“Li Hua, Human Resources (HR) Manager
wants to see us tomorrow.” I received this message from one of my apartment mates.
I was not very curious of why our HR Manager wanted to meet me and my other
apartment mates because I was pretty sure that it is due to electricity bill.
We exceeded the given electricity usage for the first two months, since we
moved into the staff quarters of Four Seasons Resort Langkawi Island, Malaysia
during our 4-month internship.
However, through the meeting with
HR Manager, it was not only about the electricity bill, but also regarding
another issue that HR Department had found out – my two apartment mates brought
outsiders with opposite gender to stay over for a few nights. I tried to stay calm,
though I knew that there might be a punishment on me. The reason of why I said
this was because I was aware of the occurrence.
As I used to be close with two of
them when I first arrived to Langkawi Island for internship, they did speak to
me regarding their guests to be stayed over in our apartment. To be frank, I
did not stop them from doing, but only mentioned not to bring any of their
guests into my room, though my room was only occupied by myself. Yet, I did not
reject another suggestion they proposed, which was to make a space for two of
them to sleep in my room so that their friends could occupy their room instead.
According to the accommodation
policies stated by Four Seasons, it is an offence of bringing outsiders to stay
over staff quarters. I had caught myself
into a trouble. I could not say that I was totally implicated by them, because I
did sort of ‘facilitate’ them, by making a space for my own apartment mates to
sleep. At the end of the meeting, HR Manager had yet come to a final decision. He
only told us a possibility of receiving Internship Termination Letter. I
turned away because I did not want to show others my tearing face.
This episode still deeply
imprinted in my mind after a year (I came back from Langkawi Island on 25th
January 2013). Although the final decision that HR Department had made was not
to issue Termination Letter, but requested my two apartment mates to prepare Explanation
Letter instead, it is still my responsibility
to ensure not to happen in the future. I have gained some learning points
through this episode: one is to learn how to say ‘NO’ and to learn making
correct judgment. Recall back to the incident again. In fact, I had the ability
to report to HR yet I failed to do as I gave myself an excuse that ‘they are my
friends’. One should always make correct
judgment and learn to reject any favour that you think is inappropriate. Think of
the consequence or even worse case scenario before you do.
