The following is an excerpt from a book I am writing. I hope to have it published soon.
It was the morning of January 22, 2010. I woke up that morning both excited and concerned. On the one hand I had just received a 10 percent raise and a promotion to manage the Desktop Support group for a large environmental and engineering company. The company has offices and project sites across the U.S. and internationally. On the other hand the company had recently laid-off a large number of employees in August 2010 due to the economy, and there was a rumor that today would consist of another round of layoffs. In fact, it was more than a rumor since at least one person was laid-off the previous night.
On the face of it I should not have been concerned, right? I mean the new raise showed up in my paycheck for the first time that morning (direct deposit of course)! However, my instincts told me to back up any personal data I may have stored on my assigned laptop “just in case.” You see, I am a 37 year business and information technology professional; I have seen stranger things happen. So I arrived at work and I noticed my vice president’s office door open. His light was on earlier than usual. Since he and I had stayed late into the evening the night before I jokingly asked him if he had spent the night at his desk as I walked into his door. He had a remorseful look on his face the kind normally reserved for occasions just before someone tells you a relative has died. He asked me to close the door and have a seat.
“Rodney, I am sorry to inform you that I am going to have to lay you off,” or some words to that effect were said. He offered me a couple of options and I choose the severance package. Years ago severance packages were reasonably generous—two weeks for every year worked, etc. My package was less than one month’s salary, albeit with my new raise added. Hooray! I asked him how many other people in our department were being laid-off and he stated about five. In fact, he even told me his group of application developers no longer reported to him. In essence, he was going to be doing my job since his staff size was reduced. While he was not laid-off his responsibilities, title, and possibly salary were all going to be affected. He and I exchanged a few pleasantries and I told him I would turnover anything I was working on to another technician, since he did not require me to leave immediately. We parted with mutual respect and I am still in touch with him to this day. I cleaned out my office and said my goodbyes to my former office workers, many who I had worked with for close to six years. There were a significant number of people laid-off that day from around the company ranging from people with 42 years employment to just a few years time in.
I left work that day with hope and optimism that I would find a new job quickly, and knew that it was time to reinvent myself again!
As late as August, 2010, there were plenty of other people out of work too – about 9.6%; translating to approximately 14.9 million workers according to the September 3, 2010, report from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The organization also reported “…the number of long-term unemployed, those without a job for 27 weeks or longer, declined to 6.2 million workers.” More importantly, this book is more about people I know who have overcome adversity in their respective life journey.
These individuals may not be well known yet; however, they remain Heros to their families and people who know them. What I hope to uncover is the traits each person demonstrates in their daily grind towards success. And why it may be a good idea to find your passion as well as the need to exert more control over your destiny. We will get back to my story later in the book.
“You ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry”-bob marley.
No comments:
Post a Comment