Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Boss

A meeting was held sometime between yesterday and an hour ago with the boss. The assembly wasn't about the stolen overhead projector but more about the operations on the floor from the supervisors' point of view. Mami Athena was the convener and being her protege, I was invited to observe their discussion.

Though most of the details are classified, I'd like to share a story about how the boss expressed his sadness when one of the team leaders submitted a list of agents who will be quitting their job. One of those who will resign from the company is a long-time colleague whom the center sees as the most-improved agent since he started working for the company several years ago.

"Ano si Mar, magreresign?!?"

"Nagpaparamdam pa lang naman sir, wala pang sinasabi sa amin ng diretso."

"Paano pagpaparamdam?" The boss inquired.

The supervisor drew out his mobile phone from his pocket and read a text message sent by the agent.

"Sir ito yung text niya sa akin kanina 'Pre ilan bang copies ang kailangan i-submit pag magpapasa ng resignation letter?" The boss' cheerful mood suddenly turned gloomy. Mami Athena merely breathed a sigh of disappointment and recalled how the agent had gone so far as to the improvement of his work quality on the floor.

The meeting carried over, leaving the issue of Mar and his possible resignation behind. The convener was discussing other company matters that needed to be addressed when I noticed the boss subtly asking the number of the agent from his supervisor. Mami Athena paid no heed to the visibly distraught owner and went on with her agenda.

As I quietly glanced at the boss pressing the key pads on his mobile phone and listening to Mami Athena revealing her battle plans to keep the clients from pulling out from the center, I remember one conversation which me and Mami had a few weeks ago.

"I am an excellent judge of character and when I say that the boss is a very good man, I stick by my word. Why do you think I'm staying here for no reason at all?" Of course, she now ranks second-in-command in operations.

But looking back, I remember the boss being laid-back, perky, and easy to get along with. That was my first impression. I even questioned his authority when I first set foot in his company. A lot has changed between then and now. People joined and left his enterprise, and most of those who were once chummies with him are now gone.

In that speck of time I caught him texting a mere agent - a loyal one who stayed with him from the very start of his enterprise; to Mami Athena's claim that she is ready to protect the boss from all frustrations, it dawned to me why, despite my perpetual awkwardness in his presence I decided to stay despite some better offers from other companies.

It is because despite the recognitions I now possess and the credentials I can now present to any HR Department, nothing beats a boss who is noble enough to think about his men first - before his own interests.

Only few people know of such creed.

---

An incident report was furnished this morning about the stolen projector. For security purposes, the details of the findings shall remain confidential. What is important is that the fears and uncertainties I had were totally erased.

A replacement machine will be delivered before the week ends.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

:-)
no further comments.


dr magsasaka

Anonymous said...

i.told.you.so.

=)

Eternal Wanderer... said...

At least you now have some peace of mind about that issue ;)

Aris said...

what a boss.

i share your relief about the projector. now, smile, my friend. :)

rudeboy said...

I never for one second worried you'd be implicated in the Overhead Projector Scandal.

You're lucky to have such a boss. And he's lucky to have you.

Mugen said...

Dr. Magsasaka: Thanks thanks! Doki.

John Stanley: Yeah dude, salamat sa pakikinig sa akin kahapon ng umaga. I owe you one.

Eternal Wanderer: I am glad it's finally off my head. Other troubles await.

xoxo

Mugen said...

Aris: Salamat dude.

Rudeboy: I was expecting the worst. Imma little paranoid kid u know. I can't even understand how the other people from the training department can still smile and joke around even with such trouble in their head.

I guess that's something I should have to learn

engel said...

he seems like a really good boss. i'd like to work with someone who's like that. maybe one day.

good to hear that the worries of the projector case have been lifted off your shoulders.

june showers said...

it's not good to be 'good' all the time for goody-goodness' sake. if there's a work to be done, a goal to be achieved, it simply got to be. period. but when it comes to the welfare and concerns of people, going an extra mile is always a win-win move. after all, who are the cogs of the operation in the first place? true, we're may be equitably being paid for every sweat we shed on the job but at the end of the day we only bestow our loyalty to the one who deserves our trust. and that is priceless.

a small act of kindness is like a drop of rain in the desert. it's what makes this world a warm place to live in. when we are kind, we express the best of our humanity.

sleep well, bro, you're in good company. :)

Anonymous said...

nagtataka ako kung bat ang daming mag reresign sa company nyo including one TL.

(cguro, uso ang nakawan sa inyo noh?, nawawalan ng celphone at pera ang mga agents, kaya ayun aalis na lang sa company)

- hehehe nambuburaot lang.

Mugen said...

Anon: Naku mali ka yata ng pagkabasa. Yung TL ang nag-inform sa boss na may tauhan siya na magreresign.

Karamihan naman ng aalis, either bagsak ang evaluation or, mga baguhan sa kumpanya.

Engel: He's the perky type. Pero pag badtrip, nakakatakot kausapin. Hehe.

June Showers: That moment was priceless indeed. I won't blog about the boss if I haven't noticed how humbling his gestures were.

Wish ko lang walang makabasa nito sa office. My head will roll if they found out. LOL.

<*period*> said...

wish i had that kind of boss

nice to know youre okay

relax.

take it easy.

life is good, dude

enjoy every minute of it

(even the worst cases)

godspeed

<*period*> said...

wish i had that kind of boss

nice to know youre okay

relax.

take it easy.

life is good, dude

enjoy every minute of it

(even the worst cases)

godspeed

gentle said...

thanks for posting this knox. it made me think, on my predicament.

Unknown said...

mas kusa ang pagtatrabaho pag alam mo ok makisama ang mga boss at officemates mo. gaganahan ka kase sa mga pinapakita nila. small gestures malaking impact sa workplace positive man o nega.

Anonymous said...

good news about the projector. atleast that one thing less to worry about. :)

Anonymous said...

that's*

word verif: teareack

- nakatayo daw, tirik, hahaha.

Anonymous said...

I guess we're both lucky of our bosses. :-)

Mugen said...

Period: Nah! The boss has his bad temper too. It so happened I saw him in his good mood.

Gentle: You're welcome dude, I know what you're going through.

Xtian: Yup, its the only consolation I got at work. Some ex-employees wanted to go back. We could only assume that other working environments are much stressful.

Maxwell: I need all the good luck in the world right now. Something tells me we're in for a deep plunge.

Rjpebs: I guess so dude.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

hindi ako maka comment sa Croissant post mo, kaya dito ako nagkomento, haha.

---

i was smiling while reading the post. sana tuloy tuloy na. kinilig ako knox.

God bless you and be safe!

=D

ika said...

grabe talaga mortality rate sa callcenters.

sa totoo lang, one of the very few reason why I stayed with the callcenter was because of our operations manager. when he left, i followed suit.