Confusion and Dismay

December 6, 2007 is a day that will forever be embedded in my brain… a day that started out business as usual and ended in turmoil. I had gone into the office that morning to finish up some paperwork for 2 of my projects and then left late morning to head out to my project in Conyers for a quick site visit. I returned around 2:00 pm to complete a month-end report that was due today since our company’s annual strategic plan meeting was the next day and our office would be closed for business. Sometime around 3pm I saw the VP of Operations and the head of HR from Denver coming thru the office (I just assumed in preparation for the big company meeting the next day)… I heard them go into my bosses’ office and close the door (not unusual)… well what happened next left me in shock… I finished my report and went to find my boss… he was near the back door… I offered my reports to him… he just looked at me with this priceless crestfallen look upon his face… he muttered to go give them to those guys in there (his office)… I was confused and questioned him… (keep in mind we are just standing there staring at each other in dismay)… and he sadly says “ I have just been terminated… 19 years with nothing to show for it”… in shock I say, “Excuse me?” and he just shrugs and walks to the next office to tell that co-worker it has been nice working with him but he has to leave now and then on the next office and the next… and I am still standing there… in disbelief… confused… in dismay…. He manages to tell a few folks his news before finally leaving… I go back to my office and just sit… and wait….and wait…. Then I hear the VP of O and the head of HR bring in one of the Project Managers and close the door again…. My stomach is in knots… and my head hurts… I run for the restroom… on my way out of the restroom I see that PM is back in his office and head over to him… he looks at me (while slinging stuff onto his desk and says that he has been “chopped”… I go back to my office and sit and wait… and then I starting gathering my laptop and lunchbox and packing up my briefcase… I have to leave to turn in my pay application to the City of Atlanta on my way home… I take my reports to my ex-bosses’ office and they inform me that the company is making some management changes and every thing is just fine. And then they talk about how our office is here to stay and how I shouldn’t worry about my job or not to think about quitting… mumbo jumbo something or another… I really do not remember the exact words or details in that briefing…. And then I leave.
So here I am… no boss, no work on the books, half of our SE office is upset and the others are not really talking about it… Good grief, there is a long road ahead of us… makes getting up tomorrow and going to work sound real appetizing, huh??