How do you share common expenses in a highly structured and hierarchical model? Do you have to make allowances for the so called “Free Lunch” and freebies to please your seniors and absorb such costs? Or, do you protest and have an equitable distribution? I have a personal experience to share:
I was a captain then in the Army with only one year service when I was nominated to undergo a one year advanced program in Weapon Technology in our training school. There were five senior majors, with service more than 15 years, seven junior majors with service between 6 and 15 years and four captains including me with one year service in the batch of 16 participants. This arrangement is resorted to in order to nominate young engineering graduates [major/captain] along with seniors who did not get a chance to specialize earlier while in service.
As part of our study tour, we visited a testing facility for guns in a sea coast and stayed in their guest house for two days. The guest house had three types of accommodation – Six independent suites with attached toilets, seven dormitory rooms and one large tent pitched outside near the sea shore. Needless to say, our batch senior allotted the rooms as per seniority, giving one suit to the faculty who accompanied us on this tour. We, the four captains stayed in the tent .
When we were vacating the rooms before departure, we were told that the suits will cost Rs 50 per day, the dormitory Rs 20 and there is no charge for the tent . Our batch senior came out with a bright idea. He said we all stayed in the same campus but occupied the rooms as per seniority. But we could share the total amount equally amongst all.
We, the captains thought it very funny. We told the batch senior that it is not OK with us. When he reminded us again on the sanctity of the pecking order here, one of us sarcastically told him that it is not our fault that we came to do the program together and as trainee officers, we are equal in such matters. Anyway, the faculty member intervened and sorted out the matter amicably for all .
Such incidents happen in organizations where some people take undue advantage of their position, seniority or privileges and create wrong examples. Watch out for such people.