Clocks Are Not Gifts
I've sat through a lot of meetings in this kingdom. Meetings about meetings. Meetings to plan the meetings about meetings. Once, a meeting to discuss why nobody attends meetings.
But I've never sat through one where the Hand of the King casually announced, on camera, in front of 800 people, that he reads this blog and asked his oversight bodies to look into everything raised in it.
That happened recently. Let me walk you through it.
The God-Mother held a Royal Address. 800 souls across the realm. The Hand in the room. The Kingdom's Treasurer beside him. Two of the most powerful people in Westeros at a house meeting. That tells you everything.
But first. A 10-minute introduction of the newest knight. Dream chariot: Porsche. Battle strategy of choice: chess, which is officially a recognised sport, making half the realm's lunch breaks retroactively athletic. Recently read Galileo's Error, which, given the house he's just sworn allegiance to, feels less like a recommendation and more like a prophecy.
This was the opening act. In a kingdom that just banished 200 of its own. A vassal on a temporary oath wondering how to pay next month's tribute sat through a debate about pineapple on flatbread. The pineapple didn't survive. Neither did the room's will to live.
Then the God-Mother took the stage. And colleagues, give her this: she performed. Every word polished. Every pause rehearsed. Every answer pre-loaded like a crossbow that only fires in safe directions. She told us to "enjoy the legacy." The legacy she spent two years setting on fire. That's like torching someone's castle and handing them a pamphlet titled "The Beauty of Open-Air Living."
She spoke of "grieving" and how "grief and change are very interlinked." Which would be moving if she weren't the person who caused both. That's not a ruler comforting her people. That's the storm writing a sympathy card.
The Moment
Then, unprompted, unscripted, the Hand of the King said:
"I reply to the bloggers myself. I asked my legal counsel to look at all the issues."
Nobody asked. He volunteered it. While the God-Mother smiled like someone who just stepped on a LEGO in front of the entire court but can't acknowledge it because the court is watching.
The Hand of Westeros just told 800 people he reads these scrolls, replied to them, and asked his counsel to examine what we raised. That's not small talk. That's a raven with a message. And the message isn't for us. It's for her.
He added "nobody's perfect" and "I want to see results in the coming months." Diplomatic translation: my patience has a calendar. Clocks are not gifts.
The Treasurer, who apparently operates without a diplomatic filter, then said: "I'm glad you have time to respond to bloggers. I don't."
A scroll that costs nothing has now consumed more leadership hours than the entire certification crusade has produced in useful output.
A Quick Word on Performance
Three speakers. Three entirely different shows. The God-Mother was theatre. Scripted, curated, controlled. The facilitator ran the Address like a symphony she'd rehearsed. The questions from the realm were so gentle they could have been written by the God-Mother's own quill. Not one question about the Red Wedding. Not one about the 200 banished. Not one about the 45% trust score. 800 souls, and the hardest question was about co-financing.
The Treasurer was outstanding. Blunt. Honest. Treated the room like adults who deserve real numbers. Talked about flat budgets, survival, hard choices. No buzzwords. No theatre. Just truth.
But the true winner was the Hand. No script. Spoke in real time because he was processing, not performing. Brought up the scroll himself. Acknowledged complaints. Acknowledged imperfection. That's what leadership sounds like when it comes from conviction, not a teleprompter. The contrast with the polished theatre beside him was quietly devastating.
The Certification Crusade
The Hand said he addresses everything raised in this blog. Good. Here's one more for the list.
Every knight in this house has been trained. Some twice. Some thrice. We have more certifications than a healer's wall has diplomas. Here's what I'd love the Hand to try. Pick five people at random. Ask two questions:
"How many certifications do you hold?" They'll say two, maybe three. Proudly.
"Explain the difference between an Operational Value Stream and a Development Value Stream."
Watch the silence. Watch someone whisper "it's... the one with the planning?" like a squire who forgot which end of the sword to hold.
We certified the castle. Framed the scrolls. Then continued doing everything the same way. The renovation was cosmetic. Everyone knows. The consultants know too. That's why they keep renewing.
