Being nice sucks sometimes
A few weeks ago I made the mistake of joining another UK Project. Today I finished my voluntary withdrawal from the project, and not on a good term.
In my withdrawal request letter I pointed out how the client’s so called Product Analyst continued to impede the progress for the product. Usually, a Product Analyst’s role is to write requirements and analytics and work with the designer (me) to come up with the best design solution for the product that we can come up with. This PA however, decides to install herself as the sole UI Designer, she maintains her own version of the design. Ok that’s fine, that shouldn’t pose a problem, right? We could work together on that.
Nope. If only.
She wanted me to create a completely new version of the site, completely disregard the current design language being implemented (as she said, and I quote, ‘the whole thing is ugly’). But the kicker is this: I cannot use the same approach as she does. I’m not even talking about design style, design language, I’m talking about the actual ‘approach’ that you can implement on the screen. Like if she’s using table to display a list of data on a page, then I will have to come up with another way to do it WITHOUT using table, one that has to be inferior in every way. If I insists on using table, she’d immediately show her existing design and accuse you of stealing her ideas (!?)
To make it simpler to understand why this makes development impossible, imagine you’re being asked to make new parts for a car, that is running on the freeway. You’re not allowed to see any of the existing specs, cannot use the same material. If you want to stop the car, you cannot use the brake mechanism, because the owner of the car is already THINKING about using brakes. If you insists that brakes are the best option, you’re basically stealing the owner’s idea for his own product.
If that sounds dumb, that’s because it is. I’ve never seen such a workflow.
Obviously I didn’t use that analogy in my letter, I simply cited irreconcilable difference in the way we work. You know, like an old married couple.
I do admit I felt some regret after sending it in, wondering if I was too harsh with my words.
Today I heard from my PM about their comments on this whole incident, turns out I was the nice one. According to them:
- I am, in general, severely lacking professionalism, having abruptly declare to leave the project, and not joining their subsequent daily meeting.
- I provided no tangible input after 3 weeks being on their payroll. The works I did provided was simply replications of their Product Analyst’s work.
- I had, on at least 4 different occasions, canceled review meeting minutes before starting time because my work wasn’t ready.
- I’m unable to take constructive criticism, and I have, get this, personally insulted their Product Analyst.
Most if not all of these were blatant slants of what happened, but I just wanted to preface this by saying I understand why they had to spin it all on me. Being an outsourcing company, they’re technically our employer, so when an argument happens, whoever’s nicer loses. I’ve been barred from sending an official response to them to avoid escalation. Understandable, we still need their business. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be giving my response here on my personal blog.
I will concede that declaring that I’ve lost interest in the project and is leaving the project in the middle of a call is the most professional thing to do. I was fuming at the time. This is the one thing I regretted doing. But I can’t be expected to be joining their Daily meeting after I’ve already handed in my resignation the day before, can I?
OF COURSE there’s nothing to show BECAUSE that so called PA made sure nothing I made could be used. Remember, according to her, I have to either choose a non-viable option OR infringe on her work (again, an idea that makes no goddamn sense).
I wasted a massive amount of effort on this project despite the fact that I’m only billed at 50% of my effort
This is a lie, and an actually elaborate one at that.
So as I’ve only ever canceled 2 meetings during the course of working with this person, one of which was not even due to work, but due to Microsoft Teams service completely being inaccessible in my country (thanks to the massive amount of students in VN using it for online study at the time, it was the opening day of school in VN). I took a screenshot and send it to her HOURS before our meeting with an explanation.
The second time, I feel like I’ve been tricked. She came on early and asked me if I’d need more time to finish all the interactions on my prototype, and I naively said yes, more time means more comprehensive prototypes. Thinking back I already felt something was off, she was a lot nicer, more friendly when I agreed to move the meeting. And the next day she’d ask me again if I want to move it, and when I said no she appears to be visibly disappointed. The thought of this being an elaborate plan to rack up evidence to use against me crossed my mind back then, but by then it was already too late. So yes, I’m guilty of being gullible on this instance, but that doesn’t change the fact that she made up a number to make it appear more substantial.
This is it, this is the one that got me. A straight up lie.
During our conversations, heated as they were, I’ve never made a single personal remark against her person, ever. And if you were there you’d agree that it takes a tremendous amount of self-control to do that.
This is a person that times and again accuse me of ‘copying her work’, ‘disappointing skills’, ‘a waste of money’, ‘I’m basically doing your job for you’. And also several condescending attempts like asking me if I know a particular English word mean, which is pathetically ironic coming from a person who can barely speak English. If I was going to use the same tactic, I’d probably laugh hysterically every time she says the word ‘cross’ (which is written as ‘courses’ in all the document).
I guess she took it personal when I mentioned that what she’s doing is not the responsibility of a Product Analyst. She probably thought I was insinuating that she wasn’t a real Product Analyst. If this offended her, she probably thought so herself.
Everybody whoever worked with me knows that I never make personal attacks, ever. And this accusation is something that I absolutely cannot accept. Of all their spins, this is the most serious one, as it damages my personal reputation.
This one is laughable. I’m not sure which ones of their so called ‘criticism’ that they could qualify as ‘constructive’. I don’t even know if they even qualify as criticism.
The most infuriating part is that after spewing all these craps, they had to audacity to accuse my company of poor screening before sending candidates their ways, and that they will have to be more careful with the interviewing process next time. The galls of these people.
Closing words:
Being nice sucks, but sometimes you have no choice as an employee. Especially employee of an outsourcing company. I wonder if it’s high time I make my exit. Let’s give it a few more time and see.
