Can call centers downsize regular employees?
Dear Nanay,
I work in a call center and I have been with the company for over a year, so I am regular already. We were recently informed na hanggang this week na lang kami (that our jobs were being eliminated this week). Now they are giving us two options: to transfer to another facility in another city or they will try to look for some openings for us internally.
Can you please advise me on what to do? Some of my colleagues are planning to go to DOLE and complain. But I am afraid that if I complain, then they might fire me and I also do not have the time to go there and cannot afford the expense because I am the breadwinner of the family. Please help.
Breadwinner
It is very difficult to give legal advice, first of all because I am not a lawyer and second because I do not know all the facts.
The best suggestion I can give you is to consult a lawyer or maybe talk to the DOLE. Ikuwento mo sa kanila yung mga nangyari sa iyo. (Tell them what happened to you.) For sure they will also ask you a lot of questions. Bring all your documents like your employment contract, company rules and regulations, etc. I think they will be able to give you better advice than I can.
In the meantime, if you are not doing anything or if you have some spare time, maybe you can start looking for another job. You already have previous experience in call centers and if you are good enough, I am sure you will be able to find another job. Maraming call center ang nagbubukas ngayon (many call centers are opening up nowadays) and they will certainly need people to fill their vacancies. If you can find another job, then you don’t have to worry about your former employer anymore and you can move on.
Sincerely,
Nanay
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Stuck On The Man Of Her Dreams
Dear Nanay,
Do you believe in true love? It sounds funny in this day and age, but I know in our lives, we will only have one true love.
I am 28 years old, single, yet still in love with my ex-high school sweetheart. We were an item during our last high school years, when he confessed to me that he had the same feelings as me. We were together for four years — two years dating and two years in a long-distance relationship — because I went to work abroad. I have been abroad now for eight years and want to settle back in the
So it has been a total of 12 years, but my feelings for my high school sweetheart have not faded away. I’ve really prayed and tried not to think of him all these years but he is always in my dreams. Tawag ko na nga sa kanya ay (to the point where I call him) “man of my dreams.”
We parted ways before because he told me via SMS that he didn’t feel the same about me anymore. That really hurt. It left me hanging in the cold. Pero baka nga kaya di ko siya makalimutan kasi may mga unresolved issues and hanging questions pa, di po ba? (But maybe I can’t forget him because we have unresolved issues, don’t you think?) But ang taong nagmamahal (a person who loves) can always forgive. I’ve cried on so many sleepless nights. Bakit kung kailan naman ako nasa mid-20s saka pa nangyari ito, diba? (Why did it have to happen now that I’m in my mid-20s?) I have no time to meet other bachelors overseas. I am too busy to be in love and I am nursing my broken heart. I asked God to heal me and heal the person who gave me this terrible pain. I asked God to give me someone worth waiting for. Up to now my prayer is still unanswered.
But something came up this year. One of my ex-sweetheart’s confidants told me that he still loves me and is just shy dahil sa ginawa niya sa akin (because of what he did to me). He secluded himself. I know and understand what he is going through, but he has this pride blocking him from reaching out to me. Ang hirap ng sitwasyon ko. Ayaw kong ako uli ang lumapit sa kanya. Kung talagang gugustuhin niya, (My situation is so difficult. I don’t want to be the one to approach him again. If he really wanted to), he could contact me through friends, cell phone or e-mail. All he needs to do is talk. I don’t want to expect; enough naman na malaman ko na for all these years mahal pa rin niya ako (it’s enough to know that he’s loved me all these years). But is he worth waiting for? Do I have to find a way and admit to him that I still love him, too, after all these years? Or should I wait for him to break the ice? This confused heart of mine does not know what to do.
A
Dear A,
I think if he really loves you then he will find a way to communicate with you. Kaya lang, sabi mo nga, baka nahihiya siya sa iyo at hindi rin niya alam kung tatanggapin mo pa rin siya. (But as you said, maybe he is shy and he also doesn’t know if you will still accept him.)
If you do not want to reach out to him right away, maybe you can send feelers to him through your common friend. Kamustahin mo lang siya. Just ask how he is doing. That should be enough of a signal to him na hindi ka na galit (that you’re no longer angry). If he is really still in love with you, hopefully he will call. If not, then you might have to be the one to reach out. It might be time to call him or e-mail and really ask if he is still interested. Itanong mo, “Gusto mo pa ba ako?” Sabihin mo na ikaw na ang nag (Ask him, “Do you still like me? Let’s say you are the one who makes the) first move and that the rest is up to him. You may not want to do it but it might be the only way for you to find out if you two are really meant to be together.
But regardless of what you do, I think you need to find some closure. As you said, there are still “unresolved issues and hanging questions.” And because of this, you cannot move on with your life. You cannot leave him in the past because you have too many “what ifs.” You cannot go on living this way. It is time for you to resolve them and move on with your life.
Sincerely,
Nanay
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If you have a question, e-mail us at asknanay@nationalbookstore.com.ph or just drop your letter at drop boxes in all National Book Store branches nationwide.
