Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Looking for an axe

When you brace for impact, your muscle tense up, you clench your teeth, and sometimes you wince at the thought of what is about to hit. The problem is, if you don't know when it's coming, your muscles get tired and your jaw gets sore. That's about how I'm feeling these days when it comes to work.

Even before I left for vacation, people were rolling in a bit later than before. I typically arrive at my desk between 8:10am and 8:30am. Usually there are a few people already in the office and the rest appear soon after. It started becoming a daily fact that no one would appear before 8:30am (except one commuter trying to avoid traffic).

Now, well now, the office area is a ghost town until 9am. By 4pm in the afternoon there's no one here either. It's spooky, it's depressing, it's just sad. I'd love to sleep in and not work, but it's just not my style. Granted, I don't do much while I'm sitting at my desk these days, but at least I'm physically here and trying to be busy (in between checking my personal e-mail, shopping for presents, and writing in my blog).

Our department admin is going crazy. Sometimes it's hard to know how much she is speculating based on what she has seen happen in past jobs versus what she knows to be true from handling our VPs e-mails.

She is states definitively that we'll have layoffs on Dec. 28th. She guesses that we'll get our notices around the 17th. Ouch, now that would be pretty mean to give us notice the week before Xmas.

In frank conversations she's had with the boss, he's advised her to not give notice until January. There are several reasons for that including qualification for any bonuses, but her interpretation is that it's because we will indeed be given notice by then. If we are still employees at that time, we will get severance.

It's all pretty crazy and frustrating. Even worse, our boss is leaving sometime this month according to the e-mails that the admin has read. The man has several kids and a mortgage to pay, so I can't fault him for finding a new job as soon as possible. The problem for the rest of us is that we will no longer have anyone to represent us and ensure that we're treated fairly if and when the final layoff comes. Who will stand up for us now?

The VP knows more than he can say, that's obvious and he readily admits he wishes he could say more. I just want this hell over with. I'm a rip the bandaid off fast type of person. I pray that he is doing his best before he goes to provide guidance to the higher ups on what he wants for us.

1 comment:

teahouse said...

I went through something like this..back when my first law firm was being taken over, and everyone was on pins and needles, and it was December. It really sucked.