Starting next week, our work hours will be trimmed to just 50% and I will only work twice a week which is every Monday and Thursday. Yes, this would mean a significant pay cut but I still consider this a blessing because at least I am NOT one of the 10% that had to be let go.
I understand that the company had to do this as our industry was badly hit by the pandemic. The hotel occupancy level in all regions is on its all-time low and travels and meetings are going much weaker. For these and for many other reasons, the management decided to reduce further costs by lessening corporate travels, reevaluating planned investments, and reducing corporate roles. The latter—by far the hardest decision they took—was announced in the middle of the month.
Shortly following the announcement, many of us experienced a great deal of anxiety. When we were finally on the clear, I’m just glad that my brother and I kept our jobs albeit the temporary pay cut. I had to say, our company has dealt with this crisis far better than our competitors. The steps weren’t as severe as what I’ve been hearing from similar industries like airlines, resorts and casinos where they had to let go of more than half of their workforce. To think, we even have the Colleague Emergency Support Fund available to provide some immediate help to colleagues who may be facing pressing financial hardship due to a reduction in their income.
Our board and executive committee had already taken a 30% cut in their salary, and some of our colleagues in the US and UK have been temporarily furloughed. In short, sacrifices and contributions were already made before finally deciding to remove some roles.
On looking at the brighter side of things, maybe the reduction in work hours will help in the improvement of my total well-being. It’s no secret that the WFH set up isn’t as easy as what many would’ve imagined. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but shifting from an office-based environment to WFH somehow took its toll on me. A local psychiatrist recently said that it’s tough because one is having difficulty finding the distinction in “working from home” vs. “being at home”. At least with reduced work hours, I can sleep a little longer on my day-offs and go out for a run/errand (yes, in full Covid battle-gear) without me having to wait after I clocked-out at 4PM to do everything.
Maybe with this, I can also enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up on my reading especially now that it's already the rainy season. I can also quit being the grumpy aunt to my adorable nephews, among many other things that I've neglected in the last four months.
While well-aware, I don’t want to think of the impact the pay cut would do to me. Sure, my bills will still be there biting my ass every month but I know everything will be alright. Besides, I’ve been through the worst and it's not like I've never been unemployed in my life. I'm sure I can get through the tough times with a little tightening of the belt. Lesser online shopping and food delivery are already expected, but that’s a very small price to pay.
This is a temporary set-up, and the company assured us that even if they will continue to review and assess the situation, they are not expecting another round of restructuring of this magnitude and the majority of colleagues will not be impacted by any changes to be done this year.
I pray and hope so too.
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