Well, it quit being fun, so I quit. Technically I was "displaced" which is a fancy way to say laid off. We just had another reorg -- second one in just under 2 years. I've been with my company for 16+ years. I've survived 5 reorgs with layoffs -- it was #6 that got me. I was ready. Some people were shocked there were displacements. I wasn't as the original talk of of a reorg was months ago. There seems to be a pattern -- any reorg that takes more than 2 months to formally announce will include lay offs. Lay offs are a fact of corporate life. The day you retire from the first company you work for is long gone. Many folks tried and tried to understand the senior leadership's way of thinking. They stressed and stressed over it. Nothing worth stressing over -- their decisions are out of our circle of influence. Now the company is in the usual pattern -- post lots of positions, get new leaders in place, get new teams built, keep pushing out the project. I know many people once again took the severance package and are out the door. Once again I think they underestimated the number who would leave. Once again the reorg will result in a big shuffle of staff across the board.
Not only was I ready for the displacements to be announced, I was ready to be displaced. I've been burnt out for over a year. I can now take some time off to decide what I want to do when I grow up (do we ever really grow up?). It was interesting to see that it took 4 boxes to pack up 16 years of my life. I will go through those boxes once again at home and narrow it down further. 16 years = 4 boxes. It was interesting to look through things and see the roads my life took over the years. It's all good.
"I'm a thankful man for every turn
On every highway I've been down
Every mile I've lost, every crossroad stop
Every storm that turned me around
Oh, it's better than I could have planned
It's made me who I am
It's a good life; it's a real good life
And I'm a thankful man"
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5 comments:
On the one hand, it is really a sad reflection that companies waste so much money on these "organizational re-engineering" efforts. It's not like the "C" players are eliminated which drives higher performance. The stock price and shareholder value never changes (if you follow that kind of thing), it is a check the box exercise to demonstrate efficency efforts are in place. The dead weight is still there, make no mistake about it.
On the other hand, having been through these initiatives before I can say that it was a blessing in disguise and I am grateful to have gotten out when I did. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees when you are with a company for so long because you believe that your loyalty, service, and dedication will be recognized. But more often than not, it boils down to a high school popularity contest.
16 years in 4 boxes ... but it is the memories that you will keep with you always. And nobody can take that away from you.
of course Jo Horney was a slider ... what a joke.
Sadly the popularity contest and power struggle was starting to win. I too see this as a blessing in disguise as I needed the kick in the butt to get moving. I'm looking forward to taking some time to figure out what I want to do and shifting gears.
First I have to take some time to complete my walk in NYC! 20 miles overnight in Manhatten. We're so excited!
How are you enjoying your displacement period?
I'm loving it. Think I'll play the lottery to see if I can extend it! LOL
A couple trips east planned, working on one to Yellowstone just because and time to spend with my puppy. Can't complain about that :)
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