Tuesday, May 06, 2003
aftermath
aftermath
So the ominous lay-off week has passed, taking with it the loud static of anxiety. Also taking with it half of our small team. Leaving in its wake a pallor of demoralization and confusion. I’m still here, much to my surprise. And so is my manager, much to his surprise. Gone are all the interns, two developers, a webmaster, a manager, and our VP. It’s really quiet around here now. An ugly kind of quiet.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how shaken I am by all this. I had thought myself sufficiently cynical of the reckless behavior of corporations and their tendency toward blatant disregard for human considerations. But I’m now seeing that deep down I was still kind of naïve. I actually thought that hard work and dedication to the company meant something. Not that I would ever offer that sort of devotion to a company, but I had assumed that those that did might be somehow rewarded when it came down to difficult decisions.
Not the case. Not by a long shot.
And all I can do is shake my head in something between stunned disbelief and bitter amusement when the senior management wonks get to talking about continued dedication to the company and to “winning” in the next quarter. You goddamn fools. Do you really think that such platitudes really speak louder than actions?
As each streak of naiveté gets systematically dashed, I will, however, still hold steadfastly onto my belief in poetic justice.
May we reap what we sow.
¶ 5/06/2003 09:56:00 AM
So the ominous lay-off week has passed, taking with it the loud static of anxiety. Also taking with it half of our small team. Leaving in its wake a pallor of demoralization and confusion. I’m still here, much to my surprise. And so is my manager, much to his surprise. Gone are all the interns, two developers, a webmaster, a manager, and our VP. It’s really quiet around here now. An ugly kind of quiet.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how shaken I am by all this. I had thought myself sufficiently cynical of the reckless behavior of corporations and their tendency toward blatant disregard for human considerations. But I’m now seeing that deep down I was still kind of naïve. I actually thought that hard work and dedication to the company meant something. Not that I would ever offer that sort of devotion to a company, but I had assumed that those that did might be somehow rewarded when it came down to difficult decisions.
Not the case. Not by a long shot.
And all I can do is shake my head in something between stunned disbelief and bitter amusement when the senior management wonks get to talking about continued dedication to the company and to “winning” in the next quarter. You goddamn fools. Do you really think that such platitudes really speak louder than actions?
As each streak of naiveté gets systematically dashed, I will, however, still hold steadfastly onto my belief in poetic justice.
May we reap what we sow.
¶ 5/06/2003 09:56:00 AM
