Employee Diary
Asmaa K. Marie’s Employee Diary ~ Shame on the Pharaohs!

Like most fathers, my dad faked the usual heart attack reaction, when he heard about the most recent addition to the sports I play: boxing. Seeing that he was only reluctantly letting me play football, saying it was too violent, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting that reaction to boxing. I, therefore, didn’t expect him to pay for my boxing gear, and since they are quite expensive, I decided that maybe it was time for me to get a job.
Since I rarely look into it, I had lost track of how old I am, feeling a different, younger age, than I really am. I know for certain, that I haven’t reached the disastrous point of any woman’s life, where the words in sentences have to be thought carefully, before being thrown at her, being – if not entirely changed by a straightforward lie – at least rearranged. A simple sentence like ‘You are twenty five years old’ for example, having the order of its words rearranged, as an unpleasant, yet inescapable consequence to the change of the number in the sentence, becoming, ‘You are old, fifty five years…’
Comforted slightly, by the fact that I wasn’t at that point yet, but frightened like any other woman by its inevitability, I was at least sure that I was old enough to get a job. But age doesn’t necessarily mean qualification. I didn’t know whether what I knew was enough for me to get a job. My uncertainty vanished gradually, as I skimmed the newspaper for jobs, because most of them required three goods, good computer skills, good English and good looks. I knew I had the first two, and with a little bit of makeup I would have the third as well. Most of them were secretary vacancies, and though I knew nothing about being a secretary, I had seen enough secretaries, not many of them being too bright, to guess that it couldn’t be a difficult job. But with a bit of honesty, I went for a secretary position in a gym; thinking that I should at least know what the place I worked for is.
A surprise awaited me upon phoning that gym though; half of it changed my plan, and the other half made me laugh. The first half was, that the gym was actually looking for an aerobics instructor, and the second half, was their reply to my question of why on earth haven’t they said that in the ad, was that the newspaper thought that job to be too inappropriate to be published in a newspaper. Surprised and amused as I was, I didn’t feel the need to back out seeing that, I was as good an aerobics instructor as I was a secretary, so I took the job.
However, my childish perspective towards the world deepened, and the arrogance I felt, when I got accepted from my first attempt, washed off slightly, as I registered that it wasn’t I who took the job, but more like the job that had taken me. I remembered my father advising me to pay attention to my studies, so that I could get a high enough score, to get appointed in college, because it’s so hard to get jobs these days, and securing a teaching post in college, would save me a lot of trouble and, I, so immaturely, believed him to be wrong. But as I had no intention of telling him that, I was getting a job whilst still in college, when he thinks I should be devoting my time to studying, I couldn’t exactly tell him how I thought I had found proof that he was mistaken, to his face.
The usual feelings of false maturity, seeming freedom, and partial financial independence, hit me from the first day at work. But two weeks into the job, made me hate even the mere pretence of being a grownup. I was simply bored, like the kid I really am, would predictably become after trying something, and getting used to it. Or perhaps it was really work itself, that didn’t live up to my expectations; the freedom and independence I had anticipated, turning out to be a figment of my juvenile mind’s imagination, for the job had, if anything, decreased my already incomplete freedom. Apparently having a job, just adds another person who can tell you what to do: your boss. As this realization hit me, two weeks late, I quit.
Despite the short period I had spent working, the job wasn’t the only thing I’d gotten used to; I had also become used to making money. Thus, even after I had made enough money to get the boxing gear I wanted, I still wanted to get back to work. It would’ve been utterly stupid, and another waste of time to get another job like the first; working for someone that is. It took me a while to come up with something else, because unless I could start my own business, which I didn’t have the time nor the money for, then I had to work for a person or company. Eventually I found a way to be my own boss, without having to spend much money starting a business. It was going back to the basics of moneymaking really: making things and selling them. So fooling myself again, this time into believing that I had the talent for that kind of work, I set off to learn making statues.
Considering that I was a granddaughter of the pharaohs; that kind of work should’ve been second nature to me. If I said that I was making statues – miniscule ones, not the huge ones my great grandparents have made – but was still failing miserably at it, that would make me such a shame on pharaohs, that they should take my Egyptian passport. But the truth is, I wasn’t even making them, but was merely duplicating ones already made, making copies by pouring liquid chemicals into a plaster impression of the statue, where it solidifies on its own, and still failing at that, plainly meant that I was a shame on cavemen. To make things worse, the tiny statues I made kept blowing up, literally, one of the miniature pyramids had tiny explosions coming out of its chamber, and actually made hissing sounds when I took it out of its cast.
After wondering vaguely, if I was on the verge of accidentally inventing another explosive material, I gave up on that job as well. But not before I had sustained numerous injuries from it. The most dangerous of which, was when I missed the piece of plastic I was supposed to be cutting, and sank the sharp cutter into my thumb, with such force that could’ve made my hand one finger short.
Admittedly, that wasn’t when I had given up. Yet even persistence couldn’t have mattered much after I had set the paper napkin covering my bleeding thumb on fire by accident, as I held a lighter too close to it, because my slow brain was too used to my thumb being inflammable, and even slower to register what had changed that. So after I had spent a whole minute, wondering where the burning smell was coming from, suggesting that my brain was torturing my thumb on purpose, I eventually made the connection between the smell in my nose, and the pain in my thumb and I gave up on that job as well, admitted that I simply suck too much, that it was life threatening to carry on with it and hid my passport somewhere safe, just in case.
With these unprecedented levels of failure, I wasn’t sure whether I should find another job, or just admit to myself that maybe, I wasn’t cut out for working. I was inwardly thankful, that I hadn’t bragged to my father about my nonexistent abilities to get a job, for that had at least saved me the humiliation of admitting, that it was me who has been wrong all along.
My fear for my life, and the rest of my fingers, convinced me to stay put for the time being; at least until the image of the ape’s evolution into a caveman, who evolved into me, then turned around to the ape saying: “Go back, we have failed,” has washed off, and the shameful confirmation that Darwin’s evolution theory had been wrong, on more than one level, can be shoved away from my head by any unlikely-to-ever-come success.
Dr. Asmaa K. Marie
A Chapter from her Book: Like Most
Articles
Was it Critique,Training or Bluntly Bullying?

