settling down and getting accustomed

the one thing i don’t feel comfortable with in starting a new job is the awkwardness of trying to feel my way around new people, obviously because i have already established relationships with my former colleagues and peers and it took some time for that to happen.  to be thrust into a new and uncharted environment is something that i don’t really dread, but it gives me that feeling of "here we go again," and trying to project the best image possible around people who, i just realized, are maybe doing and feeling the exact same thing.

one thing i am thankful for though is i was going into the new job with a former colleague.  from the same department at that, going to the same department as well.  so on holy monday, i started my four-day orientation with the new company i’ll be working for.  naturally, chille (my former collague) and i were seated together in the conference room since we were about the only two people out of two hundred plus new hires who knew each other, much less came from the same former employers.  the four-day orientation was a typical one, with different topics discussed each day such as the company’s history, products, policies, security (which was the most hilarious topic because i noticed that when this topic is up in any company orientation, a certain ex-military or ex-policeman turned security chief with a heavy provincial accent always gives the talk with audiences laughing their asses off whenever the speaker mentions an english word or phrase bearing that heavy provincial accent with the speaker having no idea why–get my drift?), corporate image, and compensation among others.  there were topics that had the whole class in one room, and there were others wherein rank & file staff and officers were in separate rooms.  chille and i didn’t mingle that much, as we realized that we were the only two people assigned to the department we’re headed to, basing on the attendance sheets we sign everyday.  but still, we had some casual conversations with the other officers and talked about both their and our experiences with our former employers.  the fourth day of the orientation resumed on monday after the holy week then we were formally endorsed to our respective units.  imagine that, just starting with the company, then three days into being formally an employee, i took my first holiday vacation!

i have always believed that in everything that is new, don’t expect anything.  yet i guess each one of us has that feeling of what’s going to be like whenever we start our first full day of work.  yet with all the things going through my mind while feeling a bit nervous as i was walking towards the front door of the office, it was all suddenly turned upside down as my boss’ secretary rushed out to greet me upon learning that i was already outside.  i was warmly welcomed and showed into the office premises on the way to a training room where the operations orientation will be held.  i felt as if the world came to a standstill as i felt employees’ eyes all gazed at me as i walked through the hallway.  i tried my best not to blush and be as normal as i can be as i continued to walk towards the stairs and up towards the training room.  at that point, i noticed that my boss’ secretary kept referring to me as "sir" which i’m not used to, coming from a casual organization such as a US based call center.  being polite, i just kept silent as she explained that my boss is out on vacation leave for the entire week and has left her in charge of what i’ll be doing for the rest of the week.  to summarize the entire training session i had for the week, it was comprised of the operations of the center and the department i’m assigned to, as well as procedures and the different sub-departments i’ll be working with.

what stood out though, was how almost everyone i have met so far during the week was very, very, very, and i mean very nice and accomodating.  my boss even dropped by the office just to welcome me to the department and even asked meng, one of the officers who i’ll be working with in the makati site to come to the greenhills site just to meet me.  i was also introduced to the different teams, including the team leaders on the site.  i still have to meet the team i’ll be handling which was over at the makati site sometime next week.  i was given my own temporary cubicle since i’ll be working off two different sites (possibly three) so most likely, i’ll be having an office in each of the two or three sites.  one of the IT personnel helped me configure my PC and advised me that my office phone will be installed in a couple of days.  the administrative assistant also issued me the supplies i’ll be using and had me sign off on some documents formalizing the allocation of the workstation in my name.  everyone i talked to always had the line, "sir, if you need help or assistance in anything just let me know" at the end of our conversations.

for the first time in a very long time, i felt at ease whenever i came into the office this past week.  everyone has been nice without the hint of they’re just being nice because i’m new, or because i belong to upper management.   they don’t feel awkward at all and they talk to me in a natural way.  though it’s also a call center, something about this one is very different.  and i mean that in a very good way.  i can’t quite put my finger as to what it is, but i’ll find out.  i think this company’s tag line really does mean what it says, unlike other companies i have worked for.  as for being addressed as "sir," well, i guess that’s something i could get used to.

