Chapter 310: Variety Show Tour (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 310: Variety Show Tour (2)
This happened back when Supervisor Song had been at Hanpyeong Industry for just about a year.
I had skipped lunch myself and brought over a few snacks for Supervisor Song, who was still glued to her seat. When I arrived, she was staring at a blank sheet of paper, letting out a deep sigh.
"Supervisor Song, are you writing a resignation letter?"
"What are you talking about, Assistant Manager!"
I had asked out of genuine alarm, but the document Supervisor Song had to write was actually more grueling than a resignation letter.
"A work distribution table?"
The gist of it was this: according to Hanpyeong Industry’s internal regulations, salary negotiations were supposed to happen every year of employment. However, right around the time Supervisor Song was due for hers, the company had been hit with several heavy fines, leaving the management in a foul mood.
Naturally, the CS Team and the Management Support Headquarters—departments that didn't generate direct revenue—were treated like holes where money leaked out. The only job the Management Support Headquarters had was to tighten their belts by any means necessary.
In the midst of this, Department Head Nam took the lead in trying to ease management’s worries by tightening the belt himself. He chose Supervisor Song as the sacrificial lamb.
"He said there wasn't enough grounds to increase my salary... In fact, he said that unless I was working for all eight hours straight, the company should be the one charging me. He told me to write down my work history in minute-by-minute increments."
A day in the HR Team is a bit unique. There are days with interviewees and days without; weeks with new hires and weeks without; months with organizational restructuring and months without.
Even if there are routine tasks, the scope they cover is so broad that the fewer people there are, the more they have to handle unquantifiable tasks together.
It was common to spend over twenty minutes stuck on a single phone call. There were days spent leaving missed call notifications every thirty minutes for eight hours straight because a crucial vendor couldn't be reached. This meant it was difficult to guarantee a stable, predictable work environment.
As the youngest member of the team, Supervisor Song often handled tasks as they came up, assigned by either me or Assistant Manager Hwang. Naturally, there were gaps in her schedule, but during those times, she never wasted a second. She’d spend them doing things no one noticed, like tidying up the pantry or organizing mountains of paperwork.
But if she wrote those things down, it was obvious what she’d hear: “Is tidying the pantry Supervisor Song’s primary job? If you spend five minutes a day on that, that’s 25 minutes a week and 100 minutes a month!”
I handed the snacks I’d bought to Supervisor Song and took the paper from her.
"I’m the one in charge of our team’s work distribution, so I’ll write this for you. You go ahead and focus on your other work."
"What?"
"I’m the one giving you the work, so it’s only right that I write it. A mentor evaluates the performance of new employees and interns, after all. It’s not like they gave you a specific self-evaluation form, right?"
"No..."
"This isn't how things are usually done; something must have gotten tangled up. I’ll speak to the Team Leader. We’ll talk again once it’s sorted out."
And then, I had a massive blowout with the Team Leader. I went head-to-head with him without even stopping for breath, arguing that it made no sense for the HR Team—of all teams—to handle things this way. I pointed out that three people had left and only one had been hired, and asked how he, who knew the internal situation better than anyone, could pretend to be so oblivious.
"Assistant Manager Kim, do you really think Supervisor Song is worth the money?"
In the relationship between a company and an employee, money is inevitably involved.
But when I realized that "money" was truly all there was to that relationship—and when I saw that the company would say anything just to devalue an employee—I felt a certain way. I still haven't forgotten that feeling.
"Honestly... I'm speechless at the sheer wretchedness of modern society."
I managed to force the words out. Everyone else was busy laughing at my grief-stricken expression.
"What do you think, I-wol?"
The floor was given to me. Recalling the need for kindness, smiles, and gentle words, I spoke.
"I would like to express my regret at the company's narrow-minded thinking. I'm worried they might lose a precious talent while trying to save a few pennies."
"Hyung!"
Jeong Seong-bin grabbed my arm.
It’s okay, let go. I have a lot to say.
"I believe the biggest problem in this situation lies with the superior."
"Are you saying the boss should have stepped up and actively mediated?"
"Not exactly. A boss can't directly determine a subordinate's salary. But they do have the authority to evaluate the employee's performance."
I suppressed my boiling rage.
"The HR team's lowly behavior is a problem, but I believe it's the boss's job to ensure an employee's true value is recognized. However, since the company doesn't even seem to have a proper grasp of the workload, it seems the boss isn't doing their job properly either."
"I-wol, you're not cursing with your eyes right now, are you?"
"Haha, of course not!"
