A day of loss: Farrah, Michael, and my job security
Dudes, today was quite the day, wasn’t it? Shit was going down left and right, and I watched it all unfold from the comfort of my couch (I took a sick day from work) and listened as my cell phone rang off the hook. First Farrah Fawcett, which we were all anticipating… then Michael Jackson, which, while not quite a complete shock (there had been rumors about his ailing health floating around over the past few months), still came without warning. Two absolute icons of American pop culture, signing off just hours apart. What a day for the media, huh?
As if that news wasn’t heavy enough, my company dropped a bombshell on us this morning – we’ve been sold to a giant conglomerate. WTF?????? This news came as a complete shock to everyone, including upper management and all the staff. Apparently no one knew except the shareholders and various admins who signed non-disclosure agreements. I am absolutely reeling from the news, for several reasons: (1) we’ve been told over and over again that the company’s financial status was holding steady through the recession and that we had “nothing to worry about;” (2) our CEO has always been an extremely honest and transparent guy, giving very informal and off-the-cuff speeches when addressing the staff, but today his speech was disingenuous and over-rehearsed – what happened???; and (3) the giant conglomerate has long been regarded as working for the other side of the fence (i.e., the “bad guys”) in my line of work, and since we’ve been working for the “good guys” all these years, I feel like (a) we’ve been sold out, and (b) we’re going to lose our clients due to conflict of interest. NOT COOL, PEOPLE! Not to mention the fact that, while management is insisting that no layoffs are planned, everything “will be evaluated” over the next 18-24 months. So much for my precious job security!
People, there is only so much I can handle, especially while I’m not feeling well, and all this heavy news today just knocked me on my ass. Everything is still processing, especially the job-related stuff. I’m going to tune into the Farrah/Michael special on NBC tonight and try to get some rest before showing my face in the office tomorrow for what I expect to be quite an interesting day.
Farrah and Michael are small losses compared to not being sure about your job. I’d say your best bet is to pretend like it never happened, that way you won’t be facing it head on all day long tomorrow.
Simon’s last blog post..Manifestations of Loneliness by Simon
June 25th, 2009 at 9:21 pmFive words (from experience) “lying-fucks-start-looking-now”
June 26th, 2009 at 12:57 amSimon – I don’t know if I can forget about it that quickly, but hopefully the shock will wear off in a few days and we can all get back to business as usual. Hopefully.
Virgin – Believe it or not, I thought of you immediately after they dropped the bombshell yesterday – you were so right! But instead of looking for another job, this might be the perfect opportunity for me to go back to school. Dr. DD, anyone? : )
June 26th, 2009 at 7:36 amI was drunk-blogging last night, but here’s my longer answer.
I bet I know what they said today (or even yesterday). They called everyone into the room to address concerns about the changes the company will be going through. But don’t worry, “business is good and “it’s the best staff he’s ever worked with.”
But I wouldn’t get alarmed yet, there are people who always manage to hang on to jobs, like my friend. Never laid off in his life and only came close to it once…when he left WorldCom a week before their fallout many years ago.
My advice is to just continue to do your job as always as it isn’t lost yet, but be prepared: start saving money. Keep an eye on the attitude of the upper management and don’t believe a business buzzword that comes through their mouth. Office Space wasn’t a joke, watch closely for consultants. If the company is multi-divisional across different locations (has a “home” office), WATCH OUT for HR coming in. Keep an eye on other opportunities and if something else good comes along, absolutely explore it.
As Mad Eye Moody said in Harry Potter, “Constant vigilance!”
June 26th, 2009 at 4:41 pmVirgin – Thanks for the advice, as I know you’re very well versed in this sort of thing! That’s exactly my plan – I’m going to keep chugging along, business as usual, until these “changes” start to take place, and then take it one day at a time from there. My boss shares the same concerns that I do, and it’s somewhat comforting to know that even he was out of the loop on the acquisition. We’ll see how it goes… but I’m not touching my savings in the near future, that’s for sure!
June 27th, 2009 at 3:50 pmWell, there are worse things than Dr. DD! But I’m sure you’d rather have the financial stability…hope it goes well for you.
Yeah, it’s weird watching “thriller” on CNN.
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June 28th, 2009 at 1:11 pm