Forget Me Not – Julie’s memoirs

Day 26 – Bullying in the workplace Micro-Management

Day 26 – Bullying in the workplace Micro-Management

Bullying in the workplace and micro-management may seem a strange topic to talk about here. But today I was asked today if I would attend “A Round Table”, a discussion on the behaviour of somebody in the workplace. There would only be three of us on this round table. It got me thinking about my previous job. I was the operations manager in a small division of Chubb Fire. The company within Chubb Fire was called Emtech. I loved working for Emtech when I first started. I worked for a lady called Emma who set the company up, and we worked out of her dining room and later a purpose-built office. The ethos of myPA comes from Emtech. Emma sold the company to Chubb Fire as she wanted to concentrate on other projects.

When I first joined Emtech, I asked Emma if she ever sold the company; to tell me so that I could decide if I would stay or look for another job. She made the promise that she would do so.

The Promise

I worked for Emtech for about six years when I noticed that a few odd things were going on in the office.  For example, paperwork was disappearing and then reappearing mysteriously.  We were going through reams of paper, and printers were running out of ink. The office always appeared to have been opened than unusual.  Small tiny things that you could put down to being tired or forgetfully.

In April, I picked up the phone to call Emma as I was worried about her. Emma would pass out for no reason. I picked up the phone and called her mobile number, and something inside me told me to put the phone down. For the first time, I knew I had to put the phone down.  It later transpired that the moment I picked up the phone to call her, she signed the contract with Chubb Fire to sell the company without my knowledge.

There had been someone else in the office in the mornings and the evenings. It was the housekeeper, Emma’s husband, and Emma. They were photocopying various documents, making sure that the paperwork and contracts and client contact details were all in order and ready for the sale. They were doing due diligence.

Emma told me two days before the sale that she would never sell the business. It was her baby, and she would protect it as much as she could.  Oh, what a fool I was!

The Betrayal

On Sunday at 2:00 pm, I got a call from Emma, and she asked me to come to the office; as a matter of urgency.  The office was a barn next to her home.  She needed to talk to me. Being worried about her, so I went to the office. I found her in the garden drinking a glass of Pimm’s, and she invited me over.  We sat down on the grass; she gave me a glass of Pimm’s. Her opening line to me was, “your job is safe for a year”. She then proceeded to tell me she’d sold the company to Chubb Fire.

I asked her why she hadn’t told me and reminded her of her promise. She replied that if I found out beforehand, she would have to give a large amount of money back to Chubb Fire. I was upset at this, and Emma then replied, “I don’t know why you’re crying. It doesn’t affect you”.

On Monday, I arrived at the office to find three representatives from Chubb Fire already there.  They told us that our jobs were safe, they now owned Emtech, and if they needed any information, they would ask. Our new manager will appear in a few days as he is on holiday.

The start of being bulled in the workplace

The manager arrived, and it was a complete and utter disaster from start to finish. I’ve never experienced bullying in the workplace until I’ve met this person. I had never understood how insidious bullying could be, how it starts with such a brief comment, and how it can chip away at your confidence without you even knowing. The following two years with Chubb Fire were pure hell. The reason I’m saying this is that this line manager liked to have round tables. His idea was that we’d all sit around together and discuss issues in an open and frank manner. What this meant, I discovered over time, was that he would get his way.  The staff and my manager would team up together and pick on me.

Bullying in the workplace and micro-management an Example

A prime example of this is that this line manager wanted me to micromanage staff. As far as he was concerned, they were not completing their tasks promptly. His idea was that I would go round to each staff member and ask what they were doing.  At lunchtime, I would then go back to each member of staff and ask what they had done and what they plan to do in the afternoon. Before going home, I would then go around to each staff member to ask what they did and what they planned to do the next day. I had resisted doing this for three months. I was worn down and agreed to do it.

Within a week, all members of staff requested an open round table with the manager. The members of staff then brought up this micromanagement and said that I was treating them like children. They resented it. The staff resented me. Everyone hated micromanagement. At this open round table, my line manager looked at me and said, “Julie, why are you doing that? We’re all adults here and should be treated like adults”. Flabbergasted was an understatement. I said I was doing what you asked me to do. However, he decided not to hear that comment, as did everyone else.

The set up – Bullying in the Workplace

At the end of the meeting, I requested a quiet word with him in our meeting room and asked what he was playing at. He replied that he needed the staff to buck up their ideas and work harder to finish the work. I repeated my question and asked why he had set me up with the staff and didn’t back me up during our meeting. He answered that it doesn’t matter how we got to this resolution; the staff have agreed to do the backlog of work. They understand the urgency for getting work up to date and billed.