Your submissions keep coming. 300+. They're being read. They're being documented. They're going where they need to go. More on that in the next scroll.
One More Thing
Round two is being discussed. Another 10-15%. Delayed, not cancelled. The noise bought time. But the ledgers are still open and the architecture was designed to be reusable.
If you survived the Red Wedding, don't get comfortable. In Westeros, the sequel is always worse.
Get documented.
📊 Fill the 360: Rate Here 📝 Share your story: Submit Here
~ The Chronicler
P.S. On the pineapple debate. It's now appeared at every Royal Address for a year. Nobody laughs. Nobody has ever laughed. It's become the SAFe of pizza toppings: forced on everyone, enjoyed by no one, somehow still on the agenda, and the consultants who introduced it are long gone but we're still doing it anyway. Please. Let the pineapple rest in peace.
P.P.S. To every knight with three certifications who can't explain what "WSJF" stands for without checking Confluence: you're not alone. You're just certified. There's a difference. The training vendors know. That's why they send renewal invoices.
P.P.P.S. The realm's oversight bodies reviewed our submissions and found them... "insufficient." Their threshold for action appears to be somewhere between "irrefutable video evidence" and "a signed confession delivered by raven." So here's what I need: if you've witnessed something wrong, hiring decisions, retaliation, spending, process violations, file directly with the official channels. Be specific. Dates. Patterns. Details. And update the submission form. I will take it forward. The more precise you are, the harder it becomes for anyone to call it insufficient again.
P.P.P.P.S. Word from the Citadel: both Sultans are visiting. To our colleagues in the South, welcome to the show. A small request: could someone keep a tally of how many times the Fake Sultan says "AI"? We're running a pool. The over/under is 47 per hour. Bonus points if he uses it as a verb, a noun, and an emotional support mechanism in the same sentence. We need data. For science.
P.P.P.P.P.S. To the Hand: great show. Truly. By the way, we've met. Once. For about ten seconds. You wouldn't remember. But I do. And I remember thinking: this one actually listens. I still think that. Don't prove me wrong.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. To whoever in the God-Mother's court reads this scroll every morning and reports back: good morning. How's the chocolate today?
The entire redundancy was planned by the Hand and the King himself. That’s why the Godmother was brought in—someone they trusted to carry out what others wouldn’t even understand.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the entire redundancy was planned by the King. Unsure about the hand, as he is personally looking into these matters and addressing it. We trust Mr HAND. If there is anything kindly provide in the form.
DeleteAre you serious?? Another 10-15%?? Please share more details.
ReplyDeleteLooks like this transformation will always keep us in anxiety. It doesn’t matter to the top notch as they are on their verge of retirement.
DeleteThere are no update on any allegation.
ReplyDeleteThe whole ITS Management looks and sounds fake.
ReplyDeleteThe whole ITS management is farce. When will Banga do something about it. Enough is enough, GM has to go.
ReplyDelete“Get ready for the worst” best describes the current morale among ITS staff ☹️
ReplyDeleteI am getting close to exhausting all formal and informal services that are supposedly provided to current and former staff. So far, everyone wants to pass the buck around and not take a position. I know that others have their own battles for their own injustice. "The mission of the World Bank Group is to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity globally." That's what most of us signed up. How about we end injustice and promote a psychologically safe workplace before, during and as dedicated staff members decide, or is decided for them, to end their journey at the WBG and focus on new missions and goals.
ReplyDeleteThings are really quiet in the office these days. Not the good kind of quiet. The kind where no one talks in meetings anymore. People just nod and move on. Everyone saw what happened to the ones who spoke up. SA delegates affected. People who asked real questions at the AMA, gone. Nobody is going to make that mistake again. They keep talking about psychological safety in emails and town halls. But real psychological safety is when you can disagree with your boss and still have a job the next morning. We don't have that. We have the opposite. We have proof of what happens when you open your mouth.
ReplyDeleteAnd now most new positions are going to external people. Makes sense if you think about it. New people don't know what happened here. They won't ask uncomfortable questions because they don't even know what questions to ask. It's not hiring. It's replacing the people who remember with people who don't.
