I have a post to write revealing the contest winners in my team account, but it will have to be delayed another day. Today I came into the office to discover several colleagues have been let go. The oldest has 44 years tenure and we talked about her plans after this. She may look into a part time job at the Walmart by her home. Another colleague has been with the company for 29 years, and she is very spiritual, and has faith everything happened for a reason. The youngest has 4 years tenureship; she has a wedding planned for later this year.
I work for a nonprofit healthcare system and the pay is not the primary reason for choosing an occupation in this field. I believe individuals working in this field, both backend and in patient care, choose to do so because they want to help people. It is very sad when individuals loyal to a company are let go because they, or specifically their role, has now become obsolete.
It is common courtesy to ask people in the elevator what floor they’re going to and pushing the floor button if one is by the buttons. I was in the elevator with two colleagues, both from the department that 'restructured'. I'm not from that department but do work closely with them.
So I said to one, “Are you sure you work on this floor?” She’s usually a very happy person, but was subdued when she smiled back. I didn’t know! I had just come in to work. She wasn’t one of the individuals that were laid off, but she has been friends with many for 20+ years.
Talk about being a big douche. I did stop by and apologize for the very bad joke later. She knew I hadn’t known and did not take my bad joke offensively.
To be honest, I had hoped HR would stop by my desk and say “Sorry, you are no longer important.” It would be the reason to get me out of this comfort zone I am now in. I’ve been with the company for years. One IT certification and a Master degree later, I am still here. I know those two ‘achievements’ will easily land me a job elsewhere in my field with a much higher pay, but I’m comfortable. It is challenging to balance work and life and I stay because the company is willing to work around my schedule. I wouldn’t have minded getting that extra push and motivation to move on….
Sadly, we had a department meeting. The director announced there is no plan to lay off individuals in our department. The bleeding has stopped...for now.
Here is a picture of my son's first day of school! A bright spot in my life and one that is needed today as I said goodbye to friends I worked many years alongside.
P.S. I chose to write here because I simply want to write today. Some days, it is nice to have a place to write for the sake of writing and not have to engage.
