Friday, 19. December, 2003
Copenhagen, Denmark
The call from lady boss from corporate head office in Geneva, came at 15.00, as I was about to leave the office for the weekend.
Lady boss speaks in glad voice. I feel it’s important. Something is up. Someone is in the background.
So she is, our HR lady.
I like her, she’s a friend.
In fact the HR lady had previously offered me another job within the organization. I declined. It didn’t meet my salary expectations. And I would have had to give up my company car…
Why would I?
I’m a firm believer if you move up the ladder in an organization, then they need to acknowledge your performance. Never give up your perks…
Anyway…
Back to the call.
Lady Boss says “I’ll put you on speaker”.
“Charlotte, we are so pleased with your work. We want to expand your responsibility. As of Monday you will cover Holland Domestic, Holland Travel Retail, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those will be your new markets”.
“Isn’t this great news, Charlotte?”
I can’t remember if I sit down or stand up. To me this means more travel. More time spend in airports.
Not good…
HR lady starts to ramble…
She positions herself over the speaker. A position of power. No doubt this is not new to her. Promoting international teams by phone.
Her voice smiles. I feel it.
“Charlotte, we really want you to take on more markets. You have the experience”.
Back in my head I know she tries to sell me the idea. Big corporate cosmetic giants always seem to look at things from their point of view, to please shareholders.
I’ve seen it so many times. To them you´re a ”head count”.
They move you around like chess players.
Same applies on yearly salary increase, just split 3% among your head counts. That’s how they do.
Like now Friday afternoon, more markets.
To them it means – problem solved.
Salary – no raise mentioned.
I play along…
I’m all alone. Most people have left the office. It’s Friday afternoon.
I feel pressure on my chest and tightness. As if someone is standing on my chest.
I’m not happy. I feel more stress and higher sales budgets.
My team have always exceeded our sales figures (I taught them we don’t play by the book).
We give our customers more value, than they expect. The reason we have their trust.
In business to build trust it takes time and effort, not something you do overnight (always play the long game).
Always deliver more than expected…
My situation is surreal…
What about my two children? One is 2.5, the other is 15 months. My husband. My family life…
“Does it fit your family life?”
Not mentioned. I feel they do not care at all. I feel a lump in my throat.
I’m squeezed by my successful beauty career and my family life.
Not easy to be a career women with small children.
In my car home…
My head is about to explode.
All weekend I laugh … joke with my husband about becoming an absent mum … next moment I cry.
I do not know what to do.
I know why they ask me. They know I can handle more sales responsibility (when you deliver results, they see you).
One thing is clear.
I don’t want my children to grow up without their mum.
“When is next flight, mum?”
The feeling of being without my mum. I know too well.
At my level I`m on an individual contract.
Monday morning I call my lawyer (I call in sick).
It´s my worst Christmas ever.
A period of uncertainty… it drives me mad. I speculate for and against. My sleep is bad.
Turns out early January 2004 my lawyer says:
“You know, according to Danish law you’ve been employed 7 years. They can’t change your contract from one day to the other. You need notice of 5 months”.
Looking back.
I´m happy I wasn’t employed at head office in Geneva. I was reporting to the International division in Geneva – Switzerland. But my contract was according to Danish law (just saying).
Right there I know where I stand…
(I’m a firm believer things happen for a reason).
I’m calm.
Heavy weight is lifted off my shoulders. A sense of calmness. A feeling I’ll never forget.
“Just get me out best way possible”, I reply.
So 19th December, 2003 is the scariest day of my “working” life.
I lost everything.