Office Space
A few months back, my boss gathered the department into a conference room and and introduced us to representatives of a consulting firm. My boss then proceeded to explain that the consultants were there to “improve our processes”, and as such, the consultants would be conducting one-on-one interviews with each employee. After the meeting, the joke around the office was if and/or when you were meeting “the Bobs”. Even more humorous was that the interviews were conducted by two consultants occupying a conference room. To complete the picture, all I needed was to place the wrong cover sheet on my TPS reports.
Over the next several weeks, we all had our interview with “the Bobs”, and we all complained one way or another about something. After all, no job is perfect. And there was some anxiety around the office, as none of us were certain to the real reasons why the consultants were brought in. However, after a couple of months, the consultant’s memories faded away. We assumed they had finished their job and moved on. (My experience with consultants is that they usually hold a lot of meetings for a few weeks, then dissapear. Nothing changes, except the consultant’s back account).
Fast forward to last week, and we were once again rounded up into the conference room. This time, however, it was not our boss directing the meeting, but the president of the company. Much to all our surprise, our boss had been replaced . . . by one of the consultants. Now, there is nothing shocking or surprising about the firing of an executive, but the icky part is when his or her replacement was the consultant brought in to “improve” things. Of course, all persons involved state that it is purely coincidental, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Our previous boss had his faults, and everyone in the department, to a man (or woman), had issues with him, but he was a good guy. I wonder if all our complaining made the consultants and senior management believe that he was the problem – or the biggest part. I suppose I should be thankful that the consultants did not decide to reduce headcount, but nevertheless …
So on his first day as our boss, the new guy (some people still insist on calling him “Bob”) lays out his “vision” for our department. More than a few of us found it amusing that it was very similar to the “vision” our previous boss laid out last year.
At this juncture, my biggest concern is that all the goodwill and trust I had built with previous boss is gone, and I am now having to prove myself all over again.
