Hibari Kun 3m 689
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
“Not all the things you want are the things you really need.”
Well, I have proven this quotation in my previous working experience just a month ago.
I am a former employee of a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Company where I take in phone calls, and answer customer’s repetitive concerns 8 hours everyday for a Credit Reference Agency. And though the job may be just taking in calls it is also quite tough as it was very stressful as it seems, in a way that you were being over-populated by the concerns of other people including your own concerns as well.
In my case, having no choice, being a Call Center Agent (a colloquial term for a customer representative in the Philippines) was my one and only option because I really want to earn big in order for me to sustain my family’s needs. At first,the job was fulfulling, in the sense that I was even having great time working. Also the environment was really warm and friendly. It impressed me that even your boss was like your buddy that you could hang-out with and smoke with during breaks.
Considering that I was just a trainee that time, I was beginning to look forward to building a fruitful career with them and even working there until my retiring age if possible, as it would become my first and last job hopefully. The fun, the after-work bonds, and the workmates-turned-into-friends had become the reason for my perseverance in working hard aside from the usual salary thing that I am expecting every 13th and 28th of each month. The competition in the workplace had undeniably made me better. Although it kills me a bit not being at home during weekends and always out of the scene every holiday (for we are still obliged to work even weekends and holidays) I tried my very best to blend in and survive.
And the days went on so fast, and everything was going very well, but things change as well as people, and slowly I amwas starting recognize those changes. And I was not liking it. And this is for that most inconsiderate person I have ever met, my trainer. She was like a nightmare to my co-trainees and to all the other agents, screaming like hell for every little issue. She was an unreasonable perfectionist but you couldn’t correct her own mistakes. She would go into office late, and took a lot of time off for vacations.
The whole team (thats is our jargon for our batch, I mean people who were trained in at the same date) started to lose their self-confidence and had began quitting. We were getting fewer and fewer as the weeks went on. The bright sunny days that I used to see whenever I was on the dayshift, and the cool sunsets I used to smile at when I left during the evening shift became boring hot mornings and lazy afternoons. And the happy working place I used to greet “Hi!” suddenly turned into one of the most annoying place I’ve ever been. I started missing sleeping longer, and longing for the weekend bondings with my family.
All in all, I started feeling that the salary was not worth it anymore, considering the job, the travel, the time, the effort, and most especially, the people you are with. I ended up realizing that the time that you should be spending with your family is more important than the salary you are receiving just to try to understand inconsiderate people, customer complaints, and a job that does not appreciate you doing your best for the 8 hours or more you put in, and all you end up with is being as stressed as ever.
After some soul searching, I decided to file my resignation and that was the best decision I could have made. Now, although I am just at home and not earning as much as I was earning before, I feel at peace because I realize that the time you spend with your loved ones is far more important than earning huge amount of money.
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