Thursday (August 11th) last week saw my complacent work world come crashing down. My Vice President met with me in closed-door fashion and delivered the news that every member of the workforce would never want to hear. Your position is being eliminated as a result of corporate downsizing.
Being the four-decade seasoned professional that I am, I accepted the news with calm and grace. But at the back of my head I visualized pulling his hair, slapping him senseless and causing him bodily harm. After mentally assaulting him, I thanked him graciously for the advance notice. You see, my last day will be the end of August and I was graciously given almost three weeks to tie up the loose ends. Call it earning every dollar of my severance pay.
I thought that was really nice of management to let me stay and clean up my work mess. Unlike the other company where I got laid off nine years ago, I was out of the building by noon after I had packed my stuff in two boxes. How does one pack 15 years of corporate life in two boxes? Although I didn't have the magic formula somehow I managed.
Being the four-decade seasoned professional that I am, I accepted the news with calm and grace. But at the back of my head I visualized pulling his hair, slapping him senseless and causing him bodily harm. After mentally assaulting him, I thanked him graciously for the advance notice. You see, my last day will be the end of August and I was graciously given almost three weeks to tie up the loose ends. Call it earning every dollar of my severance pay.
I thought that was really nice of management to let me stay and clean up my work mess. Unlike the other company where I got laid off nine years ago, I was out of the building by noon after I had packed my stuff in two boxes. How does one pack 15 years of corporate life in two boxes? Although I didn't have the magic formula somehow I managed.
All day Friday last week I started the work on tossing paper files and electronic garbage. I got so attached to everything over the years that getting files out of drawers and cabinets proved to be a painful process. Every now and then, I would stop and read some long ago memo that I had written and wondered where the impressive and sometimes entertaining verbiage came from. The Holy Spirit, I reminded myself.
The annoying thing was that since I was still doing the work I was paid for, I had to stop many times from my nostalgia to take care of business. No wonder I was given three weeks to clean up! I must make a mental note to bid my work station walls goodbye... touch every smooth surface, give them a hug if I could and thank them for seven years of wonderful corporate memories. What I'll miss dearly is the window behind me overlooking the coffee shop below. It has brought me glorious sunshine from outdoors specially on days I needed a boost. The coffee shop across the street was where a U.S. President once schmoozed with the local citizens. Before that day, the SWAT team came checking out our premises. Yes, my workplace has given me opportunities to brush with celebrities. In fact, a couple of doors away from my work station sits a guy who competed in the recent PGA Tour. His face ended up on the news too.
I won't deny it... that unusually structured building overlooking the train station and the mountains will be surely sorely missed. I've always bragged to friends that I worked in a charming little universe. My wish is that my next employer will be located in similar surroundings... lovely landscaping, interesting art sculptures, a circular walkway that wraps around a huge round fountain gushing refreshing water. Many times as I paced that area I imagined myself walking on some Italian piazza. The lovely exhilarating walk in the mornings is one of the best things I'll miss the most.
The annoying thing was that since I was still doing the work I was paid for, I had to stop many times from my nostalgia to take care of business. No wonder I was given three weeks to clean up! I must make a mental note to bid my work station walls goodbye... touch every smooth surface, give them a hug if I could and thank them for seven years of wonderful corporate memories. What I'll miss dearly is the window behind me overlooking the coffee shop below. It has brought me glorious sunshine from outdoors specially on days I needed a boost. The coffee shop across the street was where a U.S. President once schmoozed with the local citizens. Before that day, the SWAT team came checking out our premises. Yes, my workplace has given me opportunities to brush with celebrities. In fact, a couple of doors away from my work station sits a guy who competed in the recent PGA Tour. His face ended up on the news too.
I won't deny it... that unusually structured building overlooking the train station and the mountains will be surely sorely missed. I've always bragged to friends that I worked in a charming little universe. My wish is that my next employer will be located in similar surroundings... lovely landscaping, interesting art sculptures, a circular walkway that wraps around a huge round fountain gushing refreshing water. Many times as I paced that area I imagined myself walking on some Italian piazza. The lovely exhilarating walk in the mornings is one of the best things I'll miss the most.
But should I end up reporting to the restless, unbridled, often suffocating Downtown environment where I had worked for many years almost a decade ago, I won’t complain. After all, in these days of economic hardship, a paycheck means more than a rare enchanting workplace.
