The following article was written by Rahul, where he unfolds the story of how he found his way to Bizom!
As I write this, “The Trio” from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly plays in my head. No, this post isn’t about Ennio Morricone or gold in a graveyard. It’s about gratitude, and if you’re wondering why am I using this reference, here’s the rationale:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly set gold standards for what people feel, see, or hear when the word “Western” pops up in a conversation. For me, Bizom sets gold standards for what I feel, see or hear when words like “great company culture” pop up.
A few lines into this and I’ve realized how I’ve niched down this post to only people who’ve watched the film or know the plot. But, that’s okay, I trust I’m propelling even the people who’ve not watched the film in the right direction.
The ugly: A glimpse of how I lived like Tuco.
Known for his famous dialogue: “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk”
My version: “If you have to work, work. Escape all fundamentals in life”
Food for thought? Or an excuse for laziness?
Enter COVID19.
The last few months have been a lot of things, they’ve been full of aches, pains, uncertainty, confusion, and ultimately, loads of experimentation to set things straight. The distant world helped me make peace with the fact that my routines have blurred the lines between work and pleasure, and with no ego, I accept that I was a humble-bragger about my schedule. Wearing “workaholic” as a badge of honor (just like how Tuco always believed his situation as a kid made him a bandit)
But, it had to fall apart, as I was prepping for a life event, and I knew I had to change my ‘always-on’ attitude.
The bad: The morning when I felt like Angel Eyes
In the journey of making new commitments, I drifted into a gloom thinking about how my workplace (pre-Bizom) had adapted the lean team approach amidst COVID and the expectations from me were really high, the questions in the head:
“Will I become a passive worker if I deliver any less than what I currently do?”
“Is it right to tell my boss I can no longer work extra time?”
I update my website and jump right onto a job search platform. I then find a post by Bizom and quickly hit the apply button by writing a catchy cover message to Ojaswini, their HR Manager. The next thing I know, the conversation has escalated and my interview is scheduled.
I must confess, I felt like Angel Eyes the next morning, a man with zero loyalty. My folks had always told me to never get emotionally attached to an organization, but, somehow never gave in to that. What pricked me was the fact that I never discussed the issues with my boss and decided to switch without trying to fix it.
In a flash, I got what I wanted. 3 lightning quick rounds of discussions, and my offer letter was rolled out, all in just around 36 hours.
Now, the only thing I needed was closure with my current employer, and things didn’t go well. I couldn’t accept the offer from Bizom and was back to square-one, it was like hitting rock bottom again.
The good – The man with no name. (The entire piece was being built-up for this)
After I had unwillingly rejected Bizom’s offer, Ojaswini reached out to me for their vaccination drive. I desperately wanted to get my fiance and myself vaccinated, because back then, the slots were extremely difficult to book on the portal. Ojaswini kept in touch with me and ensured everything was okay with us.
All this told me one thing – I wasn’t able to quit my job, but if and when I did, I’d want the organisation to be Bizom. Each time I told someone about how I was offered help by an organization which I wasn’t a part of, they made me realise how I’m missing out on an opportunity to work with good people.
I finally took the leap and got closure from my organization and reached out to Ojaswini and Lalit. On speaking with Lalit, the first thing I clarified was that I didn’t go around interviewing with companies to get an offer and demand a hike at my then current organization. The way my decision was perceived by them just enforced the fact that I was dealing with two of the nicest people I’ve ever encountered in my life.
Today, I’m a part of Bizom, and I know there’s a lot I owe to the kind folk here.
