For What it's Worth
Where do I even begin?
My organization is undergoing a major reconstruction - I can't believe it's called a reconstruction, but just go with me on this one. It's been widely published that 1,000 jobs (of about 2,500) will have to be cut to make up for some fiscal issues we're dealing with. This is the devil of working for a non-profit. You love the work, hate the job instability. Nevertheless, most of the people in our department have been informed of their status.
It's emotionally hard to break up a work family. In many cases, we end up spending more time with those at work than at home especially during disaster season. We have some veterans in our department that are being let go to meet the budget restraints. We have some newbies that had lots of potential that are also being let go, again due to the budget. I think what keeps me up at night are the people who are single parents, the people who are supporting a family, paying a mortgage, paying college tuition, trying to make ends meet - I worry for them. It's a tough job market. For those who have been out of the game for so long, it's now time to dust off that resume and get back on the playing field. A tough break for the one woman I know who has worked for 35 years in the organization.
To that end, I've learned there's no such thing as loyalty anymore. In business or really in life for that matter. Once upon a time, you could establish your entire career at one place. Look at my parents - after residency, they each stayed with the same hospitals until retirement (my mom is still working at hers). That's 30 + years devoted to one place and they wouldn't even think to get rid of her. And there are plenty of people who have aligned themselves with the top, in some ways positioning themselves to stay - and that doesn't matter either. They say a RIF isn't personal, but that doesn't mean the feeling of getting laid off isn't personal.
A move like this impacts the people staying as well as those who leave. It hardly seems fair to think about those who are staying since the security is built in, but they face the uncertainty of the next steps. When 1/2 the department is gone, who takes up all of that work? Obviously those who are chosen to stay. What will their lives look like now? That's the million dollar question.
I'm going to miss our Communications crew. It will be hard to come into work everyday and not hear their voices, laughter and I will most certainly miss the stellar advice I get from their expertise on communications. This reconstruction is a hard pill to swallow, but I wouldn't want anyone leaving not knowing what a great impact they have had on my communications career - for what it's worth.
My organization is undergoing a major reconstruction - I can't believe it's called a reconstruction, but just go with me on this one. It's been widely published that 1,000 jobs (of about 2,500) will have to be cut to make up for some fiscal issues we're dealing with. This is the devil of working for a non-profit. You love the work, hate the job instability. Nevertheless, most of the people in our department have been informed of their status.
It's emotionally hard to break up a work family. In many cases, we end up spending more time with those at work than at home especially during disaster season. We have some veterans in our department that are being let go to meet the budget restraints. We have some newbies that had lots of potential that are also being let go, again due to the budget. I think what keeps me up at night are the people who are single parents, the people who are supporting a family, paying a mortgage, paying college tuition, trying to make ends meet - I worry for them. It's a tough job market. For those who have been out of the game for so long, it's now time to dust off that resume and get back on the playing field. A tough break for the one woman I know who has worked for 35 years in the organization.
To that end, I've learned there's no such thing as loyalty anymore. In business or really in life for that matter. Once upon a time, you could establish your entire career at one place. Look at my parents - after residency, they each stayed with the same hospitals until retirement (my mom is still working at hers). That's 30 + years devoted to one place and they wouldn't even think to get rid of her. And there are plenty of people who have aligned themselves with the top, in some ways positioning themselves to stay - and that doesn't matter either. They say a RIF isn't personal, but that doesn't mean the feeling of getting laid off isn't personal.
A move like this impacts the people staying as well as those who leave. It hardly seems fair to think about those who are staying since the security is built in, but they face the uncertainty of the next steps. When 1/2 the department is gone, who takes up all of that work? Obviously those who are chosen to stay. What will their lives look like now? That's the million dollar question.
I'm going to miss our Communications crew. It will be hard to come into work everyday and not hear their voices, laughter and I will most certainly miss the stellar advice I get from their expertise on communications. This reconstruction is a hard pill to swallow, but I wouldn't want anyone leaving not knowing what a great impact they have had on my communications career - for what it's worth.
posted by mkp @ 5:47 PM
2 Comments:
At 11:15 PM,
Sheets said…
MKP! That sucks. I'm glad to hear that you're still there but you really have described reorg well. It IS very personal. It is heartbreaking and you actually grieve. Sigh. I feel that whole loyalty thing too. Why do we give our heart and soul to our job... and to a company that, at the end of the day, would have "no problem" in reorg'ing us out? I don't think anyone in our generation is going to see the careers of your parents and spending over 10 years at one place. Sigh.
At 12:39 PM,
R said…
That's disappointing to hear. While companies often trumpet that people are their greatest asset, from a financial perspective they are also the greatest cost. I remember when my workplace had a merger and several people were let go. It was not only difficult on the employees, but it was also very rough on the managers who had to let them go. I know one manager who told me a few years after having to communicate the bad news that the week he had to inform several of his staff that they were identified for "separation" was the worst week of his entire life (and he got to KEEP his job!). In fact, he nearly quit the company himself because he did not view it as justified of having to fire people in his own department that were decent performers. Guess everyone has a boss...
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