Ben just graduated from NUS engineering last year. Being a scholar since the age 15, Ben earned a life without a hitch with his academic abilities. He was very active at CCAs and did quite a lot of internships in the finance sector. Finally, he was offered a full time position at an investment bank. Ben felt complacent about himself.
As soon as he met his direct boss, he realised that life has stopped going smoothly for him. His boss, James, was a pilot before joining the bank. Same as Ben, James had no financial background. Furthermore, they are both from single child families.
Ben thought that James, who worked in this field for around five years, had neither experience nor professional knowledge about the financial market. Ben tried to mask this attitude. However, sometimes he just could not agree with the way James handled clients’ requests. He even refused to send the emails James told him to.
James, on the other hand, could be really rude to Ben when there was no other colleague around. He was always very harsh to Ben when Ben makes mistakes but easy on other colleagues. Ben thought that he was treated unfairly and wanted to file a complaint against James to the higher authority. However, his friends suggested him to change his job.
The Question is: Does quitting his job solve the problem for Ben?
Hello Susan, quitting his job might make Ben's life better since he does not have to work with James anymore. However, this would not make him less complacent.
ReplyDeleteHe might face with a similar situation in another job because of his complacency. If you were Ben, would you continue quitting and finding jobs again and again? I certainly doubt so. I guess the better way is for Ben to be less complacent so that he can work better with other people.
It seems that Ben is facing a problem of job satisfaction. Quitting his job is one quick and viable way given his excellent academic qualifications and vast experience as interns in the financial sector.
ReplyDeletethat said, it seems that Ben is still new in solving interpersonal conflict. Like what Luqman said, he most inevitably face with similar situation even if he gets a job switch.
I think Ben should be more self-aware in resolving interpersonal conflict especially when he is already assuming a full time position in the banking sector. With that in mind, he should attempt to reconcile with his boss by talking to him personally about their problem in an appropriate place and time. I believe his internship experience would be useful in overcoming their lack of professional experience in the financial sector. There must be more to related experience and knowledge when the bank hires James and puts Ben under him.
By the way, it would be better if you scan through your post for spelling and grammatical errors after finalising your draft. Here is one.
ReplyDeleteFiled > field
It would also be more concise if you could specify the problem Ben is facing too. :-)
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Luqman and Wellens that the problem will, most likely, not be solved by a job switch.
It is commendable that Ben exercised emotional labor to mask his feelings. But when he has objections so strong that he refused to comply with James' orders, he should really talk face-to-face with James to air his views.
If he was sincere, I believe James would not have reacted in such a fashion, assuming that James "hated" him because of his aura of arrogance.
Even if James refuses to listen, as long as James wasn't doing anything legally or morally wrong, Ben's refusing to follow orders from his boss is simply disrespectful.
Cheers,
Jinq Horng
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI think quitting the job or switching job is like an easy way out. And I agree with what our classmates have said, Ben will probably face a similar situation again in the future.
I think Ben should find an appropriate time and place to clear things up with James. His refusal to carry out his superior's orders may have negative consequences for the company in the long run. What if the emails he was supposed to send were meant for important clients? And it will also create a vicious cycle, both parties end up angry at each other and the problem can't be resolved.
Since the incident was from Ben's perspective, it's possible that he misinterpreted James's intention. Maybe James just wanted Ben to do well and therefore had higher expectations of Ben? But Ben might interpret James's attitude as harsh and unfair.
stella
Hey Susan,
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that Ben is not entirely doing the right thing in ignoring James' emails, he may be straining the relationship further. James is still, after all, his boss and Ben should respect that.
As for the unfair treatment, Ben should ask around first, to see if his other colleagues get similar treatment from him. If it is only Ben who is getting targeted, he may consider talking to James personally about this problem.
Quitting is the easiest way to get out of things, and may not always be the best solution. I have a friend in a similar situation and she is sticking at her job. She gave herself an ultimatum of six months, and if she is still miserable she will quit. Maybe Ben can consider that? He is still new at the job after all.
Luqman:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. You are right. I think the root of the problem is that Ben is complacent about himself. It is reasonable for him to feel so. But it is essential for him to realise that it may cause problems and raise conflicts with others all the time.
Wellens,
Thanks for your comment and kind advice! I have editted the error. I will work on my grammar problems harder next time.
It is a very good point you mentioned that there must be a reason why bank hires James and puts Ben under him. Sometimes, we may feel that we are working under someone who is less competent than ourselves. Though the situation may be true at times, most of the times, this feeling is arose from improper perception of ourselves and others around us.
Jinq Horng,
Thanks for your comment too. I agree with you that as long as James wasn't doing anything legally or morally wrong, Ben should not go the extent that he refused to follow orders. In this case, I think James who came from an army background has even lower tolerance for disobedience than normal bosses.
haotang
Stella,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I think the vicious cycle you mentioned is a great description of the situation.
In addition, I guess Ben never thought of the possibility that the reason for James to be harsh on him could be that James had higher expectations of him. If this is the case, then the miscommunication between them is rather tragic.
Vanessa,
Thanks for your suggestion.I think it is a great idea to give oneself an ultimatum of six months. I guess such problems are not uncommon among fresh graduates. It is almost like a compulsory module that we need to take in society. The difference is just whether we can struggle through it.
Haotang
This is a fairly clear and concise scenario, Susan, but I find the question a bit odd. Of course on the surface level Ben will solve the problem with James by quitting the job. It seems though that you are getting at the issue Ben has with emotional control rather than the problem with James. A more relevant question might have been this: If Ben wanted to keep his job and improve his work situation, what should he have done?
ReplyDeleteThere are a few language issues here as well:
a) ...he realised that life has stopped... >>> ...he realised that life HAD stopped...
b) Same as Ben, ... >>> The same as Ben, ...
c) Furthermore, they are both from single child families. >>> for verb tense consistency?
d) when Ben makes mistakes >>> ???
e) However, his friends suggested him to change his job. >>> However, his friends suggested that he change his job.
Thanks for sharing this story. You've garnered lots of good feedback.