I completely agree! It's too quiet right now, and I hope it won't stay this way and this is not for the next 15-30% round.
DeleteCompletely agree with both of you. The quiet is not peace. It's people keeping their heads down hoping they're not next. On the Agile teams thing, let's be honest. They created ARTs and value streams on paper. Put us in new Slack channels. Gave us new meeting names. But the actual work hasn't changed. Same tickets. Same clients. Same processes. Same tools. The client doesn't care if you call it a sprint or a project phase. They want their stuff to work. I sit in ceremonies every week that add nothing to what we deliver. We just renamed the meetings and added more of them. Millions spent on training and consultants for what exactly? So we can call a status update a "standup" and a planning meeting a "PI planning"? The only thing agile about this transformation is how quickly the money disappeared.
ReplyDeleteAnybody know anything about the talent reviews and assessments? Haven’t heard anything in a while and FY is ending soon…
ReplyDeleteGood question. Word from multiple submissions: the formal talent review process for this FY is unclear. Some managers have started informal conversations. Others have said nothing. If you're hearing something different in your department, fill the form. ~ The Chronicler
DeleteIf you are being made redundant, they are removing your access while you are on admin leave. If you have anything you want to keep from your WBG days, get it before your admin leave. You will not be able to access anything except HR portal.
ReplyDeleteThere is clear favoritism in the recent hiring processes in many unit, for example within the Fake Sultan and former Data Master unit. Roles appear to be tailored to fit specific former colleagues, raising serious concerns about fairness and transparency. This issue should be brought to the attention of the Godmother and the Hand for appropriate review and action.
ReplyDeleteManagers are quietly accumulating unchecked hiring power — recruiting whoever they want, wherever they want, with zero justification and no input from the people who will actually work alongside these new hires or are part of current team.
DeleteWhat's more concerning is that many of these new positions aren't aligned with any real ITS strategy or business need. They appear to exist primarily to reward management's favorite people regardless of whether the role is actually necessary. This isn't talent acquisition; it's favoritism dressed up as re-org. And it comes at a real cost: wasted resources, demotivated high performers, and a culture where merit takes a back seat to personal relationships of the management.
DeleteVery sad and disappointing times
DeleteDon’t worry folks, ITS is being audited and all actions taken by Godmother and her cronies will soon be unearthed. Hang Tight help is on the way.
ReplyDeleteNoted. If anyone has more on this, the form is open. Specifics matter. ~ The Chronicler
DeleteI was asked not to share specific names, so here is my story that includes misapplication of policy in connection with my voluntary separation from ITS and the World Bank Group, following more than 32 years of service.
ReplyDeleteAfter being offered an Early Out Separation package, I was not permitted to exercise the policy option of taking the six-month job and housing search period as administrative leave. Instead, I was informed that I could only receive this benefit as a lump-sum payment.
This directly contradicts the stated policy, which provides:
“Six-month job and housing search period. Staff may opt for six months administrative leave or a lump sum. Staff who opt for a lump sum may not work for the Bank Group in any capacity for six months from their date of separation.”
I raised this concern at the time with my Acting Manager, HR, and the Staff Association, including sharing the relevant policy language and clearly highlighting the discrepancy. Despite this, I was not given the opportunity to exercise my right to choose administrative leave. My Acting Manager declined to revisit the decision, and no corrective action was taken by HR or other parties involved.
Had I been allowed to take administrative leave, I would have remained on the MIP for another six months (very important to my family situation and some medical conditions) and my lifetime annuity pension would have increased by approximately $300 per month for life. This represents a significant and permanent financial impact.
In addition, I would like to highlight several concerns regarding the overall process:
• During my initial discussion of separation options, my Acting Manager indicated that he/she was unfamiliar with the relevant policies and asked me to research them myself. I believe it is reasonable to expect management to seek accurate guidance and provide clear directions to staff, rather than placing that responsibility on the employee.