My head throbbed.
Even the HR team. We’re all adults; do they really think people won't notice when they're being tested? How much of a fool do they take people for? Isn't the role of an HR manager to balance the positions of the employee and the company?
In the studio, the discussion continued regarding what the person who sent the story should do.
"How about requesting a serious 1:1 interview with the boss? They could raise an objection about whether the evaluation they received was fair."
That’s a bad move. There’s a high probability that the boss doesn't even know what the storyteller and their colleague actually do. Telling someone like that, "I'm working hard too," will only lead to them being told to write a minute-by-minute work status report like Supervisor Song.
"Since they know the company values tasks like reporting more highly, how about the storyteller works a bit harder this year to aim for a raise next year?"
Changing a fixed workflow just for a performance review? Is that even possible?
Besides, a salary increase is a result of the previous year's performance. At a point where their mood is already ruined because they weren't compensated for last year's achievements, they're supposed to pin their hopes on next year and grind through this year again? I couldn't do that.
After a long silence, I finally spoke.
"If I were the storyteller... even though I know you're incredibly busy! I'd like to recommend that you start preparing to change jobs."
"Change jobs?"
"Whoa, changing jobs is going a bit far."
The reactions to my opinion were split. Some were shocked, while others thought I was overreacting. However, I didn't back down.
"I don't necessarily mean you must quit. I just want the storyteller to be aware that there are other paths besides this current company. From what I heard, it didn't sound like there was anyone there who would listen to the storyteller and resolve this frustrating situation."
"That's true. The colleague must be in an awkward position right now, too."
One of the MCs agreed with me. However, the ever-worried Jeong Seong-bin still looked deeply concerned.
"Should the storyteller just endure the HR team's constant prodding until they find a new job?"
"The moment the storyteller submits a request for a resignation interview, the HR team will become 'Party B'."
Everyone in the studio burst out laughing at my words. Why is everyone laughing? The most important role of an HR team is to grab the pant legs of the person trying to leave.
"What really made me angry was that the company clearly recognizes the storyteller's abilities, yet they're trying to devalue them. If the storyteller truly lacked ability and was targeted for a salary freeze, the company wouldn't have tried to coax them. They did this because they need the storyteller but want to save money by any means necessary. I think it's incredibly inconsiderate, so rather than staying at a company that mistreats its employees, I hope they find a new company that appreciates them more."
Even though I had seen countless companies on the Occupation Planet and still couldn't leave Hanpyeong Industry... I hoped that the storyteller, at least, would find a slightly better company.
"I-wol, you're so young, how are you so good at empathizing with so many different perspectives?"
"My MBTI is 'N'. I think it's because I can immerse myself in things instantly!"
"If you're an 'N', that makes sense!"
After brushing off the sharp question with the all-purpose MBTI excuse, it was time to wrap up the final solution for the storyteller.
"How about I-wol gives the final solution this time!"
"I will do my very best."
I checked my posture and looked straight into the camera.
"To the storyteller who must have suffered so much! I'm worried that your self-esteem might have dropped because of this unpleasant situation. However, I also thought it was amazing that you're trying to calmly convey your intentions to the company. I learned a lot from seeing you look for solutions to improve yourself even in such a complicated situation."
First, I hoped the storyteller's heart, which must have been stressed, would be comforted even a little.
"I would like to recommend 'quiet quitting' or changing jobs to the storyteller. While it's ideal to work hard at a company that recognizes you, I don't want you to exhaust yourself in a place that doesn't recognize the value of your labor. Since you seem like someone with a desire to improve, I think changing jobs would be better than quiet quitting, which involves just doing the bare minimum habitually."
I added a method I had intended to use myself but never got the chance to. I sincerely hoped the storyteller would have a successful resignation.
"There's a saying that the company will keep running even without me. I agree with that. However, the company won't run 'very well.' As much as there is a void, people will look for the person who silently worked hard, and the company will expect any successor to perform as well as you did. I hope you find the salary you didn't get at your new company, and the recognition you didn't get at your old company after you've left."
I was rambling. But I had to say this one last thing.
"Lastly, this is something I've said on our live broadcasts before. If it's really too hard! And if the company tries to devalue your labor and force an unfavorable salary negotiation! Please use the Ministry of Employment and Labor's counseling center! The number is 1350, no area code required! And don't forget that the best revenge is success after leaving!"
"Is I-wol always this kind of character?"
Seeing the MCs' bewildered faces, Jeong Seong-bin frantically pulled at my arm. Regardless, I stood by my claims until the very end.