How Great Is Thy Love For Me

In the aftermath of 2007 great financial crisis, the company I worked for was in the brink of bankruptcy. I was doing well in my job, but my company wasn't. It was finally bought over by a bigger company, and that was when the whole drama began.

After the takeover, we're pretty much under the mercy of the new owner. I got a new boss and the direction from the very high up was to outsource the function where I belonged to. I was retained by the new company to "manage" the outsourcing company. However most of my colleagues and team mates were given severance package and asked to work for the outsourcing company, which would provide services back to my new company.

It was then my worst nightmare started. The outsourcing company wasn't able to deliver according to expectation. There were so much corporate politics taking place as the senior management from both the previous company and the new company fight for their own survival. Things just got harder and harder for me. The incompetence of the "lower cost" outsourcing company in delivering required services didn't help me either.

In 2010, I was on my breaking point. I was working for almost 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. I started looking for new jobs. I contacted ex-colleagues and friends for job opportunities. They politely told me they would meet me or contact me when opportunity arose, but they never did. There was one ex-company that I thought I had a good chance to land a job, but I didn't. It was much later that I found out that an ex-colleague held a personal grudge and another one worried I'd become a strong competitor. I felt very hurtful and dejected because I used to help them.

I continued looking for new jobs, relying on my own strength and connections, but to no avail. I hated the environment of my workplace and my job then, but I couldn't quit because I was the sole bread winner for my family of four. I also needed to support my parents and service my home loan. I didn't have much savings in my bank account either. I became severely depressed and lost 10 kg without diet and excercise.

To be continued ...