Its been 2 and a half months since i'm back, and its been 2 months since i'm working at that place. That also means, even though i've been going here and there, (mostly to the most hulu places in Singapore,) i'm still trying to get to know my collegues which i seldom see as we're always away outstation doing audit at clients' place. However, i tried to ask some questions here and there regarding how they felt about working in that company. Generally the answers are the same.
I, by far, am the newest member of the company, newest because the other 3 newbies started their first day 2 days before me. The only similarity between me and them is how we were paid. 4 of us we were the daily rated employees. That means, if we come to work, we'll be paid, if we don't come to work because we have to study for exam or because we have to sit for an exam or because we're sick or because of any other reasons u can think of, we dun get paid.
The other employees are monthly rated.
Ok, here's what made me think out loud.
I wonder what is the criteria of the company is looking for as far as our pay is concerned. Because, after having conversation with some of my collegues, i am starting to think that i am the lowest paid auditor among them all. Even the typist earned more than me.
Is it because i'm new and inexperienced? If that is so, then why are the other Diploma holders who join in 6 months ago, with no experience were paid a starting monthly salary which is higher than my starting salary if i were to convert my daily pay to monthly. Difference of $400.
Is it because i'm only a degree holder? I was told during my interview with the big boss before he offered me the job, that to him, i am nothing because i have no ACCA, no experience. Ok, if that is so, then, refer again to the above paragraph, and in addition to that, they dun have ACCA as well.
Or...
Is it because of our cultural background? And the colour of our skin? I need not say more here since i'm the only non-Chinese doing audit.
In short, i dun understand why the monthly rated employees who joined in slightly more than 6 months ago were paid a starting salary of more than a thousand bucks while me, again converting my daily pay to monthly, had a starting salary of less than a thousand bucks.
Soalan bonus!!
And the best thing, the big boss(who has a very strong faith in his religion) is always saying that we have to be fair in everything we do, saying a lot about fairness and all, and also keep saying that God is fair to all which i agree completely. Yes, God is fair, but now, as far as i'm concerend, its the big boss who isn't.
One of the senior is no different.
I requested for a 3 days leave for my revision for my exam, one week before, and she said, that that week is gonna be a busy week and that she'll be sending me to another client's place with a collegue. She made that not too happy look on her face and then she said, if "u are able to cut it short, it will be much better. but since u need to prepare for ur exam, there's nothing much we can do". So, i compromised, saying that i'll only take 2 days leave so that i can be at the clients' place for 3 days instead of 2, and she, smiling said, yes, thats a lot better.
We were at clients's place for 2 days, then we received a call from the office requiring us to go back the next day because they'll be having company lunch. So, the plan was, go to office the next morning, have a company lunch, then go ack to clients place after that.
I brought my revision notes to the office,(well, i brought my notes every day to read in the train) and since my table is directly in front of the senior who told me to cut short my leave, i didn't do any work, coz there isn't much work to be done and read my notes instead. I told myslef, if she's gonna find fault with me or asked me why was i not doing any office related work, which there isn't anyway, i would tell her that any free time available is very precious to me coz i have an exam to prepare for and i had agree to cut short my leave so that i could do the audit, and since most of the work is at the clients place there's no work to be done, so i'd read my notes instead. I would fire that back at her.
I wasn't happy that day. We went to lunch at this nearby hotel, and what i observed is that, they were not sensitive enough to their employees who are vegetarian or who couldn't eat certain food/meat that is prohibited due to religious believes. Lunch dragged till 3 and by the time, it was too late to go to clients' place.
So, i believethe reason that she didn't want me to take the 3 days leave was not because she was afraid that the audit would be completed by the deadline, but i think arrangements had been made to have a company lunch which i felt, i could do without because of the choice of dishes available. I could have used that one day for my revision. I could have taken out my notes and read it in that hotel table while the rest are happily chatting and eating ther babi asam, or beef something or chicken something, or something with pork belly, but i dun want be be seen as rude. I helped myself with the ice-creams and pastries and cakes and deserts