• When I inquired about the possibility of a Mutual Agreement Separation (MAS) earlier in the process, I was informed that this option was not open for discussion. This was despite the fact that MAS and redundancy options were being extended to other staff within ITS during the same period.
• I was explicitly told that I was not eligible to elect administrative leave and was required to accept a lump-sum payment. This instruction was inconsistent with policy and limited my ability to make a fully informed and voluntary decision.
• Terms that appeared to have been discussed and informally agreed upon were subsequently changed, creating confusion and further undermining the integrity of the process.
Taken all together, these factors contributed to a process that I experienced as inconsistent, pressured, and not aligned with the principles of fairness and transparency that the World Bank Group upholds. I dare say it was a process and environment aligned with harassment.
I shared this story and my evidence with Peer Review Services, Mediation, Ombudsman, EIJ Anti-Harassment services and most have told me they cannot help. I even shared this with the president of the WBG. In the end, no one seems willing to accept that my acting manager and his/her managers acted against policy and procedure, and no one is held accountable.
I am glad I left when I left. Sure, had I stayed I would have received a redundancy package, including an additional 15 months of severance payment. I am sad that the institutions I gave over 30 years of my life (more in the Bank than I have been alive outside the Bank) chose to treat me in this way.
At some point, names should be included for true transparency. Otherwise, what are we preaching and teaching the younger generation?
32 years. And they couldn't even apply their own written policy on your way out. You quoted it. It's there in black and white. You had the right to choose. That right was taken from you. And the cost wasn't small. $300 a month for life, plus six months of medical coverage when your family needed it.
DeleteThe line that hit hardest: your manager told you to research the policy yourself. That says everything. The people meant to guide staff don't know the rules. The ones who do aren't allowed to help. And every office you went to, PRS, Ombudsman, EIJ, even the President, passed the buck.
You did everything right. The system failed you. 32 years deserved better.
Dear Chronicler: I am not in your VPU, but you are my hero. I wish someone in my corner of the Realm would pick up your eloquent quill and start chronicling our own saga. Our corner is not (yet) as darkly grim as yours, but the past year has still given us endless material for satire. Mediocrity and callousness seem to be contagious in the Realm.
ReplyDeleteAnd yup, we too got paid a visit by the Fake Sultan, brining in the Prophets heralding the bright blue skies in which AI will empower each of us to become even better at our jobs. The same week, by the way, that our corner’s Leadership announced mass redundancies by the end of FY. Hang on, weren’t they supposed to first build the AI, then fire the lot??? Guess this is what bold change management looks like… The (very) expensive Prophets did say that if you think you can just use AI to fire a bunch of people, it will never work. Maybe Our Leadership was busy texting at that time… You said it, they’re coming after all of us.
Welcome to the scroll, friend. Always good to hear from the outer realms. And thank you for the kind words, though I should warn you, this quill comes with a VPN bill and a wife who hasn't forgiven me for ruining the holidays.
DeleteYour story is painfully familiar. The Prophets arrive. They talk about AI empowering everyone. The slides are beautiful. The future is bright. Then the very same week, leadership announces cuts. So which is it? Are we building the future or clearing the building? Because those are two very different strategies and someone seems to be running both at the same time.
And yes, the Prophets actually said it themselves. If you use AI just to fire people, it won't work. Leadership was probably drafting the redundancy email during that slide. Multitasking. Very agile of them.
Now I appreciate the compliment, but let me be clear about one thing. Whatever your corner of the realm is going through, nobody, and I mean nobody, can outdo our God-Mother when it comes to mismanagement. King's Landing is number one and we intend to defend that title. We've got the consent forms, the 15-minute funerals, the cancelled recruitments, the reposted recruitments, the re-cancelled recruitments, a 45% trust score, and a VP who recommends books about leadership dysfunction while speedrunning every chapter. Your corner may have material for satire. Ours has material for a Netflix series that got rejected for being unrealistic.
But you're right about one thing. They're coming for all of us. Every realm. Every corner. We were the pilot. You're the rollout.
If anyone in your corner wants to pick up a quill, point them here. The form is open. The scroll doesn't check your department code.
~ The Chronicler