The Patriot Game

*Newsflash*

Found out an extremely shocking piece of news today. It was so incredulous that I didn't believe it when I first heard.

According to the source - whose integrity I do not question - some big gun from our employer (a fellow countrymen at that) went on a "special" trip to the "choice" assignment destination that the majority of our countrymen tend to flock to. Apparently his agenda was to spread "word" to deter us (those working outside home) from having any funny ideas about resigning and not coming back home.

His message went along these lines - should we decide to follow our hearts and take destiny into our own hands (God forbid! Pffffft!), they will make sure that all doors will be closed to the individual back home. So I thought that's ok. Afterall if you resign why the hell would you want to go back knocking on their door anyway?

But here's the twist. They'll also make sure that the other companies (say the one that is currently employing you for the duration of your assignment) will not hire you as their permanent staff (by now of course, home would reject you also since you've just resigned).

The message is loud and clear: Leave the nest by all means, but consider yourself disowned by your parents. At the same time, I will make sure that nobody else is allowed to adopt you. And when you left out in the cold, don't come crying back to daddy either.

BASTARDS!!

I'm not being funny but who the hell do these people think they are? What really ticks me off is that these people just have absolutely no inkling of the bigger picture. It makes me wonder how they get to be so high up in the organisation. The way I see it, they have completely lost sight of the whole plot. I mean, for Pete's sake, we are a Global company. Gone are the days of multinationals. We are a sodding Global company.

What's wrong if people want to work abroad? What's so criminal about that? The way I see it, these people are putting Brunei on the map. Gone were the days when you mention Brunei people automatically think you still live on trees. We're still a long way from making our mark in this age of globalisation.

I just think that this whole approach is so completely wrong. It's just so unethical. You cannot force people to come back and work - well not like this anyway.

Yes, I admit there has been an unusually high number of resignations lately. And yes, the majority we really could not afford to lose. So, what's wrong with this picture? I've voiced this out before and I'll say it again here: If you don't want to lose your talented staff and yet you are, then you have to take a step back and find out the reason and do something about it. Retaining good people is key.

I remember asking a fellow colleague back home what were we doing about the sudden flux of resignations. The reply that I got (though I wasn't at all surprised) was that the resignations were no cause for concern. At the end of the day, in terms of pay and benefits the company was still in a very good position within the local context. Attracting new recruits should be no problem. After all nobody is indespensable. Makes sense now?

No. I didn't think so either. Cause for alarm still? I should think so. In my ideal world, this would be my solution:

Bruneians should be allowed to work abroad for an extended period without feeling their only option to stay out for a while is through resignation. The majority (trust me when I say this) just want to gain the experience and skills while working abroad. At the end of the day, they do want to return back home and bring in the skills and knowledge that have been acquired.

I strongly believe that you can be patriot and contribute globally at the same time. Whatever happened to the aspiration of "daya-saing bangsa"?

The other side of the coin also is that, most people get very, very weary of the false and empty promises given in order to coax people coming back. I have seen and heard so many examples of colleagues whom upon return from their overseas stint have lost their drive and their morales disappearing into the abyss. Most people get frustrated after being highly regarded abroad failed to get any recognition of their skills upon return by their own fellow countrymen. In return for their sacrifice of leaving home, they get back their old job as if they have never left.

So why do people choose to resign again? Go figure. Money isn't everything, you know.