Until it happens to you...

When your job gets moved to another state it’s hard not to take it personally.  A morning show that I listen to locally talks continuously about the fact that if your job goes away or you get laid off that there was something you could have done differently to prevent it.  In this case, the whole organization is getting moved around. They’re not decreasing headcount, just moving bodies from one place to another.  And just to be clear, I’m not being laid off, I’m being re-assigned.

That doesn’t make this suck any less. I like my job, I’m good at it. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy learning and improving upon my skill set. I’m going to be sad to watch it go away. I think the worst part about all this is having gone through the pain of a large merger, completely re-assigning and re-training my staff in, for some of them, new roles, to watch it all go away less than six months later.

It’s hard not to take it personally and stay away from the “every man for himself” attitude. I have a staff of eleven I have to worry about. The majority of them are getting re-assigned as well, but they are for sure not all going to be pleased about the assignment. Coaching and guiding them through this is really going to be tough for me.  The potential for tears just gives me the heebie-jeebies because I’m just not all that great with emotion in a work setting.

And at the same time I have to come to terms with my new offer.  Do I accept on the grounds that it’s a job and a paycheck?  Do I accept and immediately start floating around the resume? Do I take this opportunity to spend some time at home with my kids (we all know that that craziness wouldn’t last long)?  Maybe go back to school or embark on a whole new profession? Lots of questions and not so many answers.

I’m thankful that my new boss is a person I have worked for, and enjoyed working for, in the past albeit in an entirely different role.  Knowing that I was grabbed by a former manager makes me feel as though I am valued in this organization and that they are interested in my future. Whether this is B.S. or not remains to be seen.

And then I think about those people within this company (or even those who have gone through this anywhere) that were not offered a "comparable" position and think that I need to quit my bitching. Perspective...

So tonight, like every other night, I go home, hug my kids and my husband.  I count my blessings that I have a nice job that allows me to support my family and our lifestyle and know that whatever decision I make will be the right one because I will have thought it through. No job is forever and I am in charge of my own destiny.  I just have to figure out what that destiny is.

~Becky