For the first time in my life, I complained to HR about this and a few other bullying tactics this line manager used. I will never do this type of round table again. This style of roundtables is rude, soul-destroying.

What I have learned about Bullying in the workplace and micro-management

  • I will not do a roundtable to get staff “to buy into” a project or manipulate them
  • Its exhausting to be bullied
  • You should never set anybody up at work to get a result

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 25 – Bullying in the workplace with new owners

Day 25 – Bullying in the workplace with new owners

People choose the type of company they want to work for, some like large companies; others prefer small micro-businesses.  Emtech was a micro-business that had a focus on customer services.  We supported one another, and working was a joy.  Emma and the housekeeper provided our lunches.  At 12.30 – 1 pm, Suzie would bring in a hot lunch for us.

The sale of Emtech to Chubb meant we were now part of a much larger organisation that focused on money first and then customer services.  When there is an acquisition, staff need reassurance that their lives and jobs will not change.  That transition needs to be gentle, supportive and assurances given at every stage.  Although we had confirmation that our jobs would be safe for a year, we were still concerned about our jobs.  About the work we were going to do and what our working environment would be. 

On The Farm

Chubb had agreed with Emma that Emtech would stay on Emma’s farm for a year to ensure consistency for staff and our clients.  The clients were just as worried about the merger.  Most of the clients worked with us because we were small and could give them personalised service and had the flexibility to be adaptable at a moment’s notice.  Now they were contracted with a large organisation where they could get lost.  Staying at the same address was paramount for that consistency of service and staff morale.  Large companies are very adept at playing the long game. 

Chubbs’ focus from the first day they acquired us was about money.  The weekly invoice amount. The amount of money owed to the company. The introduction of cross-selling and upselling our existing clients.

An introduction to bullying in the workplace

With introducing our new line manager, I was introduced to the first concepts of bullying in the Workplace. 

To be fair and open, I need to say that I would give as good as I got. My new line manager and I fought over everything.  My attitude was that this new line manager was just the Chubb liaison officer, and I ran the company.  I had been running the company for 18 months as the owner had been off sick.  I didn’t want the company to change, and it was my baby.  It took a long time to realise that I was just an employee, and the company didn’t care if I was there or not.

Bullying in the workplace starts with those brief comments you don’t think about; they are said in passing.  Small phrases like:

  • Oh, I expected more from you.
  • If that report is still not done, I can get someone else to do it if you can’t.
  • You haven’t done that yet. Is it out of your expertise? Should I get someone else to do it?
  • Sorry, I thought it was a task that would suit your skills. I was mistaken.

These statements all put an expectation on you.  They give you a small compliment and then take it ways instantly, leaving you to feel that you have let yourself and them down.  You question your ability to do your job correctly.  You question your ability.  These types of statements are damaging, and if you get enough of them, they chip away at your confidence.  My bullying started like this. 

Another nail in the coffin – or Bullying in the Workplace

I knew I could do my job as I had been at Emtech for many years.  I ran the company when Emma was sick.  However, suddenly I doubted myself. I was double-checking my actions and workload.  Then I came to work earlier to get caught up.  Leaving a little later to make sure “everything was done” correctly.

My bullying started with my line manager and Chubb.  I didn’t realise I was being bullied.  I didn’t recognise it as it had never happened to me before.  It started so slowly that it wasn’t until I was made redundant that I realised it for what it was.

What I learnt about writing my memoirs

  1. I didn’t expect to talk about a previous job doing these memoirs
  2. Bullying starts covertly, and you may not recognise it at the start
  3. Throw away comments are not always as innocent as they appear
  4. Here is the start of this series of videos about bullying in the workplace

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 24 – The start of being bullied at work

Day 24 – The start of being bullied at work

Bullied at work.

I have worked for several organisations, some were enormous, and others were tiny.  My preference it to work for small organisations.  I like that you get to do various jobs and experience all areas of a business.  The best job I ever had was working for a company called Emtech.  We specialised in fire prevention and running risk assessments for multi-tenanted buildings, mainly in London.  We worked out of the owner (Emma) dining room.  On the odd occasion, she had a dinner party. We had to pack the office away and turn it back into a dining room.  It also meant we went home early.

