Yet Another Team Lunch Saga
I know we are all sick of hearing this. And I am sick of talking about it. Yet I could not resist. I didn't realize that it was already 3 months since I took the team out to the Japanese buffet restaurant in 1 Utama. Time flies!
So, this quarter, I decided to try to keep the budget in control. Hey, I am not paid enough to keep on sponsoring for other people! I have a house and life to sustain, you know. Anyway, so I decided to take the team to a Nyonya restaurant in 1 Utama.
All was well.. nobody was complaining, except this one lady. Let's called her Seller, as she came from the sales background and loves to tell people she's a seller. Seller has problem with her boss. Often, she would talked to me over dinner and asked for advice. I usually gave her very good advice - so she feels that she could trust and be close to me.
When she heard that lunch was at the Nyonya restaurant, she wasn't thrilled. She started telling me that on that same day, the business consulting group is going to this posh Italian restaurant for team lunch and our team is going to Nyonya restaurant. I didn't respond to that as I do not know what to say at that point. In my heart, I am thinking, hey, the business consulting group manager is probably loaded. He/she is probably on sales plan and earn 2 or 3 times more than I do. And he/she was a managers for years - I am only 3 mths in the job (thus explains the poverty).
So I ignored her remark. When lunch was about to start, someone bought a cake from Secret Recipe. This cake was to celebrate someone else's birthday (cost of cake.. rm60.. come out of own pocket, cannot claim, btw). Miss Seller saw the cake and whispered to me, "He he he.. why buy cake? Don't want to allow people to order dessert? Why so "kuu horn" (stingy)?"
That's it. I turned to her and I said, "Seller, sometimes, it is best to be grateful when someone buy you lunch and not start comparing nor criticizing."
She defended herself by saying that "it's just a joke".
"I don't think so, because this is not the first time you brought this subject up. I think you stated this more than 5 times. A joke is only funny once", I retorted.
I am not sure how she reacted after this because she kept on saying that it is a joke and that I should not get offended. I ignored her totally.
I am so pissed at people like this.
They think they deserved it. Hey, if you think the company is not doing enought, go complain to the CEO. Go talk to HR and said that RM25 per person for the lunch is pathethic. Don't expect the poor working manager to fork out extra out of his own pocket. I have 15 staff. Even if I were to fork out RM15 more PER PERSON, that's RM225. That is a lot of money ok! I have to think twice buying a RM119 Apple keyboard for my own enjoyment. What makes you think I wanna spend RM225 every quarter?
Actually, it's not just RM225. There's the monthly cake thingy (RM60). There's events like the recent Club dinner which I have to fork out RM100 to sponsor my staff to go because the these very people refuse to pay rm50 themselves to go for the Club dinner.
Unlike the business consulting group managers who are on sales plan, when their staff worked hard (after the Italian restaurant lunch - as if!), his salary multiplies (note the term multiply.. his salary may doubled!). If my staff worked hard, the most I would get is maybe a few percentage more in my performance bonus. Of course I am not able to afford to take them out to Italian restaurant.
It's not even an apple to apple comparison.
I have to learn not to be affected by comments like this.
As long as I have done my best to my affordability and I could answer to myself, I think I should not be affected by people like Seller.
The funny thing is, this is the very same people who will not even buy you a rm1 ice cream!
So, this quarter, I decided to try to keep the budget in control. Hey, I am not paid enough to keep on sponsoring for other people! I have a house and life to sustain, you know. Anyway, so I decided to take the team to a Nyonya restaurant in 1 Utama.
All was well.. nobody was complaining, except this one lady. Let's called her Seller, as she came from the sales background and loves to tell people she's a seller. Seller has problem with her boss. Often, she would talked to me over dinner and asked for advice. I usually gave her very good advice - so she feels that she could trust and be close to me.
When she heard that lunch was at the Nyonya restaurant, she wasn't thrilled. She started telling me that on that same day, the business consulting group is going to this posh Italian restaurant for team lunch and our team is going to Nyonya restaurant. I didn't respond to that as I do not know what to say at that point. In my heart, I am thinking, hey, the business consulting group manager is probably loaded. He/she is probably on sales plan and earn 2 or 3 times more than I do. And he/she was a managers for years - I am only 3 mths in the job (thus explains the poverty).
So I ignored her remark. When lunch was about to start, someone bought a cake from Secret Recipe. This cake was to celebrate someone else's birthday (cost of cake.. rm60.. come out of own pocket, cannot claim, btw). Miss Seller saw the cake and whispered to me, "He he he.. why buy cake? Don't want to allow people to order dessert? Why so "kuu horn" (stingy)?"
That's it. I turned to her and I said, "Seller, sometimes, it is best to be grateful when someone buy you lunch and not start comparing nor criticizing."
She defended herself by saying that "it's just a joke".
"I don't think so, because this is not the first time you brought this subject up. I think you stated this more than 5 times. A joke is only funny once", I retorted.
I am not sure how she reacted after this because she kept on saying that it is a joke and that I should not get offended. I ignored her totally.
I am so pissed at people like this.
They think they deserved it. Hey, if you think the company is not doing enought, go complain to the CEO. Go talk to HR and said that RM25 per person for the lunch is pathethic. Don't expect the poor working manager to fork out extra out of his own pocket. I have 15 staff. Even if I were to fork out RM15 more PER PERSON, that's RM225. That is a lot of money ok! I have to think twice buying a RM119 Apple keyboard for my own enjoyment. What makes you think I wanna spend RM225 every quarter?
Actually, it's not just RM225. There's the monthly cake thingy (RM60). There's events like the recent Club dinner which I have to fork out RM100 to sponsor my staff to go because the these very people refuse to pay rm50 themselves to go for the Club dinner.
Unlike the business consulting group managers who are on sales plan, when their staff worked hard (after the Italian restaurant lunch - as if!), his salary multiplies (note the term multiply.. his salary may doubled!). If my staff worked hard, the most I would get is maybe a few percentage more in my performance bonus. Of course I am not able to afford to take them out to Italian restaurant.
It's not even an apple to apple comparison.
I have to learn not to be affected by comments like this.
As long as I have done my best to my affordability and I could answer to myself, I think I should not be affected by people like Seller.
The funny thing is, this is the very same people who will not even buy you a rm1 ice cream!
eh why have to take them out for lunch every quarter? u know we only get lunch from boss - once a year, if lucky. We hardly complain. Coz we realize that its just a waste of breath. So we organize our own b-day lunches and such and don't invite boss.. MUAHAHAHHAHAA
ReplyDeleteyealoh, some folks just got so pampered, until he/she forgot to be appreciative. Stay put with the right thing you are doing :)
ReplyDeleteRinggit ah ringgit! Don't you get it? Silence is golden! Let her talk as long as in your heart is pure with good intentions, why bother? If you reply means you will never give up thinking bad of her! To forgo that thinking will make you happier!
ReplyDelete