MMMiii!

Our company has been striving to promote wellness to its employees. Recently, in partnership with Nestle Fitness, they launched the 14-day Challenge. The first 100 registrants will receive 3 boxes of these cereals and 14 250-ml packs of low fat milk. The “Losers” will get a t-shirt and another box of cereals.

Well, it was free, so I joined. I went to work early, 4 hours before my shift, because I wanted to get the freebies that would be amounting to P700+.

All you had to do was to replace 2 of your meals with the cereals and the other meal has to be a well-balanced meal. I didn’t strictly follow this though. Because sometimes work got me so stressed and hungry and I just HAD to eat something substantial. Maybe in the 14 days of this program, I only really followed it for a week.

Nonetheless, I still lost some pounds!

It sure is a quick weight loss program, but the dietitian said that it’s really just for 2 weeks and it would not be healthy to actually continue it forever. What I can do is replace just ONE meal with cereals, and try to eat a balanced meal for the other two. Well… I’m trying.

Here’s the shirt that I won:

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I don’t know if the company is already being alarmed by the ongoing situation with the Escalations Team. One resigned last month. One is on suspension and has decided to leave this month. I and another one is scheduled to leave after the 28th. Today, one filed for immediate resignation because he couldn’t extend his leave of absence. That’s 4 people just for this month alone. We started at 19 when the year came in. By the end of this month, the team will be left with 14 people. I know at least 5 who are planning to hand in their notice soon. Which will bring the team down to 9. In one quarter, they’re going to be losing 10 good employees. TEN damned good employees. We are not in the Escalations team for nothing.

Isn’t this alarming? If I were in the management and I see even just 3 good employees leave in 1 quarter, I should notice already that something is wrong.

I want to say that the company has no fault at this. It is the client who gives the demands and the company just complies with the client’s demands. But can’t they at least defend us a little? Can’t they fight for us, even just a little? They say that they do, but obviously we’re not feeling it.

Sure there are a lot of other jobs there that would pay more for us. Some people are hating me because I’m confident that I could get a job that would pay better once my vacation is done, while some people are always worried because they’ve got bills to pay, mouths to feed, etc. But it’s not just about me. There is a back up team from another site so the account won’t exactly fall, but… 4 people in one month! Even my former boss who’s known as the terminator didn’t lose 4 people all in one month.

I’m just astounded.

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I had planned to quit my job. I’ve said or hinted on it probably more than a dozen times on this blog. I’ve said it to more than a dozen people about these plans. I just wasn’t writing that letter and handing it over to my boss because… I don’t know. I just felt like it was such a hard thing to do. When I finally got the courage to do that, I felt that I had finally jumped over a big hurdle on my way to Freedom. I thought that was the only hurdle. I thought that was the hardest thing regarding this decision.

I was wrong.

Ever since I formally submitted it, the people who thought I was joking is now saying that they’re gonna miss me. Other team leaders are asking me why, and to ‘fess up with my real reason for resigning. My former boss treated me to my favorite hand-pulled noodles and said that since he fed me, he’s going to tear up my resignation letter.

I formally submitted my resignation letter on the 2nd of February, but my team leader asked if I was willing to leave earlier, on the 28th, 4 days before the end of the 30-day notice. I agreed. Doesn’t sound something like they’re willing to let me go? Willing to let me go early, for that matter. And now people are stopping me left and right

They’re trying to stop me but they’re not giving me a good reason to stay. Usually companies who don’t want their employee to leave would at least offer something, right? A payraise, or improvement of processes, a promotion… nothing. Nothing at all. Not that I’m wanting anything. Not that if they throw something at me, I’d just take it. But nothing at all. It’s so sad.

Anyway, one thing that I’m worried about leaving is my gym membership. I’m thinking of asking one of the TLs I gymmed with if she could kind of like have me as her friend so I can continue my gym at least for another 3 months. How I wish I could just have my own workout equipment here at home. I want a treadmill, even the cheapest one that could come with a nordictrack promotion code would do fine. But I guess I’ll have to settle with walking from one place to another now.

Ah… well, I’ll be updating if I get anymore problems about leaving. Today while I was at the gym, my current TL told me that my former TL tore up my resignation letter. I told her I never agreed to any retraction. *sigh* Let’s see how it goes. I really hope she was just joking.