moving on up

my two-month hiatus is coming to an end.  i’ll be officially employed again and will start my new job on march 17.  well, primarily, it’ll just be a four-day orientation before i get my hands dirty.  good thing is, i’m still eligible for the holy week break, so the last day of the orientation will resume on easter monday, then i get assigned to my post the following day.  how do i feel?  honestly, i feel excited and raring to go back to work after my long vacation.  but before i describe what i’ll be doing, let me just take this time to thank one person, who without her telling me about the job openings in this particular company, i wouldn’t be landing the job.  so to my former officemate and friend, chille, who will also be a future officemate again as well, since we both got hired by the same company and we’ll both be attending the orientation on the 17th, thank you and i owe you one big time!  i’m also looking forward to working with you again.

so, on to the job details.  well, as you may have noticed, i don’t really give specifics.  even company names and job titles.  but since most of you who read my blog know me that well, i may have already told some of you what i’ll be doing.  but for the benefit of those who are keeping score with my life through this blog, let me just give some details about what i have gotten into… hmmm… did that sound right?  nah, just joking!  i’m really that excited!  ok, first of all, the job level.  but first, a disclaimer:  what i’m about to tell you is based on what i was told by the person who interviewed me for the post, a.k.a., my future boss (whom i keep constant communication with ever since the interview since she believed that i’m the person qualified for the job).  ok, from my previous job where i handled a team, i’ll be going two levels up.  that’s reason for excitement number one.  she was leaning on my years of experiences with the previous two call centers i worked for plus the latest one, with a major financial company.  she’s giving me the free hand to analyze how the operations are going and recommend changes and revisions in the operations if needed.  i’m shaking in excitement even right now when i just typed that last sentence.  i’ll be using the experiences i’ve had on how operations should be running.  for sure, i won’t be running things the way my former superior used to do.  how things were at my former employer are still fresh in my mind and it’s something i vowed not to emulate.

secondly, the company i’ll be working for is the same nature as my previous employer.  the only difference is that this new one is a local company.  so that means, my work schedule revolves on how local companies operate.  which means, no more graveyard shift for me!  that’s reason for excitement number two.  imagine, my life will finally be back to normal after six years of working for US customers, including local holidays!  this means a big deal for my health and personal life.  no more missing out on family affairs, weekends will be real weekends and i can finally decide if i would want to catch a movie or go to a party after work!  and the best thing, my body clock will continue to run normally as i sleep during the night!  need i say more?  well, reason for excitement number three is the compensation package, but that’s a given in any new job going two levels up, but still, the package being offered is very attractive to say the least.

of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect job.  the one minor drawback of this new job is its location.  i’ll be based in greenhills after the orientation with occasional visits in the makati operations area whenever needed since my position covers both sites, if i’m not mistaken.  good thing c5 road is almost always traffic-free compared to edsa.  with a pro-and-con ratio of 3:1, it’s still a good deal.  one more thing to add, me going local instead of staying put in a US based call center may prove to be a good transfer.  with recession fears haunting the US economy, most outsourcing companies are slowing down in terms of expansion, if not some have started to pull out.  most investors are playing safe rather than waste their money for a sure return of losses instead of profits.  one thing i’m surprised about is, with all the other call centers i applied and had interviews with, whether it be US, UK, or austrailia-based, not one came back with any single feedback.  whether they stopped hiring due to impending losses had something to do with how the US economy is faring, i don’t know.  but i couldn’t stop thinking that it had played some sort of role in it.

so, there it is.  i have the rest of the week to enjoy the remaining hours of being unemployed and it’s back to the grind by next week.  i’m rested, recharged, re-energized and itching to get back in the thick of things.  for those of you who continued to keep faith and prayed for me in order to get a new job, i thank you as well.  with the bitter exit i experienced on my previous job, i believe that good karma repaid me with this new one.  it’s something that i’m very, very thankful for and one that i would give my very best for, just like any of the jobs i have had.  this would also be an entirely new learning experience for me, and with that, i guess that’s one more reason to be excited about.

another ending, another beginning

"…every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end…" - "closing time" by semisonic

though i am excited at finally getting something higher after the hard work i made over the last year and a half, as the same thing i mentioned when i left PS, the people i have worked with will be hard to leave behind. most of them i could say deserve a much better and higher position than what they have now, yet they continue to be dragged by the inconceivable thought of things being better someday if they just be patient. i tried to be that as well and waiting for management to realize that we deserve better, yet i guess they don't see that at all. the only comfort i could rely on is that fact that my hard work paid off, and the opportunity to work for a financially stable company is on the horizon. a bittersweet end is near, yet a new, much sweeter beginning is just beyond it.