Downsized

There was a flurry of activity today at the Olde Honey Well. I mentioned it to my supervisor, who quickly and quiety told me that "they" were whacking people today. Yikes! That's not a good way to start the day. We had noticed some guys who looked like suits milling around the front door. That happens all the time, though.

So as soon as I heard that, I wanted to know what was going on. I was assured that it wasn't going to affect our department. Later, I realized why. Tech writers don't cost much. Engineers are expensive, especially those who are middle-management. Five of them got axed, plus the only in-house salesperson. (She has a special story of her own. Her boss called her last Friday, and told her to meet him at the airport today. He's located somewhere in the US. So she met him at the airport. He fired her while he was on a layover. In fact, he probably altered his itinerary so he could fly here and fire her. Such a special guy!)

The problem is that these engineers had been there for a long time, are wicked smart, and are generally nice guys. They're engineers, so they're kind of weird. But harmless and helpful. In other words, this sucks and shall continue to such while the rest of us scramble to fill in the gaps. Nice.

But the best part is that they did do the "you're fired, pack your things, and then you're out of here" scenario. Except there was one, slightly funny aspect to it. The person who was escorting the firees out the back door (of the warehouse, so nobody could witness the walks of shame), is the lovely office manager. She is small (under 5 feet), slim, and older. She's fun, terribly nice, and sings in a Gospel choir. She is certainly not a burly security guard. Maybe they picked her because of her caring, kind, and generally jovial demeanor. She did her best to make it less traumatic for those who were fired. Kinda like being fired by your grandma.

I wish the best for those who were fired and for those who were left behind. A-cow was on edge all day. Annoying!