Merry-Go-Round

A surprise find in our letterboxes today at work: the salary slip. It was a surprise because the salary slip arrived today on the 24th, one day before pay day, which is tomorrow, the 25th. It’s unprecedented, as far as I know; the salary slip always arrives on or after pay day, sometimes even a week after.

So everywhere I saw staff members today walking with the salary slip in hand, or sitting at the lounge area looking at the figures; some with clear beaming satisfaction while others, including me, in puzzled exasperation. WHAT? WHY?

It has been six months since I got my MA. First, they told me that I had to formally apply for promotion and wait to be called for an interview; everything like applying for the job for the first time. Then, suddenly I found out, one afternoon, that the said the interview session was held in the morning, and I wasn’t informed about it! I ran to my boss (the department head, not the dean) to find her equally in the dark, and surprised, that she picked up the phone immediately to enquire on my behalf. It turned out that I never needed to attend the interview. I received the offer letter some weeks later, put my signature on some sheets of paper, forwarded them to the dean’s office, and sit happily in my office waiting for my pay rise.

Then came the pay slip.

Where is my money? I was put in touch with an officer in Finance, who directed me to an officer in Management Services, who passed me to another officer in Management Services, whose phone was engaged. I called again later once, twice, third time lucky, only to be told to speak to another officer in Management Services, who was in a meeting. SIGH. Luckily, instead of telling me to call later, as usually bureaucrats seem to enjoy doing, the person on the phone offered to take my message.

I got a call later, from the actual person in charge, who told me that they didn’t issue the necessary instructions to Finance because there was something missing in the package I sent to the dean’s office.

Why, oh why, didn’t anybody say anything?

“Don’t worry, they’ll reimburse you the full backdated amount later”, consoled the Senior Accounting Assistant at the General Office. She patiently helped me make sense of the salary slip earlier, and got me in touch with that first office in Finance.

“Kayalah engkau lepas ni”, said my mom. I wish.