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I’m getting tired of what I do. I used to love it. Feeling in command, knowing that I could do things… knowing I could break or make someone’s life better or worse. But that was if I only got about less than 10 calls like that. When you get 20 calls from angry people everyday, it’s exhausting, taxing, frustrating… what other words can you think of? I feel like I’m always very tired. I sleep on office furniture whenever I get the chance. Before my shift, during lunch… before I used to even take a quick power nap during my breaks, but because I’ve got extra work piled on me, my break time gets eaten up too…

I’m so tired already. I’m tired. I’m just tired. I need a long break.

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Yesterday, I had a total of 20 calls. That was over an 8-hour shift. That’s pretty normal in technical support for Tier 1.

But let me explain a little about my job.

I take supervisor and manager escalations 8 hours a day. Supervisor and manager escalations are calls from customers who may be highly dissatisfied, really irate/angry/livid, very unreasonable, or very happy with the representative or service that they want to give a commendation. The last one comprises about 1% of the total calls we get.

To be honest, after about 5 calls from angry customers, I get tired and edgy. I can become irate too. There are times when I can just nod to what the customers are saying and be speechless.

Just imagine 20 calls like that.

Now, for my last call yesterday, I was graced by a super annoying customer who thinks he is right and that the company I work for has no say with what is right or wrong. He said he was being paid by the government of Connecticut to sit on his ass and watch TV and complain to his service providers. He said he is the customer and he is always right. He said he knows he is a royal pain in the ass and unreasonable.

After about 5 minutes of arguing with him, I just got fed up and did what he want except putting a credit adjustment on his account. I was already shaking with anger and annoyance, and probably my blood pressure was also way over my head already. I just wanted the call to end because it was already way after the end of my shift. The whole call ended after an hour. Just great. One hour overtime.

An hour later, going home, I was still shaking in anger to the point of throwing up. My job is THIS healthy. It wasn’t like this up until the start of this month. I loved my job. I love the company I work for… but ever since this started, it’s just sickening. There are plenty of companies out there that would value my health more, sadly.

But I need to get away. I need a long vacation. I need rest. I want to go so far away and forget everything for a few days. I want to go to a place where no one would know me. Maybe I should go to a new orleans hotel and just spoil myself with first class service and feel what it’s like being a customer. *laughs*

But Louisiana is too far. Maybe Holiday Inn or Shangri-La is good enough. Or the Intercontinental. LOL.

I’m just so tired.

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Yesterday morning when I woke up, it was raining. Actually, the night before, it was already raining hard. Pop told me to start putting up my things just in case it floods. I raised my noodle stash, and some other stuff. I put Taba and Teacup on the top bunk as well. Usually when it floods here inside the house, maximum would only be 6 inches deep, so I wasn’t bothered. When the water started coming in, it was just coming in slowly. And then it was rising more and more… and it was rising fast. I told myself that I didn’t want to step in that murky water, but I had to.

The half-foot deep of murky water became a foot. And then more. And then it was knee-deep. Mama was able to save my clothes. I wasn’t able to save my shoes. They were already floating about. I tried to save some of the lower drawers, boxes, whatever I can save. I dumped them all on my bed. Some stuff were falling off the side, and when I knelt on my bed, it sank. My bed was floating already. I quickly got off. I’d rather it float than have it soaked.

The power went out as well. We were just using candles, and my UPS was still able to power up my router and modem. My netbook still had some life to it. Tried to go online for a bit to read up on what was happening to my side of the world. And if my colleagues were able to go to work. With chest-deep water and higher, some opted not to risk their lives just to go to work. It was just not be worth it. Even if I try to get a life insurance quote to wade through the waters to go to work, I’ll probably not go too, if I had work last night. Good thing it was still my rest day.

But now I’ve got to get some rest. I’ve got to sleep. I’ve got work tonight. It’s not raining much anymore. I’ll go to work. There’s no such thing as severe weather condition as a reason for not coming to work.

I know I’m lucky that the water has receded at my place. In some areas the water is still high, and people are stranded inside their very homes. For now, I’m good. For the others, I’m hoping for everyone’s safety.

For ways to help, please visit this link.

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I didn’t include how I just LOVE the restroom in G5. The greenness is soothing. I sometimes just go there during my break just to un-wind a bit. The 3 shades of the green glass tiles have this effect that makes me feel calm and peaceful and happy. Yes! Happy. Like a little giddy and excited to face whatever’s coming my way when I leave the restroom.

