Bad News and Bad Breaks

This has been the worst two-day period here since I started working.
First, the hierarchy:


Assistant Vice President (Cancer Face)
                 |
Senior Manager (the cool manager)
      |                               |
Hypermanager   Guy that I hate
  |
Me

Yesterday we were called into a noon meeting so the AVP could announce that our cool manager gave his two weeks notice. He is moving to New York City, because “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and if I didn’t go now, then in ten, fifteen years I’d be saying ‘coulda-woulda-shoulda.’”

It was the most disheartening meeting I’ve ever been to. The room seemed to deflate. Everybody likes this manager, everybody likes working with him. He’s young, friendly, accessible, and fun. He is one of maybe three people here that I would hang out with outside work.

And, while I regret his decision to leave, I applaud his conviction and wish the best for him down in NY.

In his absence an interim manager will be brought in so the group won’t be disrupted. This measure will fail, because the group has already been disrupted. One of the other managers on the floor cried when he heard the news.


Then today we received an email officially putting severe limits on internet usage and banning instant messaging programs:

“I have seen the use of many non-work related applications in recent times when I’m walking around the floor. Specifically, the use of AOL, AOL chatrooms and AOL instant messenger. You should not be using these and any use must cease immediately.

These applications directly affect the performance of your PC’s and the work related applications that run on these PC’s.  Above that, time spent on AOL is definitely not work related and is distracting.  

I hear a lot of complaints that our PC’s aren’t any good and are not performing.  Granted, we do run quite a few memory intensive work applications, but quite frankly, it’s often from junk programs and spyware that ends up in our program files and temporary files from non-work related use of the Internet.  

There are appropriate uses for the internet and it is important to remember that users’ discretion should be on the conservative side.  Cruising the net on your lunch hour is one thing, installing AOL on your PC is another.

-supervising manager”

I’ve talked about looking for a new job, but I knew that work here would be at least bearable as long as the cool manager was here. No longer.

And I’m not saying that it is, or should be, our right as employees to use instant messenger. I’m saying that it shouldn’t be an issue if it doesn’t affect our work. I have never missed a deadline because I was chatting online.

But, allowed or banned, instant messaging has been the link to the outside world that has kept me near sanity. I used AIM when I first started here. I used AIM when it was unofficially prohibited. Now that the ban is official I will no longer use it, I am not one to disobey a direct order.

But now the job search has been kicked into high gear. There’s nothing to stay for, and nothing that would make staying easier. I think a lot of people here are thinking the same thing. Cool manager’s announcement might spark an exodus.

-t