privacy.

so last  week i joined about 30 others on a company trip to bukit tinggi in malaysia for a two days and a night. as we all work at different sites, this was a good opportunity to mingle and network. i've always had fun on these occasions because it gave me the freedom to be observantly cheeky and vex my colleagues. we had to refrain from talking about work but the goal as always on company trips is to foster closer understanding and team work. so of course lar talk about work! it is common ground what.

we woke up at an ungodly hour (to reach meeting point by 615am) to meet in lavendar for the bus pick up. i picked che. mandela on the way so we could share the taxi fare and said hello to familiar and new faces. i was raring to go and ms. 4seasons texted me good morning as soon as she arrived. she was my bedroom buddy and we had much gossip to catch up with. 

we stopped for meals and did the usual introductions all around informally. those who knew each other stuck together which was normal but i was determined to add a few more names into my contact list. you can never know where you get posted to in our line and i've always been big on networking.  one can never know where your ship will dock so it will not hurt to make rounds in the free ports for a cop and feel. 

we arrived at colmar tropicale sometime after lunch and played the games before retiring to our rooms. ms. 4seasons and me have history and i was glad no one argued about rooms assigned. i was expecting for rooms to be swapped but it ended well. everyone settled in fine with their roomies, i tip my hat off to the the comittee who did a splendid job. we retired to our rooms for some rest before dinner and arrived late at 8.30 pm for dinner at the restaurant for our buffet dinner. we ate and celebrated birthdays, explored the hotel grounds and the night ended soon enough just before midnight. 

the guys wanted me to join them for drinks and pool but ms. 4seasons was afraid to be alone so we ended up talking in bed till our energies were spent. it was then, i asked about how she's been coping at work and the news that she might leave to further her studies. she's young (twenty-ish) and i think it is good that she's going back to school but soon i found out her decision to leave was more because she is unhappy with turn of things at the office. 

it turned out to be that her immediate boss; her manager had installed a camera in the office and she feels like she's being watched all the time. of course the daily recordings did not include the manager's comings and goings! the reason they did so was to protect their 'rights' just in case things get randy in the office. which is totally understandable because we are in the service industry and every other minute, all we do is to attend to 'feedback' and ensure that their requests (no matter how inane) be met. abuse from business partners (vendors really) and clients is to be expected obviously, and i could totally understand the need to protect our integrity from skirmishes. to the  extreme it can get physical but most of the time it is more verbal abuse than anything else. 

her conundrum was simple, wasn't it a volition of trust? and what about privacy? one can't pick one's nose without thinking that this was recorded. i truly felt for her and although i agree to the best of the intentions laid to put in the spy camera  in place, i could imagine her discomfort. ms. 4seasons asked the obvious after she poured out her heart woes to me in a simple question - would i stand for it? 

the answer was yes and no. 

yes, we do need to protect our employees from abuse and evidenced based proof is sure to win the day in our favour should anything outwardly were to happen but STILL! i believe after listening to her that having a camera recording all your movements is a tad too extreme. even in the civil service, the best that the management can do is to put up a BIG warning sign to 'warn' of being refused service if things came to by blows. come on lar....sticks and stones may break our bones but never words will never hurt me right? 

WRONG. 

the epitome of a good service staff (especially in the front line) is to be able to diffuse the intensity in times of conflict and be diplomatically assertive to remind your clients that we have a obligation to fulfill but their requests will be met with tactful grace and genuine concern. we are not slaves to be ordered around and sometimes their requests can border off to the insane. 

case example: 

can you please control the weather so that no leaves fly into my dinner? yes, i know we are flanked by a lot of green and my neighbours have a very nice balcony planted with bonsai from japan but i hate it when leaves get into my soup. can you please help me? 

see how absurd is that? or sometimes it can be:

i hate snakes and are afraid of them so can you please make sure that none comes into my flat while i barbecue on my open patio. note hat we stay on the first floor and across is a JUNGLE. i just hate snakes and i SAW one today. can you please ensure this be done? 

the result to replying to above is : we'll look into it and help you the best we can but please do give us sometime to think of a solution when the solution cannot be offered immediately. one can hope that the requester understand your limitations and walk away confident that you'll help them BUT noooOOooooo.....it all must be fulfilled at ONCE. 

ensue accusations of not being a good service staff. 

tsk. 

i told her to request to move to another site or yes, if that fails please do consider moving on. she told me that everyone else told her to take in the changes in stride because it is not easy to get a job now days and so what if there is a camera in your face recording your every movement. one must BEAR with slight well, inconveniences if it is meant to 'protect' you. ignore your feelings! must think of money first and foremost!!! 

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

i slept angry that night but at least ms.4 seasons now trust that she is not crazy or overtly demanding that her views on the silliness of it all does not stem from her own in-competencies as a front line staff. we are all emotional beings kapish? i WILL not stand being bullied into something i do not believe to be right. yes, i won't just quit but at least listen to my reasons right?

ms. 4seasons said, i was the first person to tell her to do something about it even to consider quitting! imagine that. she said she will think about it and will try to decide on the best course of things for HERSELF. there! why must we feel so helpless right? just because everyone else chooses one course inlife that doesn't mean you have to comply. 

well, morning soon came and off we went to finish off the trip before arriving safe back home to singapore. we were late for breakfast when we arrived at the restaurant at 845am because everyone else were already there by 7am! but it was a night well spent as i learnt that sometimes, the best intentions do not always come with the best laid out plans. execution and staff views was not something that they included into their considerations. 

so i'm going to call ms. 4seasons next week for an ice cream date and offer a listening ear. it is the best i can offer. in the meantime, RAMADHAN MUBARAK for all ;) 

stay sane, 

j@e 

ps: i have a new boss too and he is what i call a 'smiling tiger' so i completely empathise. if he did something like that to me i'd probably lobby for ALL staff to be monitored by cctv.