I ‘m in something of a
reflective mood; I've worked for the same employer for over thirty years; today
felt odd. As I wave goodbye to the place I still find it hard to be objective
about my time there.
I went for interview
for my first job with them in August 1984. I went to the interview from the
Boys Brigade camp which was taking place in Smarden in (as luck would have it) in a field adjacent to a farm which was to
become such a large part of my life in recent years. I can distinctly remember
going for that interview; and as I walked into the hospital I can remember a
definite and strong feeling of "NO!";
almost as though God himself was telling me not to go for the interview. But I
did; I was offered the job, and I started on September 10 1984.
I hated it. After a
couple of months I was seriously considering moving back to Hastings. The job
was OK ; I was just working with some rather nasty women. But as time moved on
so did they, and they were replaced by people I quite liked. Success in exams
got me state registered, and three years after that saw promotion to a
supervisor grade.
For all that I grumbled
from time to time I was in a job that I could do, and that I felt rewarding.
Over the years I trained twenty-five people from appointment to state
registration, and even got to travel the country to assess candidates on their
suitability to be state registered. Admittedly the night staff would often
(usually twice a week) call me in after midnight to sort various issues, but I
didn't mind. In retrospect it was good to be able to contribute to the running
of a hospital so intimately.
However years in a
senior position had its drawbacks. As did being a naturally vocal sort of
person. Looking back I should have kept my mouth shut and not argued with the
bosses. But I've never been a "yes
man"... In August 2011 I made a rather serious mistake (on a day when I'd been asked to do two
peoples' jobs). During the
investigation another error came to light for which I was given the blame.
After a rather nasty few
months a boss who I had thwarted a few times gave me a choice: downgraded and
transferred to another place of work or sacked for gross incompetence.
I was (and still am) rather bitter about this;
years of service thrown back in my face. I had missed countless family
get-togethers and children's birthday parties because I was needed at work. I
would regularly give up plans (at a
moment's notice) to cover shifts because of other people’s sicknesses and
problems. None of this counted for anything.
Everyone with whom I
worked at the time rather felt that my punishment was a massive over-reaction,
I lost count of the senior managers who told me that they felt I had been
treated shabbily, but only six of them
felt strongly enough to write a letter of support on my behalf. Most people
were frightened of what was seen as a tyrannical management. Mine wasn't the
only dismissal at the time.
It was an odd time;
there are lots of maxims and proverbs about "knowing who your friends are". I hope none of my loyal readers
ever have to find this out. For me it was a serious eye-opener. People with
whom I've never got on wrote the most wonderful letters of support for me.
Other people with whom I had been close for twenty-five years totally turned
their backs on me. I still see those who refused to defend me (when they don't seem me first and then hide);
none of them have the courage to look me in the eye. One of them saw me at the
railway station recently. He hid behind a pillar, and as I deliberately moved
about so did he; clearly trying to hide from me.
My pride felt I should
tell them to stick it; practicality made me swallow my pride. I took the
downgrade as I needed an income. I spent two years job-hunting. I achieved
nothing. After a while I managed to progress back up two grades, but I was (and still am) still saying "yes sir no sir" to people I'd
interviewed, appointed and trained. The chance for advancement back to a
supervisor grade came up last summer. I applied; I didn't get the job because
at interview I "came over as myself".
I've been told that for all that the people on the interview panel know me (one has known me since 1983), had I lied
to them and pretended to be someone I'm not and spouted the correct management
catch-phrases (that I despise) I
would have got the promotion.
I'm not unhappy in my
job, but I feel I could do so much more than I'm currently doing.
A vacancy came up at
Maidstone. It is time for a fresh start.
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