Artwork & Writing By: Rim Abdelhamid
At one of the call centers I worked in, since day one, the manager and the trainers who were supposed to help us learn and get adapted to the job, they kept telling me how much negative and depressing they think I am. They even went as far as calling me a DEAD person. My manager enjoyed making fun of me by imitating how he thought I used to speak or how I sound, saying that I have speech disorder -because this is “funny”- just a joke! He even tried to get others to join in. It was always the same excuse: they’re “trying to help me get better at my job!” Even though it had nothing to do with my performance and it started the first day I started work.
Let me tell you why -them trying to help me- was a lie? How this is not a critique but in fact bullying? What is the aim of bullies? What are the types of bullying in general? How do they start? And how to stop it?
What workplace bullying is…
When giving a critique one gives it based on actual facts. They could give a certain advice, or simply just tell the person what they’re doing wrong, etc… But it’s never calling them names; that’s abuse. What makes abuse turn into bullying is it not being on all employees but a specific one targeted, and over a prolonged period of time (not just one incident). The harassment behavior could be by one or more colleagues (subordinates and/or superiors), where the one being targeted is unable to defend his/herself. In that case it’s no longer a bad management issue, or a bad behavior by one individual but in fact one person being alienated; BULLIED.
How bullying is like at the workplace?
You might think it is physical? But no, bullies are smart! It cannot be psychical because it could cost them their job and even get them arrested. However, it’s a mental abuse. For example, telling you something hurtful in a way of “joking” or putting you in situations that could affect the quality of your work like unrealistic deadlines. Also, it could be things like yelling, threats or sabotage. Whatever it is, it is an action that could cause stress to the victim. And could cause them to feel trapped and it is repeated over time.
In my case, I was forced by that same manager to work overtimes and on weekends. And even without extra pay. Spending every day, and almost 12-13 hours a day, sometimes with no breaks, with no time to eat and no way of getting good sleep or the rest my body needed. And I couldn’t risk losing my job. Why though? Why would someone bully another at work? POWER AND CONTROL. The bullies in this case just want to feel in control and they do it by bringing others down. In my situation, I was the only one in my team with past experience in that field, the only one who didn’t need training so that was my manager’s and the trainers’ way to “put me in my place”. They didn’t have any real critique so they tried to gain power by verbal abuse, by overwork, by putting me down and stressing me out.
What makes victims not speak sometimes or have a hard time reporting the issue? Because of the charming personality of the bully. You’d think you can tell that the person in front of you is a bully but it’s actually hard to tell. Since bullies manipulate others with poker face. They are self-centered and in some cases sociopaths but likeable.
I was always being told it’s an “advice”, they’re “helping” me. All in the midst of me being bullied. I was made to think I deserved the way I was treated.
In other cases, bullies could come after you in a non-direct way. For example, by emailing a manager telling them you’ll meet a certain deadline when it’s impossible for you to do so, they’re not coming to you directly but instead they’re putting you in a situation where you can’t really decline, knowing you’ll be in a hard and stressful situation. They could work on making you lose your job in that same manner. So basically, they’re not monsters hunting you down literally, they’re just that guy/woman sitting next to you smiling while putting you intentionally in stressful situations. Making you feel stuck all the time.
Well, how to stop bullies?
The thing about bullies is that they test their target victim. So, if you right away push back, you’ll be ok. But if they managed to get to you, they won’t stop easily. You need to always address the situation head on. Call out the behavior and leave the situation, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable it might be for you at that specific moment. Instant action is a must. You should also document every single detail big or small. The reason why sometimes bullying incidents go undisciplined is the lack of evidence. Stick to facts, to what happened and do not allow anger or other emotions to cloud your action. Then reach out to the HR and bring the incident to their attention.
To conclude the key to end bullying is to remain calm, confident and immediately push back, by calling out the action then reporting it if it’s repeated.
If there is anything, I wish I could have done differently is not letting my emotions control me. While I didn’t get angry, but instead I felt stuck, depressed and worthless. I let them put me down and I accepted the idea that I deserve to be treated this way, this is why I never reported what happened. I should have only focused on achieving my target because that’s what evaluates the quality of my work, not what anyone thinks. I wish I could tell my old self that: “Harassment, stress and overwork do not help anyone. Teamwork, respect and positive work environment does. Always know your work duties (targets) and your rights as well.”
If anyone who’s going through the same experience is reading this, I hope you know now what to do.
Articles
اللي بيتكلم كتير بينجح

