On Being Appreciated...

One of my first jobs when I got to Cebu 15 years ago was as Accounting Officer of then new SM (Cebu) department store. There were about 10 members under me who handled voluminous transactions on a daily basis. I had to review all their work on a daily basis too. Work was tedious owing to the nature of retail. Plus the work environment was pretty rigid. Nevertheless, the group bonded well and even up to now some are still in touch with each other.

Genny was one of the girls who followed me even up to the next job I had. In this next job, she became an even more trusted colleague and friend who was loyal to the point of putting her job on the line just to show her support. Of course I was talking about an incident that happened about 3 years ago that caused me to move on out of delicadeza after fighting for what I believed in (in futility). Since then, Genny and the team had a new manager on top of them.

Two Fridays ago, Genny and Hazel, another former Accounting "angel", paid me a visit. Genny will be flying to Singapore in a few week's time as she has already passed the EPEC. She intends to invite Hazel as well, as the latter tries to find her luck there too. For hardworking people like them in this dog-eat-dog work environment, I wish them both success in their pursuits.

While in my office, we talked animatedly about the past. It was an afternoon full of reminiscing about the times spent together. I was truly touched when they said they missed the good old days when I was there to lead them, to mentor them, to defend them, to cover for them, and to make the work load bearable even while meeting hectic deadlines. Imagine hearing that and how it made my heart swell with elation. I guess it's an accomplishment for me to be able to have that effect on them, to be acknowledged for something, even when I thought I was just doing my job...



---


Hazel, moi, Genny
---