by A.J. Rusli

Created on: March 15, 2010

Three days ago on a Friday, something that happened to me ten years ago has happened again; I was retrenched.

It was still a shock despite the ominous signs that the company wasn’t doing well. The Managing Director has also announced earlier in the week that downsizing will take place in order to save cost.  Apparently,  the company has been unable to confirm their sales as they projected, leading to the meltdown.

When I was informed on the decision regarding my status on Friday morning, it was still pretty hard to take.  Thankfully, my Managing Director was sympathetic, and he emphasized the fact that I have done my best for the company, and that I should leave with my head held up high since I left a legacy of good, capable staff who will be able to carry on their work, based on all the good systems/processes, structures, and values that I have instilled in the company.

Being the gentleman and nice person he is, he then asked me what he could do to help me in this situation.  I then asked of him three things that he could be of further assistance:

- Allow me to prepare my testimonial, and for him to sign the testimonial.

- Become my referee for my job applications.

- Find out whether there are any other opportunities to work elsewhere, based on his connections.

The Managing Director agreed to all three requests, and I then proceeded to prepare the testimonial, clear my desk, and start the handover procedure on office equipment to Human Resources.

When I returned home, I then updated my resume and online job application profiles, and I started to make some calls to people I know (or whom I have approached for employment) to identify potential employment opportunities.  By nightfall I managed to send a few resumes out.

That night, when I slept, I have never felt so tired before in my life!

As the days passed, the feeling of sadness was slowly replaced by those of anger; it was the company’s own fault that the senior management made some blunders with the finances and as a result of their miscalculation and bad planning, loyal hard-working employees end up being retrenched (while those who made those bad decisions in the first place remain unchanged).

That gave me the feeling that in the end, these people in their high and mighty positions don’t really care about human values; all they care about is money and that’s the bottom line.  They are driven by pure greed and selfishness, and I believe

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