Tomorrow is the day…

Well, it’s Sunday 29th April, meaning tomorrow I start my new position working for JP Morgan after 13 months off.

As I’ve said before, it feels like I’ve only been out for two weeks. At the moment I’m not especially nervous (just a little), but I’m also a little excited at the chance of being given a new start.

I originally intended to stay at my previous company for a considerable time, but due to the fact I became disillusioned with them quite early on, I never really made the progress I should have. Generally I think the team there was great, certainly a bunch of very smart people who it was a pleasure to work alongside. Obviously there were ups and downs with the company, but I think my line manager Tony and project manager Paul were excellent people to work for, (even if they didn’t think I was interested in promotion!!), and others on the team were almost universally good too.

I guess the real problem with UBS were the next level of managers. The trouble is the more you become abstracted from the ground troops (as is necessary when moving through the ranks, that’s what the next level of managers working for you are there for), the more isolated you become. It’s hard (if not impossible) to get around this and is rarely achieved. Of course, it doesn’t help when the feeling in the department is one of self interest and general disdain from the higher ranks (and quotes such as "if he doesn’t like it f*ck him, we’ll get somebody else" don’t really improve morale).

The problem is really one of perception. The bigger picture in the company was one of trying to look out for the lower ranking members of staff, after all if the foot soldiers are unhappy then the very foundations of the company are in trouble. However this only has to hit one loose link in the chain before the message is lost. Looking back I don’t really think it’s a company problem (although I don’t know much about the culture at higher levels), but more down to a couple of individuals with an over inflated self importance, as is usually the case.

Either way I’m glad to be out and hoping upon all hopes that JP Morgan is run in a more friendly manner. Certainly (as you’d expect) the things I’ve been told in the interviews seem to imply this, so I guess only time will tell, but I’m hoping for great things.

And the thing I’m most worried about this very moment?

Trying to remember everyone’s name.