بقلم: هبة رشدي
من بداية شغلي وأنا مش بعرف أجامل وأتكلم كتير وأبدأ أمدح في شغل وللاسف في حد استغل ده فيا واني ممكن أكون بتحرج اني اطلب حقي أو أمدح في شغلي وكان ساعات كتير بينسب المجهود ده لنفسه لدرجة اني كنت بحس اني بتظلم وأن شغلي ومجهودي مش واضح وان في ناس موجوده معايا ممكن تكون بتشتغل نص مجهودي بس بتعرف تسوق لشغلها كنت حاسة اني كدا شغلي مش هيتقدر صح فقررت اني لو أنا مش هقدر شغلي ومجهودي اكيد مفيش شخص تانى هيعمل كده
مع الوقت لقيت الناس فاهمه كويس الشخص إللي بيشتغل وعنده ضمير والشخص إللى بيعمل شو لنفسه وشغله وبس ولقيت فعلا محدش بينجح غير إللى بيعمل شغله بضمير الشخص اللي بيتكلم كتير بينجح وبيلمع لفتره بس مش طويلة. النجاح محتاج ضمير وقدرة على الشغل بجد وتقدير طبعا و جراءة في الدفاع عن حقي ومجهودي
لما بدأت ابقى مسئولة عن فريق شغال معايا قررت ان أهم حاجة بالنسبالى اني احافظ على الأشخاص دي، مجهودهم شغلهم وكمان تقديرهم لذاتهم واني هقدر الأشخاص إللي معايا، وقررت أن أي إساءة هيتعرضوا ليها كأنها إساءة شخصية ليا. كنت بحاول بكل جهدي ان التيم بتاعي يكون محمي ومتوفر ليهم القدر الكافي من الاحترام وخصوصا ان احنا بنتعامل بشكل يومي مع العملاء وفي كتير ساعات بيبقى أسلوبهم مستفز وفي الحقيقة مخسرتش أي عميل من وقت القرار ده بالعكس كنت بحس أكتر باحترامهم وتقديرهم وحتى الموظفين الموجودين كانوا بيقدروا جدا ده وممكن يكون بيحافظوا وبيقدوا المكان إللي مقدملهم القدر الكافي من الاحترام والأمان
معظم الوقت بيتصدرلنا فكرة ان الشغل مفيهوش عواطف ولا مشاعر، واني لازم أكون صارمة جدا وساعات ممكن يوصل للجحود عشان أبقى بروفيشينال. بالنسبالي الشغل عبارة عن علاقات إنسانية كتير وتقدير وحب ورحمة، وطبعا أوقات لازم نبقى صارمين في مواقف معينة. بس الأهم إن يكون في رحمة حتى في العقاب مع إللي بيغلط علشان يبقى في تقدير للكيان إللي بيشتغل فيه وفي راحة نفسية في التعامل واحترام
Articles
سبعة عشر قصة تنمر في بيئة العمل

صحافة: محمود منسي
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Rejected from companies after passing technical exams due to body arts “tattooing”.
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“Make your success a story to tell..!!”
“when it comes to write your own story, don’t let anyone else to hold the pen..!!” 😃
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I worked in an international telecommunications company and the manager hierarchy sucked to the core.. I was the top 5 performers of the department but was told by my direct manager that I suck and that I had to reconsider my place in the company and not to put my hopes up high! On the other hand, my quality coach told me that my performance was amazing by showing me evidence that I was indeed one of the best 5. The first opportunity for being promoted to a different title came around but I did nothing because my self-esteem was crushed.
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في جامعة اشتغلت فيها ٦ شهور فقط من فرط الايجابية اللي فيها.
أحد المسئولين في الكلية اللي اشتغلت فيها تحديدا قالتلي لبسك لا يرتقي بوظيفة مدرس مساعد في الجامعة وان شكل جسمي مش حلو وغيره كلام كتير صدر منها كان بيقتلني..
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مديري استغل اني قولتله plan بتاعتي في الشغل وراح قدمها هو لنفسه، أنا عمري متعرضت لحاجة كده دي أول مرة في حياتي..

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