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| Photo credit: Medium Corp. |
Hi all,
Back here again and this is an overdue post tbh.
Today, I would like to write about worklife. It was inspired from this tweet I read.
Let me start with my work experience which I started right after I'm done with SPM.
My humble beginning start as:
1) Cashier at a petrol station. Fresh out of school, extremely little knowledge about working world, I didn't know EPF exist. What is EPF tho? Briefly; EPF is Employee Provident Fund or also known as Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) in Malay. EPF is linked under federal statutory body under the purview of the Ministry of Finance. It manages the compulsory savings plan and retirement planning for private sector workers in Malaysia. Membership of the EPF is mandatory for Malaysian citizens employed in the private sector, and voluntary for non-Malaysian citizens. (Read more: EPF Wikipedia)
But.....
I wasn't getting any of it for 11 months or less I'm working there, hence first advice when you work for the first time:
- Find out your right as an employee. As much as you want to please your employer by being a dedicated person that doesn't mean you have to keep silent if some of your right are being denied.
I work there as a part-timer, even so EPF is compulsory no matter what position you're working as. I don't really make a fuss out of it cause I only get to know EPF existed towards the end of my time working there before pursuing my studies in Miri.
2) Aaaaa, year 2015: Determined, dedicated, full of hope in landing jobs as per what I've studied. Just for your info, I studied in Occupational Safety and Health. Therefore, I believe Allah had better planning. I applied for every possible vacancy, received 3-5 interview but made it to one job and that is in Customer Service. Those who had work in customer service know the mental struggle is real as you have to deal with people and people are sometimes too challenging to handle. Workplace wise, it was okay. My colleagues were all nice people and helpful enough to make what is difficult becomes easy. Working here got me learn a lot of thing: social, communication, PATIENCE, problem solving in timely manner and some FFTI. When some customer purchase in bulk for corporate uses, they will be needing FFTI to proceed with the claim but getting is such a hassle especially when the respective PIC keep passing the ball instead of taking ownership. I end up wrote the FFTI instead for the PIC to have officially recognised, hence lesson number 2:
- It's okay to learn everything, what is not okay is attempting to do everything even out of helping for those who are irresponsible towards their jobs. They will start taking advantage out of you. Be firm enough to say no.
I used to stay-back for one whole night at the office just to clear all backdated email. I shouldn't, you shouldn't too stay until odd hours just to complete your work cause work will never be finished.
Lesson 3:
- Manage your time and priorities properly. Recognise which task needed your attention first, that's how you get things done in time without sacrificing yourself and your precious self-time.
3) After 1 year if working there, I received a better offer. Still that optimistic lady, I look forward for my new job where I have to think of how can I improve overall customer experience and employee's performance. The office politics started to surface and it's nasty. This brings me to lesson 4:
4) I lasted 4 months there and get much better offer. Still optimist, I was a pioneer for a new workflow so knowing exactly how a newbies would feel, I became the one who welcomes everyone but that wasn't exactly the right move. Honestly, I can say I'm a nice person, perhaps too nice and naive to understand that being transparent and nice doesn't mean everyone will do the same. Some will fail to appreciate your genuine intention and started using you until you fall into the pit hence lesson 5:
- Do not get involves in other people's business regardless your intention is to help. It will backfire you. Redirect people who shares their problem to the respective person regardless if the person complaining about how difficult dealing with that respective person.
4) I lasted 4 months there and get much better offer. Still optimist, I was a pioneer for a new workflow so knowing exactly how a newbies would feel, I became the one who welcomes everyone but that wasn't exactly the right move. Honestly, I can say I'm a nice person, perhaps too nice and naive to understand that being transparent and nice doesn't mean everyone will do the same. Some will fail to appreciate your genuine intention and started using you until you fall into the pit hence lesson 5:
- Absolutely no personal feeling and talking. They're your colleagues. You will never know their true intention of being close to you. Everyone has their own agenda especially when you're working in a well known company where competition are stiff and all they see is climbing the ladder no matter what are the method. Some people? They just have big ass mouth and pathetic life that all they can do is speaking of others. So yes, save all that personal thoughts for the one you truly close to and probably be mask how you feel about someone.
Lastly, keep doing your work honestly and the reward will come to you accordingly. Have goals because that will help you stay sane in the crazy working world. Toughen up because you will face so many rejection, stress and even be clueless for the lacking of support you will need from the people in your team. That could happen and are happening. Remember not to beat yourself when you're all alone and no one could relate to how you think or feel. You will get where you want to be sooner or later. Understand that it's okay to get mad, sad because we're human after all. Please take the MC when you're sick. Get the rest you deserve.
Being a young adult is surely challenging when you're expected to be a full grown adult while thrown into manipulative and sneaky working life although all you want is to just trying to learn. Hang in there, you got this! I pray that success will be by us who truly work genuinely. ❤️
Regards,
Nill