FREETOUR.com

It took me a long time to write this review, as it felt like I’m doing something wrong, I’m betraying the company I loved so much.

But well. I feel like I have to do it, as maybe there is another ambitious girl, like I was, adoring traveling, seeing her values’ reflection in the company and expecting that she will be valued.

Well. Will start from the end. I was fired by one telegram message, with no attempts to speak to me beforehand, no discussions, no warnings. When I asked for a call, I was said there is no need for one. Everything is clear. It was not for me.

It happened after I said to the person who was ’in charge’ that I joined the university (заочна форма) and will need 3 weeks + study vacation. (According to Ukrainian law, it’s a right of each person. + I want to highlight that in the beginning of the year we were told that we can take as many days as we want. So it even makes the situation more grotesque)

What I heard afterward from my teammates is unbelievable. I spoke to the owner of the company, who had no idea about my university. Instead, he was said that I had a personal conflict with somebody in the team and this was one of the main reasons to fire me.
I had no idea I had that ’conflict’. If you guys read this, then please next time try to speak to the person that offended you in some way. As, probably, that person has no idea they hurt you. Plus taking into account we were not in a summer camp or school it is completely unprofessional.

When I spoke to another person, I was told that I was fired due to my results.
To make it clear, my personal KPI was never set. There is more. We never had any reviews of my work except of the times when I had questions/initiatives, or I was filling a monthly report to search for new providers. Yes, we had the numbers of tours that we want to have (general task of the company), but it could not measure my work, as my work was about quality, not quantity.

On top of that my own Excel file, which was the analysis made by me, with our main competitor, was used to show my ’bad results’. This analysis I did for myself, nobody asked me for it. It was completely my initiative. I did it to understand what we are missing. And I shared this file with the person who was kind of in charge of me.

Another thing that was in the ’bye-bye’ telegram message is that I was asking for professional growth and the company could not give it to me (I definitely was asking. I saw my growth inside the company). Please name me the company who will tell the person they do not need to study. If it was somewhere it the US or EU country it would be completely illegal, but well.

I am not sure what triggered them THAT MUCH. I am sure it’s not my results. Results and KPIs can be talked through and fixed. It can be discussed and improved. My position was new, and I basically created it by putting the puzzles together.

I have no idea whose decision was it and to tell the truth now it does not matter. But I felt completely betrayed. As I had no idea I was doing something wrong. Nobody ever asked about my daily routine. I loved the company, mission, my dear tour providers.

I was judged for asking to review my salary, I was judged for my initiatives. I was said that my ambitious were too high.

The company respects people who work for the same salary for years, without asking for the raise, health insurance or professional courses.

I hope freetour will delete the toxic from its daily routine and some minimal management education will be taken.

Of course, I wish that my ex-colleagues will ask and will get (finally!) the salary increase, will get some courses, insurance and basic guarantees. You guys are great and deserve it 🤍

It’s a disaster that in such difficult times for our country, we still have the companies that treat their employees this way.

Hope that next time, before firing a person, you would at least have balls to talk to them.