Sadful

Got home from work today and felt totally empty and depressed, like someone had died. With Cameron, Jeff, Julie, Shauna and now Christina gone and Miriam transitioning out of the group, I realized there will be no one left to hand things down to.

A few people have come & gone in the past couple of years, but there has always been an intact group to carry on. All the institutional knowledge and folklore that isn't documented anywhere is passed on so the group can successfully continue in its role.

And toys - "inherited" silly toys, pictures and trinkets decorate the area - little mementos to remind us of former teammates. Like Michael's Grand Marshall name plate and the picture of our mascot, Bob. Pictures of Lewis on a surf trip. Julie's play-doh sea monster sculpture. Jeff's checkered table cloth desk. It will all be left behind and no one will remember our names or what we did.

It won't be long before we're all gone. For the first time since the group was started five years ago, the department will cease to exist. Decimated. At a company with plenty of ongoing revenue and resources.

And it was confirmed this week that the reason for the re-org was to motivate one person to leave. Instead of dealing with the issue directly, an entire group was treated like furniture and moved around without any regard for who we are, what we do, and how the group needs to function to be successful.

One stupid move destroyed a highly-productive, valuable group. Will those responsible ever stand up and admit their mistake? Not likely. They act like it was just a natural cycle of some sort. What a huge disappointment.

And Then There Were Three

And my new nickname is "Lights Out Lady," living in Crazytown, Population 3. In the span of a couple of months, our group has lost seven people from a total of nine. I'm the last remaining employee of the group we formed just two years ago. Maybe it's me. Maybe I smell.

The first cut came from the nonsensical re-org that moved four people out of our group, which no one's been able to explain in any way other than, "change is like chocolate or broccoli - some people love it and some people hate it, but like broccoli, change is good for you." That was actually in a presentation about the re-org.

I should add, too much broccoli at once causes painful gas and intestinal cramping, and too much chocolate doesn't do anyone any favors, either. They could have easily compared this sort of change to chewing a mouthful of nails or wearing clothes made of steel wool - really not necessary and in a nutshell, stupid.

And as a result of the chocolate-coated changes, four people bailed and a few more have one foot out the door. One person left before the re-org realizing things were quickly going downhill and there had to be better options.

So why am I still there? There are a few reasons. I'd been looking and had a good offer from another company, but then David's job got a bit wonky, I don't want just another job, and crazy as it sounds, I feel like there's more I can do as a writer/editor before I go. Meaning, there's so much more material to gather. I could never come up with the things I see and hear there every day. It's a treasure trove.