I had the best job ever – before bullied at work

Three of us worked at Emtech, the owner Emma, and a part-timer who was a friend of Emma’s from childhood and myself.  It was indeed a family business. I had just returned from backpacking around southeast Asia and Australia, so I lived in Dorset with my family.  Emtech was in Gloucestershire. As a result, I would lodge with Emma in the Yellow Room for the first four months. In fact, during my interview, I ended up answering the phone for a client and organising a Fire Drill. We both liked the same music and had that blaring on the CD player. 

A fantastic groom would come into the office for cups of tea when it was cold, and she needed to warm up.  One of the additional tasks was to feed the horses if the groom had a day off and Emma visited a client in London.  As you can see, it was very much a lifestyle job.  I loved it.

Financial rewards were massive

I received my biggest bonus from Emtech.  I had an appraisal (which we didn’t do).  The first appraisal was after 12 months of service.  We sat on the Cotswold stone wall in her garden drinking gin and tonic.  She said she was happy with my work and what I was doing and gave me a £2000 pay rise.  The second appraisal followed a similar process. Again, she said she was happy with my work and asked if I wanted a pay rise and bonus.  Naturally, I said yes, that would be nice.  I had a £2,000 pay rise and a £10,000 bonus.

Working for a small company has its issues.  The most critical issue was what would happen if Emma sold the company.  She had told me she never would, as it was her baby.  Emma started the company at 18.  We had an agreement that if she ever sold the company, she would tell me.  It would not mean I would leave, but it would give me options.

I was summoned

You can understand my surprise when I was summoned to her home one Sunday as she had something urgent to discuss with me.  Emma had been sick for some time, and I thought it was something to do with that.  I drove to work at 2 pm and  I found her sitting on the front lawn drinking Pimm’s.  I joined her, and the first thing she said was that “your job is safe for a year”.  She then told me she had sold the company to Chubb Fire, and they took ownership of the company on Friday.

I was devastated. Not that Emma had sold the company.  It was probably the best decision, as she was looking to move into a different business.  We had an agreement that she would tell me if she was going to sell the company.  In the previous weeks, I had noticed that something was going on in the office.  Paper was going missing.  Items in the office had been moved, and the paperwork was out of order. In hindsight, she was preparing for the sale of the company.

I still find it challenging to comprehend that Emma lied so badly to me about the sale of the company.  Indeed, only three days before the sale, I asked her if she would ever sell the company, and she told me it was her baby and she would never sell it. 

I was asked to attend the office at 8 am the next day to help her tell the other staff members and assure them that nothing would change for about a year.  2002 was the start me being bullied at work and three years of hell working for Emtech and Chubb Fire.

What I learned about writing my memoirs and being bullied at work

  1. When it comes to money, people will lie and betray you.
  2. I know how much I was worth in 2002.
  3. A company is just that, and everyone is expendable, whether we like it.  We are not unique or invaluable when it comes to money and business.

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 23 – Networking for Business

Day 23 – Networking for Business

I have a Dilemma – Networking for businesses

I have a dilemma.  One way in which small businesses market their services or products is by joining a local networking group.  For those who don’t know, a networking group is a group of small businesses that meet regularly to promote their businesses to each other.  There are three types of networking groups:

  • Informal
  • Semi-formal
  • Formal

Informal Networking for Business

Informal networking for business is the odd conversations you have with family, friends and strangers.  You could overhear someone asking for recommendations for a plumber or florist, for example.  Looking at Facebook or any other social media platform and see a request for a publishing house.  By you contacting them and making a recommendation is informal networking.

Semi-formal networking for business

Semi-formal networking would be membership in breakfast business meetings and becoming a member of your local Chamber of Commerce for example.  Anywhere a businessperson would go to discuss their business with other business people.  There may be an agenda for some meetings, but the structure is informal and friendly.  Often there will be a charge for attending a semi-formal meeting, but not always.

Formal Networking for Business

Formal networking is meeting other businesses to discuss business and attending a meeting with a strict structure followed at each meeting.  BNI is an example of a formal network.  Most formal networking meetings will have a cost associated with membership.

My BNI Membership

I’m a member of a formal networking group called BNI. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been meeting online. However, regular meetings were all face to face.  Unfortunately, the group that I am a member of has seen its membership declining massively.  When I joined the group, there were about 28 members. The group was upbeat and fun.  

Currently, there are eight members. In 10 months, we have lost 20 members, which for a referral networking group is massive.  Under BNI rules, we should now revert to ‘A core group’.  In practical terms, this means that our group focus must change.  We no longer focusing on getting referrals for members and increasing sales but getting members into the group.  This adjustment will be a substantial change in the group dynamic. The group I am in meets in Swindon when face-to-face; however, during COVID, we meet online.  I’ve never met these people face-to-face.

