Johnny Boy - Part 1

I was told that Johnny Boy was a gang member in his younger days. I confirmed this when I spotted the small tattooed dot on his forehead. Though gang members may not be the kind of people we would normally be comfortable with, I personally respect them for one thing. That is, they have a code of conduct or ethics to be admired for. They are a bunch of people who hold highly to loyalty. Unfortunately, Johnny Boy has brought nothing but dishonor and shame to this code of conduct or ethics. He is basically a very very petty person whereby he would keep accounts of what others have done to him and he takes things very very personal. At least that is what my dealings with him have proved.

When I joined the company, the first year, there was no annual increment. The second year, he only gave the managers an increment but not the the rest of the staff. Here is where I just cannot tolerate this practise. The staff make the managers look good. Without the staff, can the managers hold their heads up high?

On the third year, he sort of caved in to peer pressure. He originally did not intend to give us any raise. But Eric spread the news around the office that Johnny Boy got the head office to buy him a personal car. It was a continental car at that. When he felt the unhappiness of the staff, he took steps to try to calm everybody. He gave everyone a raise. But it was really really pathetic.

Among the staff, the amounts ranged from $10 to $50. Well I got a generous raise of $50 after 3 years of service to the company. I pondered about this and came to a decision.

I decided to return his kind gesture. So I walked into his office and spoke to him. I was very respectful towards him throughout the whole conversation. I started off by telling him that I am not making any personal attack on him but that it was a matter of principle. I told him that I would like to return the $50 raise he has given me. I explained to him that ever since I started generating reports, I know for a fact that the company`s sales has improved over the last 3 years, hence, to give me a $50 raise is just unacceptable.

He then asked me how much I wanted. I replied that it is not wise for him to ask me how much I wanted because the management has to put a value to that and not for the staff to make demands. He assured me that he wants to know what I have in mind rather than having to put in another figure and I may be disappointed with the figure again. I thought about it and said that $200 over 3 years would be reasonable to me. He then said that he will have to put in this request to the head office and that he would let me know.

He then started telling me that he is aware of the staff`s unhappiness about him getting the head office to buy him a car on the company`s account. I replied that I was not using that as an excuse to get a better raise and that I am not making him feel guilty about it. He confirmed his understanding.

I then asked him about career advancement in the company. I told him that I was concerned about it. I cited Hokkien Peng`s example. He has been in the company for 7 years and yet he isn`t moving up. If he doesn`t move up, I won`t get to move up. From his very own mouth, he told me that the company always gives internal staff the top priority when it comes to career advancement. I thought I could trust him. But as it turned out, he took this incident very personally.

Some of my colleagues told me that my career has gone kaput because Johnny Boy is a very very petty person and that he will remember this for as long as I am around.

What resulted was that I got a better raise and they gave Hokkien Peng a promotion. What the hell man. I was putting my neck on the guillotine and someone else got a better deal.

Anyway, when Johnny Boy gave me the good news, he told me this which I remember till this day. He said that in life, we cannot insist on living by principles, otherwise, life will be unlivable. This is the talk of a spineless coward. He has got no back bone of his own which is why he has to sell his soul to the devil.

Keep a lookout for part 2.

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