benedict

Hello forum, I’m Benedict. My last job position held: ID Consultant at Earnest Interiors. Present occupation: Unemployed! It feels both weird and cool to be able to finally contribute something to this tread at Renotalk. And no, I’m not in here to seek revenge, vent my anger or play any sort of childish blame game. One, that’s not me. Two, I don’t have any need to! Why I’m here then? I have a couple of reasons and one of them is simply that I have the time to reflect on my time at Earnest Interiors. I have contributed to non-ID-related forums before and I thought now it’s a good time to share a thing or two in a forum that’s related to my previous work experience. First up. I would like to thank my former customers who gave me the opportunity to do up their new homes because they found me here. It has been a tiring but rewarding journey. I would also like to express my gratitude for some of them for helping me to promote my humble name and services here online and many more offline. Good men and women indeed. Next, I wish to clarify the reason as to why I left Earnest Interiors. I left on good terms with everyone there, including the sub-contractors, with my head held high. Do I miss the people there? After so many years there, yes. Speaking on behalf of nobody else but myself, and together with another former company in which I also worked for, these offices really do not have office politics in general. And this is so, so rare in a competitive cutthroat world today. The above meant that I wasn’t sacked from the job! Even if I tell my colleagues or sub-contractors that my boss, James, sacked me, they will probably laugh with a smirk on their faces and tell me not to treat them like idiots! That’s how ridiculous it sounds! Of course, there were the occasional disagreements but tell me which organizations’ intra relationships don’t have disagreements at all? All in all, I got along fine with James and I only have gratitude towards him for taking care of me during my time in the company. If I have issues I cannot resolve, he was available to help. We in the industry know that not all bosses are able or willing to handle issues at the frontline. I’m fortunate. But do I miss the job? Not really. The work, details, stress and that hidden expectation to play God once too often ate too much into my personal time and space that I felt I wasn’t growing in other aspects of my life. I practically ignored them, and unfortunately, that included my health. So there you go, I’m moving on not because bad blood was spilled because there wasn’t any to begin with. But if you are curious to know, I admit that I have slammed telephone handsets and my mobile phones on countless occasions! It’s just the work! In a nutshell, I left the industry and company to seek a better work / life balance. I have not decided what to do next really apart from taking a break. I’m fortunate to have a couple of job offers on the table. I also have one from my own father! He’s retiring some time next year and we are discussing whether it’s financially viable to keep his food distribution business going in an extremely competitive industry where he’s really a David among Goliaths. Maybe I will go study for a degree? Maybe I will join the IR? Or maybe I will open and run my own little business! Who knows? Lastly, I’m slightly bothered by a “war” that one of my former colleagues has been raging with James for the past few months. It seemed to have spilled into this forum. It should not be of any concern to me but I can’t help but wonder how an issue that could have been resolved rather easily escalated to this! I have said that I got along well with everyone and that included this former colleague. I’m amazed because if it was me, I cannot imagine myself carrying the issue for as long as it has gone and worse, became a kindergarten-like “tit-for-tat” subject that has been spiced with horrific English at http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21323 I know my advice is not worth much but since I have nothing to lose, here goes. Friend, resolve the issues at hand and let it go. I have seen the kids of both parties and they are all seriously very lovable. Just keep that mental picture and I’m sure there are more positive priorities for you to look forward to. I have one final point to add. Jonathan has left to answer a calling from God. Zann has left to become her own boss. Now I leave. Some have written my name with a prefix of superstar ID but that’s not a term that I deserve at all. My other colleagues such as Ben, Frankie and Peter are seriously that good as well. We talk with one another in and out of the office all the time so I know where they stand. Did I mention that we have become very good friends along the way too? That’s it. If you wish to seek an opinion, make friends, donate money to an unemployed person (just joking!), recommend a ridiculously high-paying job with short working hours or whatever positive, you are welcomed to email me at benedict_cheong@hotmail.com