I started work more than 10 years ago when the economy was booming. At that time, things moved so fast that there was no concept of day or night. It was common for me to work to the wee hours of the night (and often overnight). Weekends were not spared either. Being new in the industry that was moving at breakneck speed, I had to learn on the job. There was no time for me to gain experience at my leisure.
Subsequently, the Asian crisis came. I thank the Lord that we are a big organisation and were able to weather the storm. However, the strain of the poor economy took its toil on us. Some of us had to suffer pay cuts. There were retrenchments. Some of us had our salaries frozen or we were given nominal increments. It was a difficult time for us and extremely stressful for me as I had to justify the salaries of those who worked for me. How do you squeeze blood out of stone? If there is no business forthcoming, how do you generate billing and earn enough for the company to cover the overheads and still have money left over to give a little bonus to the staff at the end of the year so that they have a little extra to bring some Christmas cheer to their families?
At that time, there was a staff who used to work for me but was reassigned to another colleague who needed help. The staff was retrenched during the Asian crisis. Although she was no longer working for me, I felt grief when I heard the news. She had a family and young children to feed. Although she did not ask me to, I tried to have her reinstated but I was not successful. It has been one of my regrets as I know that she had difficulties making ends meet.
In more recent years, the economy started booming again. We were very blessed to be able to secure big projects and bring in big billing. However, it means long nights and a lot of work, often taking its toil on our health. I am grateful that the organisation recognised the efforts of the staff who worked so hard, without whom we would not have achieved what we did. I feel very thankful that we have a dedicated team of staff who put in so much effort and did not "throw in the towel" at the 1st sign of pressure.
Today, the economy is said to be uncertain and volatile. Your guess is as good as mine whether the economy will continue to slide downwards or whether we have reached a plateau and things will only get better from now on.
But let us keep the faith that everything will be fine and all things will turn out for our good. We have a right to the blessings of the Lord not because of our own effort but because Jesus shed His blood on the cross for us and qualified us to walk in the blessings of God.
Life is not a bed of roses. There will always be ups and downs. Sometimes, we encounter challenges along the way. It is important that despite any setbacks, we maintain our good cheer. I am not saying that we do not lose our temper or get frustrated. But at the end of the day, we have to realise that all this is temporal and everything will be well.
Subsequently, the Asian crisis came. I thank the Lord that we are a big organisation and were able to weather the storm. However, the strain of the poor economy took its toil on us. Some of us had to suffer pay cuts. There were retrenchments. Some of us had our salaries frozen or we were given nominal increments. It was a difficult time for us and extremely stressful for me as I had to justify the salaries of those who worked for me. How do you squeeze blood out of stone? If there is no business forthcoming, how do you generate billing and earn enough for the company to cover the overheads and still have money left over to give a little bonus to the staff at the end of the year so that they have a little extra to bring some Christmas cheer to their families?
At that time, there was a staff who used to work for me but was reassigned to another colleague who needed help. The staff was retrenched during the Asian crisis. Although she was no longer working for me, I felt grief when I heard the news. She had a family and young children to feed. Although she did not ask me to, I tried to have her reinstated but I was not successful. It has been one of my regrets as I know that she had difficulties making ends meet.
In more recent years, the economy started booming again. We were very blessed to be able to secure big projects and bring in big billing. However, it means long nights and a lot of work, often taking its toil on our health. I am grateful that the organisation recognised the efforts of the staff who worked so hard, without whom we would not have achieved what we did. I feel very thankful that we have a dedicated team of staff who put in so much effort and did not "throw in the towel" at the 1st sign of pressure.
Today, the economy is said to be uncertain and volatile. Your guess is as good as mine whether the economy will continue to slide downwards or whether we have reached a plateau and things will only get better from now on.
But let us keep the faith that everything will be fine and all things will turn out for our good. We have a right to the blessings of the Lord not because of our own effort but because Jesus shed His blood on the cross for us and qualified us to walk in the blessings of God.
Life is not a bed of roses. There will always be ups and downs. Sometimes, we encounter challenges along the way. It is important that despite any setbacks, we maintain our good cheer. I am not saying that we do not lose our temper or get frustrated. But at the end of the day, we have to realise that all this is temporal and everything will be well.
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