My Dilemma

My dilemma starts here.  I know that there is a new BNI group about to start in my local town of Faringdon. The meetings will be online and face to face, the same structure as my Swindon group. It would be much easier to meet the group in my hometown due to the travel time when we meet face to face.  Face-to-face meetings will only take place once a month as we move out of Covid.

The Networking Issue

The advantage of a formal networking group is that you are there to create relationships.  These relationships are on trust.  Once you trust someone, you are more likely to recommend that person, you, your family, friends, and clients.  Trust takes time to build, which over the last eight to nine months, I have made with my Swindon group.  Added to this, BNI is very expensive. It typically costs £60 a month (to hire a room and the cost of beverages/meal) and an annual membership of £540 plus VAT.  Include your time and driving to and from the meeting.

A membership with BNI can cost around £5000+ a year.  Therefore, any return needs to be over £5000. You should at least double that fee to make the Networking Business group work for you.  Currently, I have received nothing from this current BNI group.  I have given referrals, I’ve given my time and even taken on a leadership role.  I have not yet received any referrals in return.  The remaining seven people in the group are friendly.  They are passionate, focused and want to grow the group. However, I also know the people setting up the BNI group in Faringdon exhibit the exact attributes. Which group do you join?  The group in my local town will start in three weeks.

Additional Information

The issue I have with both groups is that for the next 6 to 8 months, the focus will be on growing the chapters and not getting business referrals.  Do I ignore the previous eight months’ work I’ve put into this group? Then put all my effort and energy into a new group?  Swindon is a much bigger area with more business opportunities.  Faringdon is a much smaller town; however, networking is not about telling the room about your business.  It is more about the room telling other people about your business.  It’s about the contact those members in the room have, how they can promote your business. But that doesn’t mean that I will get more business from the Swindon area than from the Farrington area. Swindon will attract companies in Wiltshire, whereas Faringdon will attract companies from Oxfordshire.

Networking for Business Conclusion

Today, there are no learning points for this post as I genuinely do not know which way to turn. It is a quandary; both groups will meet face to face and online. Both groups will have the same passion and activities to grow the group.   Do I throw away eight months of creating a relationship with seven other people and walk away? I genuinely do not know.

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 20 – Setting Prices

Day 20 – Setting Prices

Setting your prices

Setting your prices has to be one of the most stressful decisions a business owner will ever have to make.  The price you want to charge and the price someone will pay for it are two very different concepts.  As a business owner, you want to buy in, make or provide services at as little cost to you as possible.  You want to sell that item to as many people as possible at the highest price and make a massive profit margin. 

The way to work out your profit on a product is as follows.

Cost of goods – Selling Price = Profit

£12.50 – £25.00 = £12.50

Then, of course, out of your profit, you have expenses that have to be covered.  The list of costs can be considerable; however, here are a few, VAT, salaries, rent, utilities for the business, marketing.

Setting your prices to match your corporate salary

When I left the corporate world, I wanted to keep the same standard of living, the same income, and charged accordingly.  However, this would not work for my clients, so I had to adjust my prices.  I have met other people who offer the same services, and they tell me my prices are far too low.  However, I am still in business, and they are employed by someone else.  Running a business is hard, but you have to get the finances right or you wont have a business.

Setting your prices is good unless you employ a twat

I remember a lady working for a few years ago. Let’s call her Judas.  I asked Judas to provide bookkeeping services to one of my clients.  After three months of working for the client under the umbrella of my company and seeing the invoice to my client, she spoke to the client and said she would work for them at the price she charged me.  The result being, my company lost out on valuable revenue.  When she spoke to me, she told me what she had done.  Her only response was that she didn’t want to ‘take advantage of the client off’.  She is happy with the price she gets for them, and everyone should be satisfied.  Except, of course, I was out of a client and no longer had that income. 

The Judas Tree

Judas had not understood that I had spent my money getting this company as one of my clients.  On average, it takes two months to get a new client and can cost up to £1000.  This spend is on marketing, meeting and understanding their needs, setting out contracts and terms of payment.  (Very similar to what an employment agency does).  She could not understand why I was so angry.

As you can tell, it irks to this day whenever I think about it.  Besides that, I see her once a month working for someone else.

What I learnt about writing my memoirs

  1. Sometimes people can let you down, and you have to let it go
  2. Setting prices is not as easy as people think
  3. Never employ a Judas

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

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