So much for TGIF

Today (yesterday, Friday, since i wrote this yesterday and posted it today) our office was greeted by grave news, grave news indeed. Our beloved manager has resigned, not the kns. It was shocking because none of us expected or even guessed that it was him. Ever since our boss posted the job ads on jobstreet, we have been guessing that either the kns or one of our seniors have resigned. Nobody guessed Manager-nim at all.

Manager-nim is our rock. He is the one that all of us approach when we have any problems. When the kns couldn’t help us, we turned to him. When we’re not sure what to do, we turn to him. Anything under the sun that we don’t know, we turn to him. Whatever we have to complain about, he will sit and listen and give us advice and all! We are nothing without him. In fact, the senpais are always telling us stories from years gone by of how great manager-nim was when he was still a regular staff. That’s how awesome he is.

We had a dinner with him just now and apparently Clover senpai and Leader senpai cried. Cried like legit cried, not just the little tearing up type. But I’m not too sure, I left early so I don’t really know the details. The senpais are very much attached to him. They’ve been together in this company for years now. Almost 3 I think. They’re not just losing a good manager, they’re losing a good friend too.

Am I sad? Of course I am. Just like the senpais I relied on him a lot too. I’ve gone out on fieldwork with him a couple of times and there was once where he really had my back when the client was lecturing/scolding me about a mistake I did, threatening to sue and the whole shebang. I was bloody terrified cause I was still a trainee back then, I thought my evaluation was going to be done for but no, manager-nim dealt with the client with me, he had my back. My evaluation was unaffected by that. And the both of us lived to tell the tale.

What angered me – or well, us – is that manager-nim told us that our boss did nothing to retain him. Even with one of our previous seniors that left us, he said that the boss told him

“you can easily be replaced”

That’s not what you say to somebody who has worked so hard for you, regardless the amount of time he was employed. The fact that boss didn’t make an effort to retain him really says a lot about how he viewed his employees. I’m sure that he doesn’t realize that all of us are still in that company not because we like him, but because we like each other. We get along well, we play well together and we work well with each other. And I’m also pretty sure that he doesn’t know that without manager-nim, our company is pretty much doomed.

Manager-nim, together with Clover senpai and two others, were the initial members when our company was founded not too long ago. Yup, we’re a really small company back then. Actually, we’re still a small company now but the staff headcount has increased to about 15 or so. Anyway that’s not the point. The point is that manager-nim has been in the company a long time and he knows a lot of things regarding the clients, the cases and even what’s good to eat in the surrounding area nearby the clients’ place. He knows everything.

Who is going to guide us now? Definitely not the kns and I don’t see the senpais trusting whoever is going to replace manager-nim enough to approach him/her with their problems. The kns, though there are some improvement attitude wise, but knowledge wise, she’s probably just as big of a blur case as I am. The only difference is that she has power of authority while I don’t. Simple as that. She won’t guide us, she doesn’t even have the patience to talk to us nicely without raising her voice or losing her temper. How are we going to survive with this sort of a basket case without manager-nim around? But our boss loves her. He thinks she’s one hell of a great manager. But all of us thinks otherwise. But our boss will never believe us because she puts up such a great act in front of him.

Long story short, we’re doomed and our boss is too big of a lansi to realize that manager-nim is not just an employee of his, but is a valuable member of the company, one that should not be let go. Anybody can see that only a fool will let manager-nim go.