DXBtoDOH

Actually not quite true. I am back for a week in January but it's to close down life here and work-wise I'm already being shifted to UK projects. My Qatar visa will expire while I'm away and won't be renewed so it makes sense to think of today as the last Qatar working day.

What do you all want for Christmas?

weasel decentral

An orderly Brexit

DXBtoDOH

I like your premier. He said this to the Dail the other day: “Our major and overriding objective is to ensure we don’t end up in a no-deal scenario and that’s why we are continuing to work with our European partners to secure the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement."

That's what we call a lulz moment.

But let's not talk about Brexit here. What are you doing for the holidays?

scrubbedexpat141

Sounds pretty good to me, you excited?

I'd like many things for Christmas including exciting expensive gifts like a new driver for golf...but in reality, I'm hoping to have a lovely time with family and spend quality time with my Sister because she's had a shit year and it's a little Brother's duty to be there.

How about you?

Pongo

DXBtoDOH

Just good company. I don't want gifts or even to buy myself anything. Just good company with good people.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister. We all have shit years.

DXBtoDOH

Thankfully I'm not flying to UK tonight it's Spain for Christmas this year.

scrubbedexpat141

Mental isn't it. People can be such dickwads.

I'm with you on that. I've not looked forward to family time as much as this in a long time.
That's kind of you, it's not too dramatic and you're right that there will always be good and bad ones!

weasel decentral

Holidays are kicking off from tomorrow evening and will be a little bit of time in Mumbai but then three weeks in Australia, travelling the east coast and general lounging about. Can't wait.

Good luck in Blighty for 2019.

Millhouse

Mostly a happy group of people around me. And some Nike Vapourmax

Good luck with the move back to the UK. While I'm not envious of the destination, I'm a bit jealous of the exit.

Oh - and the last day in any office is a great opportunity for some casual theft and to tell people what you think of them with via compliments.

Have a great Christmas.

scrubbedexpat141

You're better than that. I would fully expect people to know exactly what you think of them irrespective of your anticipated leaving date.

I know I use enough passive aggression that those who are *****, know they are thought of as *****.

Millhouse

I am ... it was advice to DXBDOH

DXBtoDOH

Let me tell you a cautionary story.....

There's a Spanish chap who worked for the Qatar office for about five years before being made redundant earlier this year due to changes in the project he was working on. Last year he'd also been made redundant but was saved at the last minute. This time he duly goes back to Spain and is a tad bit bitter because whenever we talked on whatsapp he was always whinging about being made redundant and why him when others (in his view who were lazier and less qualified) were kept on. the usual sobs. I'm not unsympathetic but it got tiring after a while. Blah blah blah.

Then we won a small new contract that would have been perfect for him but it was only short term. We asked him to come back as a consultant for two months. He agreed. There was a chance this small project would turn into a bigger one with another 12 months added to it. After a while it looked like it wasn't going to happen. Last week was his last week and he and the boss had a big blowout when he accused the company of being unfair and whinged about favouritism in keeping some staff and letting others go. The boss got pretty angry.

Earlier this week we received notification from the client that the contract is extended for another 12 months and the boss confided in me that if the Spanish guy hadn't been an arse he'd have been offered employment for another year. At 55k a month plus fully paid housing in a nice hotel apartment.

Lesson here: don't burn your bridges.

scrubbedexpat141

Phew.

It's a classic lesson but I also believe firmly in standing up for what you think, especially if you feel hard done by.

Maybe the lesson is to be mindful of how you go about these things...

DXBtoDOH

He was hard done by. Being made redundant twice by the same company does make you feel like you've been played. I know it wasn't intentional and the consequence of the difficult nature of Gulf projects and economies. But if you're in the market for 55k+ housing jobs sometimes you need to bend it over and take it. It's all very well having principles but perhaps not if you're unemployed. I've also been working long enough and gained enough seniority to know there's always two sides to these situations.