The imported and the favoured workers

It was no surprise that the managers favoured only employees from the same country as them.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – A test of courage.

It wasn’t encouraging to hear the new manager threaten “restructuring” when staff were unlikely to meet an impossible deadline. Everyone returned from the meeting with the manager with a blackened demeanour.

Recently, staff had felt their jobs were threatened, as the company was changing workplace technology and had cut jobs to tighten the budget. Work with the old technology was going to stop next month. Half the staff already had received nothing to do for weeks. Several dozens were let go just a few months before by this very manager. There had not been talk of training with new technology for staff. People were distressed and anxious, but still had to work their best to achieve the goal. A few staff were successful in getting jobs elsewhere and left.

Duty, honour, country

I have a duty to honourably commit myself to serve this country just like my father.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – Family trait.

Ten people were in the meeting room, plus seven others in offices around Australia hooked up to the room’s conference phone. It was a big meeting, with the attendance of section colleagues and business stakeholders, to review Monsieur Yuppie’s system specification document.

Duty, honour, country poem

(Sonnet-Petrarchan-style poem)

<<Story related to the poem>>

When power frowns at the tight deadline claim,
And staff resource for demand is so low,
Yet future staff retrenchment is to grow,
The workplace chaos then becomes aflame!

The Death God

The Death God’s visit symbolised the death of my career.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – My secret fear.

I froze with fear as the Death God, in her white hooded robe, slid across the floor towards me. She exhaled over my face; I felt myself floating in the air, looking down at my dying body which greying gradually from my feet to my upper torso.

Buddha, fear is in the air!

These days, I feel like an alien in my workplace.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – Odd one out.

Fear was etched on their faces and showed in their voices! Shame kept them in isolation until I connected them with others in the same boat, including myself! They’d been identified as

Buddha, fear is in the air! poem

(Quatern-style poem)

<<Story related to the poem>>

Dear Buddha, fear is in the air!
As the world is no longer fair!
Injustice grins with dirty teeth,
And lie wears a victory wreath.

Damocles’ sword of redundancy

Damocles’ sword of redundancy fell on me and I was saved; yet it can fall again any day now as the economy falters in Australia.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – Endings.

When I realised that I had been identified as an excess employee, everything seemed to be shattering around me!

I felt so ashamed yet angry because I always prided myself on my devotion to, and excellence in, my job. My skills were highly valued in the team. I was only 50 and had planned to work at least 10 more years. I was disheartened and worried what I’d live on and do after this job.

Damocles’ sword of redundancy poem

(Limerick-style poem)

<<Story related to the poem>>

Damocles’ stinking sword, fall on me!
Lays in wait, aims at me, I can’t flee.

Farewell those concubines

I’d made it short! I’ll make it long! I felt empowering to write my first short story.

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – Personal challenge.

During our 2012 Christmas emails, as I told my friends the redundancy situations I’d known, I learnt that they too suffered from their countries’ economic downturns.

Farewell those Concubines poem

(Crossed-rhyme-style poem)

<<Story related to the poem>>

Comments about this post on ABC Open 500 words – Personal challenge.

The aged mourn their bygone youth at the feet of Mother Nature,
The injured beat themselves up for they were such eager beavers,
The reformers ask themselves why they wanted their workplace to get better,
The wronged saw themselves making complaints as much foolish failures,
As all are now considered ‘the unwanted’ by their employer.

Image credit
by Hsing Wei.