This week I once again found myself in the role of corporate grim reaper, separating people from their employment and casting their hollow husks out onto the street. I had hoped that with my new employer in growth mode that this cup would pass from me, but when you get hired as a professional manager, it's not all sunshine and puppies. Sometimes you have to make the hard call and do the unpleasant deeds.
Long ago when a previous employer had been gobbled up by a big US firm, we met a Catbert-in-human-form from the BigCo's HR team who proudly told us he had participated in over 1,000 termination meetings. I thought that he should have long since reconsidered his career options, but perhaps his soul had already atrophied. Now I don't like to count coup but at a rough count, as the reluctant host I just topped 20 such meetings over my career as a manager. Ugh.
Out of those 20 or so, less than a handful went badly. I only got told "fuck you" once (but it was memorable). Most of the time it was pretty civil. That doesn't mean it's easy. As we continue to wrap everything in bubble wrap for legal reasons, the day may come when a grief counselor is waiting to help both parties afterward. Not now, though, everyone gets to go home and feel like dirt on their own.
Now the work we could barely get done has to be distributed over less people, so very busy will become insanely busy. But still I will find time to node, but it may have to be work-related for a while. But also watch for an Editor log sometime soon.