Ever went to a place that just being in that place makes you feel that way? I don’t know as well if I’m the only one who feels this way about the restroom. When I first saw it, I said, “Ooooh it’s so pretty!” and then whenever I go there and I’m alone, I activate all the flush thingies in the toilets and the faucets. I’m wasting water, yeah, I’m bad. But but …. it’s just fun. I don’t do it all the time though.

Do you have a special place at your work place, too?

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A month ago, my new team officially moved to Glorietta 5 or G5. I’ve gotten used to the new location already. It’s not that I was getting lost going to the place, but rather inside the building itself. But now I’ve figured out the fastest way to go to the restroom, making the automatic flushing thing of the toilets work, the automatic faucets as well. I’ve gotten used to the super cold lounge as well. They’ve got really nice and comfortable beds in the lounge, but the couches just really prove to be warmer to sleep in. They shouldn’t put comfortable office furniture in a place meant for employees to sleep in if they don’t want it to be used that way. Or maybe we just haven’t gotten over the PBCom lounges wherein we really used the couches for our beds.

I thought it was going to be a lot cheaper going to and from work since the building itself is near the Ayala MRT Station, but the part where I get off from GMA-Kamuning station and walk to Kamias Road is about 10 minutes of brisk walking, and sometimes I end up taking a cab from there which triples my transportation cost.

It would have been really good if the station was closer to my road. If I weren’t so lazy to walk, my total transportation expenses would only be P42 both ways. Instead, I take an ordinary bus which costs P18 or P20, depending on how fair the bus conductor (the one who collects the fare) is. But really, it should only be P18. So, plus the P7 for the jeepney, my total fare is P50 to P54. I know I should be taking the train instead to save money and have some exercise, but I really prefer to be relaxed and smelling good on my way to work and not extra tired on my way home. But at least there’s less traffic and I’ve got better options in case I wake up or leave a little late. I can always take the train if I have to.

The food is just fine. At first it was really good, the food served in the pantry. They were in big servings and delicious. Not to mention a lot cheaper than the PBCom pantry food. I thought it was too good to be true. True enough, the food started to become less in portions and not as good. But at least it’s cheap. It’s funny that we sometimes go down to the lower floors’ pantries because they might be better, but it’s not. The grass is just greener on the other side. So I just stick to my floor.

We have guest concessionaires like Wendy’s but by the time I take my lunch, usually they don’t have much left anymore. And there’s not a lot of places that are open 24/7 near G5, unlike in PBCom. But I guess I save more money since there’s no McDonald’s nearby. I haven’t been able to try looking for Starbucks. I know there’s one near the building, I just don’t know where exactly since I use my lunch to take a nap. I judge a Starbucks branch through their coffee jelly.

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Starting tonight, I am officially part of the Escalations Team at work. I work as a tech support representative, by the way, and although we are the help desk of our client, not everyone knows everything and agents also need assistance. There are also times when a customer just demands for a supervisor for reasons that are out of our control as a Tier 1 agent. Before, as just one team handling both of these, and the center realized that it’s too much for one team, I guess. So the Escalations Team was born.

Our job would now involve supporting agents, mainly, with their questions and their escalations. Ohhh.. just imagine… 8 hours a day of just taking in calls from irate, or frustrated, or livid customers. Or 8 hours of supporting boneless agents who can’t think for themselves even with all the information that is available to them.

We did some dry runs today for only a couple of hours and I am not pleased to say that I am utterly exhausted. My head is pounding and I’m just ready to sleep now. Should I start checking on insurance quotes in case I implode? or start running amok? or just get myself run over by a bus or something?

It’s not a promotion, but we will not be allowed to go home early anymore and I can go on Over Time as long as I want … if I want… at least that’s what they’ve told us so far. Since I won’t be going on half-day anymore, I’ll start to earn my full salary with the 20% night differential. I’ll be earning big bucks starting today! LOL.

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These past few weeks, my team leader has been bugging me about applying for a higher position whenever there’s an opening. He makes me evaluate myself as an agent, as a leader, and as a person, to find out for myself if I’m ready. He makes me answer questions that are like the ones that would be asked in interviews. He makes me evaluate and look at my team mates objectively. He has made me floorwalk to provide assistance to other agents. In short, he’s preparing me to become either a team leader as well, or part of the support team.

I want to move up. If I don’t feel like working somewhere else other than a call center, I might as well make it a career. It’s not like I can’t. I’m defying my words from before, but yeah. Whatever. And I really do want to get promoted, a real promotion. But whenever I think about it, I get really scared. I start shaking and I feel like I want to cry. It’s like I have stage fright or something. I want to go out there, but I can’t.

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