How NOT to Run a Business on a Global Pandemic

I didn't see it coming. The pandemic got me unprepared and amplified all the problems I had before.

I didn't see it coming. The pandemic got me unprepared and amplified all the problems I had before.

I was unhappy with my current job and was thinking of making a change, but the pandemic started and I decided to stay a little longer to see how things happen.

This was not a courageous approach, I know. I decided to make a safe decision, even though I knew it would make me feel bad about myself. But I am used to making hard decisions and living with them, to carry them on my shoulders.

The wrong way to do management in times of crisis

Our bosses made all of us feel miserable at our day job and cut a part of our salaries. Everybody understood the situation, but the manner things were done annoyed us and demotivated us.

Instead of taking management decisions and thinking of new ways of developing the business, they preferred to transfer the "big issue" to non-management people. We were asked to work slower for the customers to feel that they need our services more than ever.

While this was demotivating the ambitious and competitive people, we all understood and complied with the new "management direction", but things got worse.

Some of the mediocre colleagues were fired, so the work volume started to increase again. They weren't the best employees, but they were helping with what they could and wanted.

With the workload up again, we had a new problem. We were working for 70% of the pre-pandemic salaries, but we had to work more because we were fewer people. This would have not been that bad if we hadn't felt frustrated by the manner management handled the pandemic.

Now everybody figured out that only the good people were kept at the company and as the workload grows, the company does not afford to fire more people. And this makes everybody work less because their jobs are secured and the company isn't going to raise the salaries anytime soon.

And guess how things happened for me. I am the guy in the company that always had the task to make the team productive, to motivate everybody, and to make sure that the customers are satisfied. But at the same time, I do not believe in management's strategy and I feel the same way as the others do. I am demotivated and as a result, I work as little as I can. It's always the wrong idea to cut a big part of the "motivator's" salary and then to ask him to motivate the others.

How I took this whole new situation

At first, I felt miserable and had some emotional struggles. I was not afraid of getting fired (I'm still not), but I did not want to quit my job on the pandemic, because I thought that it will take a while to find a new job and I do not like getting bored and staying home to do nothing.

I avoided as much as I could to spread the management's vision, I preferred to stay close to the employees and help them do things to make the management happy. I tried to provide a minimum of results and trick the management as often as I could, always taking sides with the employees.

I can do continue to do the same things I do now, but I am not happy with myself if I keep it like this very long. I am very ambitious and hardworking and feel disturbed by the things I do now. I work as little as I can and do not feel for a second that this is wrong, because they had wronged me when the pandemic started.

Before, if a task was between departments, I was fighting to be the one doing it, while now I convince the other department that it should do it.

I know how the people and the customers and the company works and I can do this. I know when it's important to work hard and when to "just do nothing" and I often do things that can be easily noticed, to justify my activity.

I sometimes do some things regarding development, which are always appreciated, just to mask the lack of activity and effort on my daily tasks. And this works! Also, when I solve an important problem or do something for a VIP customer, I make sure that the management sees it.

Conclusion

At first, I was very affected by my new type of behavior, but I'd passed this now. I got used to the idea that I will quit my job soon and started to do things for myself while working from home.

And, to have a positive attitude, I started watching motivational videos on YouTube, ordering an elliptical bike to keep me active and tired, and taking time to plan my future.

This was originally posted on Medium.

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