) will be charged to my co's acc with them.
another ex was making applications with the health authority here. as u know, when we advertise health products, we need to get permit as health info has to be vetted first. i have more than 200 products here, and i can easily make a few applications per month ($100/app). i am supposed to do this and all the while, my ex co has a giro acc to deduct such payments to authorities. So it means i have to pay first! i kew this when on the first day, i was following up on 2 applications this boss made and he told me verbally that there are no GIRO acc, i was thinking OMG. No petty cash either! else i wun need to pay the despatch co my own $ sad.gif
i know that i can claim back but can u all understand the dilemma and feelings i have? everything is so disorganised and auto pilot when this co does not even have the foundation to do so! i feel so cheated cos i lowered my pay (yes, i did that willingly) but i was cheated by information withheld from me! and i cannot do anything now cos of the agency contract. it is so ironic, i can leave the co with 1 day notice but i need to pay agency?!?!?
i feel very traumatised by this incident and today i am sick, down with fever, doc gave me 2 days MC cos sore throat too. I called MOM and they told me that Employment Act can only protect employees with salary of 1.6k, basically they cant do anything. i spoke to 2 officers le. i also called my agency yesterday morning and asked the lady to keep it between the 2 of us. these ppl heard my story only know how to 'aiyo, why like that', 'oh no..', but they cant help me sad.gif
i need some advice if there is anyone who has gone through things like this before as i am getting phobic of going to work. i need to claim back my stationary and despatch claims of about $110.. and i will speak to my boss. i dun wanna stay there cos i feel that he says are kinda empty promises and do not hold any weight. i dun feel good and secured in this environment. i am ok with overtime if required to finish up work, but i do not believe that staying for the sake of staying back means i am more hardworking or wat. it could be because one is not efficient enough in completing his/her tasks on time.
for the past 2 days (mon and tue), i ate in the office cos he is not around. i remembered buying my lunch back on fri and he said 'u CAN eat in the office, just make sure the fragrance is not too overwhelming'. oh my God, tell me what kind of food no fragrance? i dun think anyone ever has this kind of prob???? nowadays, almost everyone who work in offices are air-conditioned. so just tell me, u either wan me to eat sandwich or I CANNOT eat in office.
i am so taken aback by all these little, unnecessary things and with all the unexpected things to come. I really want to resign as i cannot believe no system exists in this office (already 1 year old in singapore, more than 75 years globally).
please, if anyone can help, i will really appreciate it.
i intend to tender either tue or end of the month depending on situation. i mean, i tried to make things work, but i really doubt anything can change even when he is back. the prob here is the agency contract. i have friends who encountered probs like this before and they advised me to heck care, but i am scared and worried. i dun wanna pay cos these incidents are unexpected and to be fair, the agency could be cheated by the employer (my co) as well. i am definately a victim and i should not be getting further unfair treatment from agency.
hope to hear from you guys.
thanks,
ernie
cos only started few days or (2) just heck the contracts and leave. if agency wan come after me, then see how.. cos i have another offer le..