Work has been debilitating on an epic scale for the past week, capped off by a meeting with the operations manager this morning in which I was informed that they're terminating a member of my team next Tuesday. It's primarily a budget issue (although there were other performance factors that doubtless influenced the decision to select this particular person), and it's been weighing heavily on my mind all day. Terminating someone right before the holidays? Seriously? Not to mention the more worrisome issue to me: What's the motivation for the rest of my team to work hard and strive for improvement (and the pay raises and titles that come with it) when, in the end, it just puts them first in line to be let go the next time we go into cost containment mode?
Operations manager didn't really have an answer for me, and it was all pretty deflating. Plus, I'm uncomfortable with the fact that things pretty much went down like this: "Hi guys, I'm now the manager! Aaaaaaaand we've terminated our longest-tenured team member! Happy holidays!" I know my team is going to be shocked and upset once they find out, and I'm not sure how to reassure them under the circumstances, when I agree that it's a dickish move but I had no control over it.
So I'd rather not think about it right now. This job (while not without its perks) is kind of overwhelming a lot of the time.
Instead, I'm going to picspam like it's 1994, because that's how I roll when life makes me want to stab myself in the face with blunt objects.

( Mostly irrelevant Stargate-heavy spam. )
Off to explore the wild west town of Wickenburg in the AM with a very pregnant friend, then tailgating at the Cardinals/Browns game on Sunday. Welcome distractions, both.
Operations manager didn't really have an answer for me, and it was all pretty deflating. Plus, I'm uncomfortable with the fact that things pretty much went down like this: "Hi guys, I'm now the manager! Aaaaaaaand we've terminated our longest-tenured team member! Happy holidays!" I know my team is going to be shocked and upset once they find out, and I'm not sure how to reassure them under the circumstances, when I agree that it's a dickish move but I had no control over it.
So I'd rather not think about it right now. This job (while not without its perks) is kind of overwhelming a lot of the time.
Instead, I'm going to picspam like it's 1994, because that's how I roll when life makes me want to stab myself in the face with blunt objects.

( Mostly irrelevant Stargate-heavy spam. )
Off to explore the wild west town of Wickenburg in the AM with a very pregnant friend, then tailgating at the Cardinals/Browns game on Sunday. Welcome distractions, both.