Friday, January 25, 2013
The day started like any other. Got my XL Triple Triple and Toasted blueberry bagel with butter, and headed off to work. I spent the previous two weeks running the shipping department to cover our shipper/receiver's vacation, and it was a gruelling two weeks! I was pretty excited going in as it was the last day. I got no indication at all that something was amiss, and suddenly we got an email from one of our owners. The "good news" was that our company was bought out, and unfortunately there would be "a few" cutbacks, but this would strengthen the brand and be better in the long run. An uneasy feeling came over me. I am a guy who is convinced I will be fired every time I have a review at work, so you can imagine how this sat with me. What made it even worse was that our production manager, my direct supervisor, looked like a ghost. Not talking to or making eye contact with anyone. I worked really closely with him especially for the last two years, and I took over a lot of his responsibilities and he really mentored me in my progress there. And he wouldn't say two words to me.....
Not really one to keep my mouth shut when I should, I endeavoured to find out what the hell was going on, but I didn't need to.....I got an email saying that there was an impromptu meeting in the lunchroom and to report there immediately. So the entire production staff, assemblers, buyers, service techs, inventory clerks, and this poster all filed nervously into the lunch room. Gord, one of our owner's and the managing president of the company, could barely choke back the words that, basically, not one of us would have a job after April 30th. The reactions varied from stunned shock, to bitter anger, to terrified panic. The Vice President of the company that bought us, along with his HR manager came in and, with maddening fake-sincerity, told us how valuable we were and thats why we were "invited" to stay on for 3 months to help with the transition. Of course not stated by him but in his documentation, was that to qualify to get our severance we HAD to work that 3 months, or we would forfeit it, along with our retiring bonus, and walk out with nothing. Most stayed, more out of financial security than of loyalty of a company we would soon no longer recognize. My Production Manager, told us all to forget whatever we were doing and just go home and figure things out for the weekend. And to do what was best for us and don't worry about the company's best interests. For him, it was many times worse than it was for us, because not only did he have to worry about himself and his family, he worried about us too.
The next 3 months were agonizing for all who stayed, as the new company never let us forget how expendable we were. I was put in charge of spearheading the Inventory changeover, which meant millions of dollars being bulk shipped to the United States. All while they micromanaged my every move. I can honestly say it was the most miserable time I've ever spent working, and I've washed dishes at a Chinese restaurant! The 3 months seemed to fly by and by the end, it felt like a death. I started there in 2006, just after they moved into their new building and were still very much in the process of building everything....now watching it all being dismantled before my eyes was a little hard to take. Still, the happiest I was there was when my friends Amanda and Elise worked there still.....both of them left by then and it didn't feel worth staying even a job was offered. I missed them a lot, especially towards the end when it felt like it was every sucker for themselves.
Now a year later, I am 8 months into another job for a similar company. While it does provide security, it's not a permanent thing and I am pursuing other jobs. My old company wasn't perfect, it drove me crazy more often than not, but it was home, and we felt like a family. I miss that...
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