Cerita Parking

Our company welcomes a new MD last year. After being used to the old MD, people were very quick to compare and judge, you know..we ARE human..hehehe..

So the new MD has made quite a lot of differences, not in the way we works, but more in a way how he approached the people personally. The old MD was very good with names and faces. During my first day that I joined, I met him, and after that he memorise my name and face almost immediately. He was a very people person, to the point that he asked me for link to HOT FM streaming online when he heard me listening to it during working..hahaha... Enough about old MD.

Although the new MD only memorise my name after 2-3 times of presentation session, and I don't know how many times looking at my jacket... I still thinks he is a very much a people person too, in different way. Since he came in, he has lured maybe 10% or a little bit more of the staff into more active and healthy lifestyle. First there was the cycling team, then the continuous mount climbing expedition and now the craze for grilled food. (Almost every company's function has grilled lamb now... Anyhoo...today's snippets is about parking.

The management team, we called them OMLT, has their own dedicated parking space, all painted with their indicator. The new MD is an auto freak, he owns maybe 2 BMWs, and some other high end car (don't quote me, I am bad at cars..hehehe..). So his dedicated parking spot is the first one (nearest) to the main entrance. (That's the perk on being an MD right?) And on his row the spots were reserved to other OMLTs. My parking spot was normally across theirs, and all of the spot is roofless. So basically we are getting the same amount of sun as the OMLTs cars are (no perks there..)

So the new MD is an auto freak, which translate to he loves his car very much, and what do these kind of people do? They park in the shade!! His spot is as exposed as anything you can imagine, only one small palm tree that barely shades his sideview mirror ;) So he started parking somewhere else, a bit further, but has trees. Seeing this, people start talking, that he is taking too much space, etc, etc...well, I know some people understand where he is coming from, but some people just like to make issues out of everything.

So, to tackle the issue, this memo came out;

Dear all,

At our recent Management Away Day, we re-enforced our commitment to Diversity & Inclusiveness. To be consistent with our views on this, and LEAN behaviours, effective Monday, 1st March 2010, the other OMLT members and I will no longer have reserved parking bays for our cars. We also hope that the move will help to improve availability of parking bays for all staff on a "first come first served" basis.

Regards,
Managing Director

Mixed reaction were received right after the memo went out. I see some people jumping (not literally) with joy. Some are so eager to park at the MD's spot. And some I see have parked in the OMLT's spot for few days already.

My reaction? Seriously, I think its not a big deal. Having the opportunity to park at the management's parking bays is basically nothing much to shout about. Its not like the lots have roofs or anything like that. Its not even super duper near to the entrance anyway. The spot that I parked now is merely a 2, 3 metres the most away from the OMLT's space. So whats the fuss? I honestly thinks that the OMLT deserved their own parking spot, just because they deserved it. They are the management and you don't get there just by working for 2-3 years. It takes a lot of hardwork to get where they are right now. They were once a 'balaci' like us too. So what's wrong in enjoying your fruit of labour, even if its just a dedicated parking lot without a roof. Is that too much to ask?

And all of these people who are jumping with joy when the memo came out, for me they just showed that they are the type wanting to go up too fast, maybe have little respect for the people above and probably do not have a sense of appreciation to the oldtimers. Am I being too judgemental? Yes I am.

p/s: I will only park there if all other spots are taken (which I don't think so), considering the spots are like 'pisang panas'. Pantang kosong, people starts to their car to that spot. And maybe if I work during the weekends..hehehe....