I decided to apply through recruit agencies as I felt that it would be faster and I would be able to land a job in which I am looking for. I was looking for an admin job and the location preferably to be near my house. I was also looking for a 8 to 5 job without much OT. When I applied to the agency, I received multiple offers but not one seem perfect. I prayed to God for God to land me a job which fits what I wanted in mind. In the end, I got a job which I wanted a lot. Praise God! The company location was near my house and there was a company bus from Jurong East MRT Station to my company and this reduce traveling costs and time greatly. The job requirement was from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, this allows me to wake up every morning at 7 am and sleep by 11 30 pm everyday, retaining my 7 hours of recommended rest. The job pay was 8 dollars per hour and 12 dollars per hour during OT, which was not too shabby. My superiors and other colleagues were very nice towards me, always willing to extend a helping hand to me and giving me free food and snacks. The upper management was very welcoming and friendly towards me, even though I was a temp staff, they always find a way to engage me in conversations and trying to get to know me more. I was also very glad that my superior was very understanding and graciously allowed me to take two week of leaves for two of my uni camp and one day MC to check out my ear. I also got the job scopes which I pretty much wanted.
My company size is very small, around 10 plus people as it is part of a bigger regional company. My role in that company was too handle calls as an informal receptionist. When someone calls my company direct line or my colleagues line, my telephone have access to it and my job is to handle my company main line inquiries and to help answer the phone if my other colleagues are on the line or unavailable to answer their phone. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg. I was tasked to do a wide array of jobs, ranging from simple to intense filing, folding invoices, helping to send acknowledgement emails back to customers, check stock and price, to even a perm staff job of keying and processing an order using the SAP software. However, I was thankful for such opportunities as I was recognized as being smart and capable by my other colleagues and superiors and at the same time I got to learn lots of useful and applicable soft-skills and hard-skills at the same time. I also learned how to deal with colleague and work relations skills.
Talking about work relations, I had this part time colleague too. She came in one and a half month before me and left 1 month before me because she went overseas with her friend and at the same time her school begins earlier. She was the same age as but, but because she went poly and took a gap year after graduation from her poly, we both are going university at the same year. She seemed nice to me at first, however i was so wrong. Just to set some context here, both she and I have very different ideologies and mindset when comes to working. I can feel the main driving factor for her to work was the money and since she stayed a 15 min bus ride away, she did not mind OT at all because she stayed near and she needed the cash. In contrast, the main driving factor for me to work was for time to pass by fast enough for me as I was so looking forward to campus life and the two school camps and one church retreat camp that I would be going. Just set things straight, before I apply for my leave through agency, I already told my agent that I would be taking leave on that specific for my Engin Camp and my agent said he approved it and had already informed my company. And also, keying and processing orders is not my actual job scopes and by right I do not need to know how to do it because I am not supposed to require to do so in my company, but she just taught me in advance first because it was good to know more things and I can help my company which was in "hot fire" at that moment because there was a swap with almost all the staff members and there were a lot of back-locks as the staffs who left did not need a proper handover. I took down notes and wrote exactly what she taught me exactly on papers. I was not given any proper training and everything that I did as part of my job scope was what I picked and learned offhand from observing my other colleagues and doing the same thing. I was not given any proper training on how to handle calls, when I was thrown with that job, I just did what I learned offhand from observing the other temp colleague of mine.
When I went away for 1 week for my camp and came back, I was quite sick and down with a flue. Still, I did not take MC because I knew I already went away for 1 week and I know I had my own commitments and responsibilities. Before I left, I also OT that Friday before my camp so that on the next Monday when I am not around, my colleague would not be so lost and have to clear my pile of "shit". When I came back, she just started testing me on the part about keying and processing order. She told me when she was testing me, I could not refer back to my notes and wanted to make sure I knew everything right. To be honest, I was not given any proper or formal training on how to use the SAP software and I was also not given ample opportunities and time to familiarise myself with the software. In addition, even though she went through a lot with me before regarding the SAP software, she did not go through the complete flow for each different scenarios. Even though she was just like a temp staff like me, someone of an equal rank, she just treated me like I was below her and kept testing and scolding me and tekan me for every time I got something wrong when she tested me. She scolded me also when I tried to refer to my notes. No one really cares if you refer to your notes while using the SAP software. Moreover, I am just a temp staff and not even required to know how to use it, and here is another senior temp staff who is trying to abuse her 'seniority' trying to making me memories things I am not required to know in the first place! She did not even care that day how I sick I was and just kept tekan me.
After scolding, she made a sarcastic remark that I took a long one week to leave her to 'die' alone and she OT a lot. I remembered clearly I even told my agent when would my camp be on which day before I even got this job and my agent already informed my company. I basically already applied for my leave before I even entered this job. Secondly, she was already working alone and OT one month before I came in. In a sense she was already used to it, and since she needed cash and stay near, all the more she would be more willing to OT. Not to mention in the corporate world, it is common for people to take a week leave and the other colleagues will help to assist and take over, this is a common and mutual understanding and practice. Even in my company, there were few times where several of my colleagues took 1 week leave and everyone got busier as we have to do their work too. However no one complained because we know that if we took leave, the other party will be glad to do the same and help backup us. Not to also mentioned I specially OT on Friday so that I would not need to dump my work onto her and I still came back to work despite being down with a flu.
If I was not a christian, I probably would have acted differently. The moment she tekan and scold me when it was not even my fault, I would have just rebutted straight away and scolded her back. I would have lash my anger back at her, because it was not nice to being scolded by someone of equal as you and when it is not even your fault in the same place. I could have make a big scene out of it, without fearing anything because I knew that I was completely not at fault. However, I chose what Jesus would have done so. I just kept my mouth shut and listen her to nagging. I just kept apologising to her. I realised that there was no point and logic in making a big mess and also letting someone unimportant in my life to ruin my day and incite future tensions in the office. If I just humbled myself down and learn to give in even when it is not my fault, I could prevent things from getting ugly and ruining office relations and creating tensions.
I humbled myself down and let her continue nagging. In my mind, whatever that goes in just comes out. I try not to absorb too much in what she said to prevent me from getting infuriated by her unreasonable words. As I reflected on this whole incident, maybe what I could have done better was to confront her one on one after the incident and sort things out. However, I felt that what I had done was already good enough, something that most people would not have done so in the first place. Sometimes, in life whether it is or not our fault, it is better to be humble and give in to the other party as no conflict is better than a conflict.
At the last few days, I felt very sad to leave the place as my superior and colleagues are very nice people as I never had such nice superiors and colleagues at my other workplace before. On the final day, due to clashes in everyone schedule, they could not have a proper farewell meal with me. However I almost cried when they gave me a farewell gift: a Starbucks gift card with 100 dollars inside! Yes, hundred dollars. To working adults, this might be a small fee but to me a young part time student, this meant a lot to me.
One thing that God had really done for me in this season was really answering my prayer by giving me a job in which the working hours, location and pay was what I actually hoped for. In addition, I also prayed for nice colleagues and superiors and God delivered them to me. Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. As I sought God sincerely with a pure heart, He delivered me in my prayer. God is so real and He really provides for me and you.
Pics: pictures of me and my lovely colleagues and bosses :-)
Pic: this is an interesting mini story. There was this person not in my office but another office which I had to work closely with. He was also just a new staff like me but was a perm staff. He was very patient with the mistakes that I made and was also very helpful. Really blessed to have work beside with someone like him.
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