For sometime now I have been wanting to go into this subject on my blog, but I have been unsure as to whether I should place this in the public domain. Not because I feel it is a 'dodgy' subject as such, more due to the fact that it is still a very raw subject for me and I am not sure whether this will help me, or hinder me. But, hey, I'll give anything a go.
I have been thinking a lot about what has happened in the past year of my life. Leaving my old job, getting a new one, starting a blog, developing my political beliefs etc. I started my current job just over one year ago now, and I am very happy in what I do. This is in stark contrast to my previous job, which was a living hell. And it is this living hell I wish to share with everyone. Whether you like it, or not!!!
I used to work for a major retail chain in the UK. It was only ever a stop-gap for me as I looked for something more interesting that suited my qualifications (for a long time it was publishing, but I soon discovered how hard it is to get into). However, it paid my rent and things seemed to be going well for me for sometime. My managers respected me, I had the support of all the staff I worked with and, generally speaking, I had a good reputation throughout the area. Unfortunately, my main allies at work (the personnel manager and my store manager) both left to take up other roles (one left, the other was transferred). When I found out who the new manager was going to be, I was quite pleased. I had dealt with him before and I felt he would support my development. My colleague, however, urged caution as he had heard that he was a bit of a bastard. I just ignored him and carried on believing that this would be good for me.
Well, it all started ok. My manager seemed to respect me and, for a time, I remained in his good books. I felt encouraged when he agreed to put me on a management training programme that would have seen me step up to store manager upon completion. He supported my decision making and was keen to aid my development at all times. After a couple of months, however, things started to get a bit weird. I had discovered that I would need some specialist training as my job role was going to change. I was quite keen to take this on as it meant that my role within the workplace was likely to become more important in the drive to increase business. At this time, the alarm bells weren't ringing so I just saw this as another small obstacle that I needed to negotiate.
It wasn't long before I started to sense that things weren't as they should be. I had heard a rumour that I was being sent to another store to do some training and I was going to be replaced by someone else 'temporarily'. I had no idea what was going on. My manager had not discussed this with me, what on earth was happening?? Eventually, we did have a conversation about how we were going to proceed, and I aired some concerns about being sent to another busy store (the department I was to be working in was twice as busy and therefore, more difficult to get any quality training). These were casually dismissed and I was told not to worry everything will be fine. I then raised the question of my management training. I did not feel I could do both to a satisfactory standard and I asked if I could be suspended on my course. The answer I got confused me somewhat:
'Well, you have a degree so I am sure you can manage that.'
Never mind that my degree had nothing to do with my job and was, therefore, totally irrelevant. I must add at this point that he did not have any such qualifications and he had actually left school at 16. I left the meeting dispirited and conscious of the fact that I was being disposed of. At this point I decided to contact the woman that was running the management course and explained the situation. She told me that that was fine and she would suspend me on the course until I had finished doing my training at the other store. So why wouldn't my manager do this??? I was getting more and more suspicious about his motives for sending me away for 'training' and I felt that the odds were stacking up against me. But still, I just got on with my job and did the best I could do without making too much of a fuss. I have always been very aware of how important it is to maintain a professional relationship with your colleagues and not develop some kind of emotional relationship with them (something I still try to maintain). After a couple of weeks, I found myself working in the other store and commencing my training. Fortunately, they were a great bunch and they made me feel right at home. However, relations with my manager at my main store were about to hit an all time low.......... I guess you'll have to wait for Part II to find out more. |
oooh, sounds interesting. glad to hear you're happy in your newer new job.
have fun with the family.
:)
AM