"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

Do you have a Plan B?
February 01, 2009 - 1:16 pm

You see.. I had a bit of inside info that, while in a way circumstantial, meant I didn't have to worry this time around. My boss had offered my name up as one of two people to take over management of a new account... and the client was to pick which of us to go with.

Not exactly the action of a boss who's thinking I'm going to be leaving in a layoff.

And so... the day came to pass and 3pm I hadn't heard anything. I began to wonder if the announcement was going to be put off for some reason. I pondered. I picked up the phone and called a friend in the my regions office...

And... here I should take step back to say that while I work in the main/corporate office, I work for a different region and am really more like a 'work at home' type person. The only interaction I have with my region is via the phone or email.

So... K picked up and I asked her if she'd heard anything and was going to ask her what the over/under was on us hearing anything. There was an awkward pause and she replied, "You weren't on the 1:30 call were you?"

I didn't get the invite and so I was spared the update from the market lead on who was gone. I felt bad having K reiterate the info to me... but also kind of happy to get it second hand. As with so many things, it's much less troublesome to hear sad news one-on-one and to be able to talk freely about it than it is in a group setting.

I am sad to say that a guy I started with is gone. Not exactly a surprise... in some ways, he simply wasn't given a fair shake by the market lead. That's neither here nor there anymore though. He's gone.

About this time I began to get IMs asking if I had any news -- not news about our region, I think I was the only one to miss the call.. but news from the main office. I had none.

I sit near other folks in my segment, but things were oddly quiet.

It seems each region was announcing the news at different times... and slowly, but surely the info was leaking across the company. Non-sales people seemed to be walking by our area more and more -- trying to gauge the impact and see who was gone. It's always difficult though. So many people travel and work from home... I expect tomorrow to really be the day -- over the weekend, I suspect, the desks of those gone will be emptied.

How awkward that must be.. to come in on an off day to get your stuff?

I gather the protocol, at least in my region's office, was once announced the people laidoff were escorted out of the building. I'm happy I didn't hvae to deal with any of that.

News of this person and that person seeped through thursday and friday... some shocking, some not... and some just down right confusing.

Ch-ch-changes are coming and I struggle to see the sense in what I hear. Partial rumors at this point, so do what I can to ignore the info, but it's hard to unhear what you've already heard.

Over the past week or so I've spent a good deal of time talking to the team members on my accounts -- the people I oversee, but don't really manage -- about their worries. I find my role is one to offer reassuring advice in a vacuum. I really don't know if any of these folks are good at what they do. I've worked with them for 2.5 months or less.

That's irrelevant though. It's the nature of a command chain.. gripes go up and reassuring statements go down. That's just the way the world works. I get annoyed. The more worried they are, the more mistakes they make -- simply not focused. And.. if you are worried about your job, making mistakes makes you more worried and more distracted. A sort of vicious cycle.

In truth... anyone getting laidoff had his/her fate sealed weeks and weeks ago. Nothing done in recent history is really going to matter... so why worry?

Managers meet and discuss.. and decide. HR does their thing and needs the notice to prepare severance packages. Accounts need reassigned -- you can't get rid of someone without having the replacement handy. All of these things take time.

Part of me did debate calling my boss up and saying, "Put me on the list... lay me off. I'll take the severance." I didn't. Perhaps I should have.

Walking about the place tomorrow will be odd. Two people who sit near me are gone. Possibly another one or two I don't know about... and then there will be open seats in other parts of the building. I don't mean to give the idea we are shedding tons and tons of jobs -- we aren't. Many companies are losing far more than we are. Which.. is the main reason we are losing people. As a service provider, our clients are getting smaller.. so we to must get smaller.

I try to think what must be like to be married, have kids.. and lose your job. How do you have that conversation? How do you know it's really nothing you did wrong.. not fired for cause.. but just.. well, someone had to go and you lost the lottery.

What would my Plan B be?