Why so honest you stupid fool?

Well I learned a lesson today. Never be too honest to your boss. He may think you are challenging him. Now here is a story

Last Monday in the weekly meeting, I told my boss that I need to know more on how salary is calculated in my company. For your information I seriously do not know this. We have 2 salary calculation period. Our claims including our monthly allowances are calculated from 16^th of month1 to 15^th of month 2 and being paid on end of month 2. Our wage period is from the 1^st of the month to the end of the month.

Of course as an employee, we are confused especially when you don’t have an SOP. At the very minimum the Human resource should at least explain to new comers like me. Now at the meeting I asked the question and I request that it should be in written (to avoid problems like miss yap in earlier stories) but the boss told me to ask her verbally

This morning I received this ridicules email from an idiot:-

Dear Lee,

With regards to your enquiry on the brought forward taxable fix allowance for the period 16 - 31 Dec 2010.

Again, as per inform & highlights in the Jan 2011 Sales meeting, fix allowances are suppose to be treated as part of your taxable income. However, company has bear the tax all this while.

Dear My immediate boss,

Please ensure that your team are aware & cleary understood with this matter.

Problem with the above mail:-

1. Paragraph one: you think this is an official written answer? My…my… you really are an idiot

2. Paragraph two: The company borne our taxes? Oh please its not like you paid extra

3. Paragraph three: what is clear? Can you make it clearer for me first before I make it clear to my staffs?

Now this is my reply

Dear Idiot,

I totally agree to this change as it is the correct way to do it. All these while, it is not deducted from us but it was not borne by the company because it was just treated as claims. The company did not bear any additional tax. Not only the company did not pay any additional charges, it also helps the company to save some taxes as the company expenses had raised and affects the profit and loss. Therefore if you did pay additional taxes please find out with the company secretary in regards to this matter.

As mentioned in the weekly meeting dated 21^st March 2011 evening, I my queries in regards to the salary calculations and all the deductions I hope I could get an answer from you as I must complete 2010 income tax once I receive EA from you. In order to refresh you memory in regards to this matter please find below the questions asked during weekly meeting

1. Is the allowances for 16^th to 31^st taxable?

2. How do you calculate salary during this transition time?

3. If its taxable, how do you deduct the tax from us?

4. Is our allowances still calculated from 15^th to 14^th every month?

5. If yes how do you calculate it?

6. If no, when is the transition period where changes had been made?

7. What are the formal announcement that had been made?

I hope you understand the urgency of this matter for individual employees. Just like managing the company accounts, every individual employees are required to manage their own accounts. Without any official announcement, it would be difficult to refer the matter to the higher authorities whenever required. Managing personal accounts requires highest attention just like how you manage the company accounts. Every little details requires prove and evident to be kept and the simplest form of evident is an official letter

Besides that, if any employees were to ask me in regards to this matter, I will never be able to answer.

A little side track off the main issue, please recall that besides the sales meeting nothing official had been told to the staffs including myself. All we know is starting January 2011 all allowances are taxable and no need to fill up in the personal reimbursement form. There is no memorandum stating this case nor any information on the changes of the new form until (my staff) filled up the new form. In this case, (my staff) also felt in doubt when he filled the new form and made the column by hand. This is the prove of confusion because our human resource did not make it official for the employees.

It is clear that employees are not the ones to be blamed. In order to reduce further misunderstanding which is for the good of the company and people within it, please make it official this time. As a matter of fact all employees are prepared for the tax but just do not know when and how to do it. Please do not make (my immediate superior) to tell us this information. Why allow us to listen from third party when you always have the accessibility to all your employees?

Looking forward to your reply.

Anyway, Not long after my email is sent, my immediate superior got a call from my boss and he got f@#ked. Then I am requested to join a telephone conversation with my boss and now its my time to get F@#ked up. I don’t even have any opportunity to explain. Anyway the idiot was in the phone conversation as well. The whole conversation was one sided à towards the idiot.

Later the idiot was asked to leave the room and my boss tone down his voice. This time the conversation turn out to sound like a father nagging a child (less violent)

Anyway I will share why the boss act this way on my next article