Chapter One: Why am I doing this?

When I first started working in Vodafone, I was instantly impressed with the professionalism and support the company affords its lowest-level workers. I still believe this is the case with Vodafone as a whole, and hope that it continues.

However, my experience has shown me that the retail sector has been increasingly poorly run, with awful, strange policies and unaccountable, corrupt managers. I shall state now that most store managers in my experience have been fine. I have worked properly under a few managers, and covered other stores with other managers. The only manager who I think deserves to be branded "corrupt" is the latest one, my manager at the moment. I worry that there may be other similar cases out there, as there seems to be no way to root out these individuals.

After numerous attempts to voice these opinions through the proper channels, and the fact that they are shared by almost everyone I speak to, I have come to the conclusion that we will never be listened to. Out of despair, my colleagues are leaving in droves, as the situation becomes increasingly helpless.

"If you don't like it then leave!", (the sort of thing you'd expect to hear from Robert Mugabe) is a silly argument that I hear a lot. It is so hard to find a job at the moment and why should it be us that leave?

I feel that this should be of interest to shareholders. A corrupt, incompetent and superfluous manager is a waste of money. Investing in a group that trains pseudo-psychological practices is about as useful as Glenn Hoddle's employment of a faith healer to "talk to the players". As a shareholder myself, I am worried by the inefficiency and (I'm sorry to say) stupidity of the bureaucrats that I see on a daily basis.

The customers should also be worried. When they enter a shop, do they really want their mind to be influenced, commands to be "embedded" and to be hypnotised by someone who has read one too many pop-psychology books? A mad-house, full of Don Quixotes who have traded their swords for spiral-glasses. When they ask to speak to the manager, they expect to speak to the manager, not the assistant who has been sent by the manager who cannot be bothered to put in even a fraction of the work those on a much lower salary do. When they have queued for half an hour, little do they know that beyond the back-office door sits the person who supposedly runs the place, on the phone to their mates, nonchalantly watching the patient customers on the CCTV.

Finally the bosses ought to be worried, if they give a damn about the company they work for. They should be embarassed that the staff feel that their voices are not heard. They should be anxious that some important stores are badly run. Sadly from what I have seen, it seems that the easier option for them is to turn a blind eye. I hope to be proven wrong.

Why am I doing this? What other option do I have?!

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