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problems with current employer
Hello,
I am an expat living in Brussels and working in the branch of a multinational company in Flanders in Limburg. The first months everything had been great but very soon I realized that I work for a very pushy and demanding manager who is never satisfied with anything. Although the company is huge and we have had so far interesting projects the environment is really negative and I have never seen somebody motivating positively the employees but they use mostly fear. Being a manager myself I often become a witness of my people's frustration for many reasons like lack or confusing directions from our senior management, excessive bureaucracy, and disrespectful behavior. The last few days I tried to support my people against my senior management tellinng them that they are pushing them to burnout and I also told them that the company culture is negative and that they should do something for that. The outcome was that they told me that the company is like that and if I like it I can stay and if not I can leave or they will give me a performance improvement plan. About my team they told that it is their job and that they dont understnad why they are frustrated. It is worth mentioning that it is a really large multinational company and that about the 20% of its people have been out of the office for long and short period because of burnout. I am really close to that point too as I already have some burnout symptoms.
In order to protect myself I have already registed to the work union that I am planning to inform soon. On the other hand I dont really know how to respond to their demands without ruining my health. Any proposal?
Honestly I have ever experienced something like that!
Thank you for your advice!
Simple. They will not change their culture for you.
So if you are not happy, you need to start looking for a new job now. The only alternative is to start working in their style.
Wow, advice from Wezembeekwanders is terrible. Sounds like your boss in the scenario.
I definitely think contact your union and seek their advice, however the unions here can be pretty unresponsive and inefficient.
If it is a multi national is there the possibility of going over their head to the European HR department, or is that also in your office?
My personal experience of companies with toxic company culture is to get out before they kick you out. Preferably before it makes you ill.
Life's too short.
Contact the union, and contact the health and safety people assigned to your company, it could be mensura or something similar, it will be well documented in your works 'regulations' as it is obligatory by Belgian law. There will also be one specific person in your company who has the task of being 'a person of confidence' with whom you can discuss your issues. if this doesn't help, the health and safety people can offer you guidance and act as mediators between yourself and your company. you will have to contact them yourself if the assigned person in the company doesn't find a solution. Bullying and mental health should be taken more seriously by companies !!
