Friday, November 12, 2010
Numb
It has been a challenging 2 months on the work front.
An accounts assistant with almost 3 years left. He was smart and quick, but I couldnt keep him. But little did I know that this was the opening of flood gates of the great exodus.
A group accountant with 14 years in the company left with just 1 month's notice.
A senior secretary with 12 years left 2 weeks after.
I sacked a sales administrator who took too many unscheduled leave and MC and too many smoking breaks.
Managed to find a new sales administrator quite quickly, but she was a no-show on the start date, and acute appendicitis c/w operation was the reason. Pleaded with us to keep the position open for her, only to be again a no-show on the new start date, 2 weeks later. ARGH!
Interviewed these 4 positions till I almost could not bring myself to shake another hand and ask about another's job experience. Not counting those who made appointment and did not show up, or had found positions before showing up for the first position, I must have seen at least 30+ people.
Some you know to be unsuitable the moment they offer you a limp handshake and needed you to repeated the question, preferably in simpler English.
The others you think have potential, but HOW MUCH potential to be trained before they leave?
Then the others who are perfect but asking for the moon and star and that red car for the remuneration package.
Between balancing the needs of the company, the budget I have to work with, the experience and character of the candidate, I finally did find an account assistant and a sales administrator who have started, a junior secretary (for me, not to replace the senior secretary) starting next week, and an accountant to start 1 Jan.
The pieces are now all laid out.
I could finally get back to my work, while shouldering some of the accountant's work and some functions that the senior secretary had taken on. i.e. 2.5 jobs on my 1 salary.
I am going to have to step up and work beyond my capacity for a while. But I am getting numb.
Hopefully my secretary will turn out as smart as I believe her to be, and save me from burning out too quickly.
An accounts assistant with almost 3 years left. He was smart and quick, but I couldnt keep him. But little did I know that this was the opening of flood gates of the great exodus.
A group accountant with 14 years in the company left with just 1 month's notice.
A senior secretary with 12 years left 2 weeks after.
I sacked a sales administrator who took too many unscheduled leave and MC and too many smoking breaks.
Managed to find a new sales administrator quite quickly, but she was a no-show on the start date, and acute appendicitis c/w operation was the reason. Pleaded with us to keep the position open for her, only to be again a no-show on the new start date, 2 weeks later. ARGH!
Interviewed these 4 positions till I almost could not bring myself to shake another hand and ask about another's job experience. Not counting those who made appointment and did not show up, or had found positions before showing up for the first position, I must have seen at least 30+ people.
Some you know to be unsuitable the moment they offer you a limp handshake and needed you to repeated the question, preferably in simpler English.
The others you think have potential, but HOW MUCH potential to be trained before they leave?
Then the others who are perfect but asking for the moon and star and that red car for the remuneration package.
Between balancing the needs of the company, the budget I have to work with, the experience and character of the candidate, I finally did find an account assistant and a sales administrator who have started, a junior secretary (for me, not to replace the senior secretary) starting next week, and an accountant to start 1 Jan.
The pieces are now all laid out.
I could finally get back to my work, while shouldering some of the accountant's work and some functions that the senior secretary had taken on. i.e. 2.5 jobs on my 1 salary.
I am going to have to step up and work beyond my capacity for a while. But I am getting numb.
Hopefully my secretary will turn out as smart as I believe her to be, and save me from burning out too quickly.
Labels: to Despair, to Work
# posted by yojanjan : 11/12/2010 05:24:00 PM
