You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
August 17th, 2005It really started out a lovely day. I chose a different way to walk to work and picked up a chocolate frosted donut on the way. Nice. But when you sit down to your computer, you don’t have internet/email access, and you’re greeted by your boss from another office who you’ve only met three times – you know the morning is going to take a turn for the worse.
Long story short – we’re sorry to inform you that your role, and the roles of your fellow former SGS employees have been terminated effective immediately.
Surprising yes, but not actually heartbreaking. The WH purchase of SGS came as a shock to us last year, and we never quite fit in at the new company. Some of it was a simple personality conflict – some groups just don’t mix well. And the rest could be chalked up to a difference in priorities. WH is pretty much about cold, hard numbers and staffing. They understand those two things very well, and when you only have a hammer everything tends to look like a nail.
The problem is that making numbers and manipulating staffing to do it, isn’t real inspiring to the rank and file. It’s hard to be positively motivated when it’s pretty clear that you’re just a widget in a machine. And if it doesn’t look like you’re going to be a profitable widget this month, you’ll be let go, and someone will stand over you while you pack a box with your belongings.
Not that I’m particularly bitter about the whole thing. I’m actually surprisingly calm about it at this point. It helps that everyone I know who has been laid off at WH has been adamant about that fact that it has been such a good thing for them, and that they’re so much happier now.
At the moment the words "effective immediately" were spoken, a sort of calm came over me, and a small smile appeared at the corners of my mouth. It was the utter inevitability of it all – I knew that from that moment on, it was all out of my control. Buy the ticket, take the ride. No excessive drama required – exit gracefully, like someone nominated, but not ultimately chosen.
No matter who you are, letting folks go can’t be easy. So I figured I may as well make it easy on all of us, and concentrate on those things I can actually do something about. Namely, getting my resume out there and start looking for a gig that’s a better fit for my skills and personality.