Chapter 11

Was it Bias or Office Politics?

I was privileged to work for one of the reputable Banks in the Twin Cities some few years back but had to quit due to frustration and what till today I perceived as preferential treatment on the part of my manager towards me.

I was hired as a Bookkeeper and my job mainly was to handle accounting daily activities such as Invoicing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general ledger.

My background and knowledge in Accounting due to the fact that I have done few professional exams in Accounting in the past and also at that time I was an Accounting student at Hennepin Technical College made the job easy and satisfying for me.

As years passed by, I progressed into doing activities beyond my scope of duties, my supervisor after she realized how proficient I was in Accounts made me to do Reconciliation Statements Accounts (a duty that was designed for the position of Accounts Clerk II). Initially I didn’t mind, I felt I was not only challenging my personal skills but also preparing myself for any opportunities that it might present.

Each time there was an opening in Accounts Clerk II position, my supervisor would always encouraged me to apply with the hope that I would get it and on each occasion I always felt short for unknown reason. The comments the manager always gave me was that another person has been considered and I should keep the hope alive.

What frustrated me the most was that the management always made me to train the successful candidate.

By the time I summoned the courage to speak to my supervisor about how frustrated I was, I had already trained three employees on how to do Reconciliation Statements. While I saw progression in colleagues that met me at the organization yours sincerely remained redundant at one position “Bookkeeper”. My supervisor felt bad and told me that she couldn’t understand why I wasn’t given the opportunity as she did recommend me to the Human Resources and the Manager of my skills and proficiency on each occasion she was invited to give her opinion. She also said just like me, that she was frustrated at the whole process of consideration as well.

On paper I knew I qualified for the job because I met all the eligibility requirements such as excellent attendance with no Occurrences, accounting background, and experience what else do they want? That was the very first time I felt slighted and inferior and as the feeling of frustration grew stronger I decided to quit because I knew I wasn’t happy working in that hostile and bias environment any longer.