Corporate Logic Eludes Me

Everyone keeps asking me how the new job is. Well, the best I can honestly say is that it is truly a unique learning experience for me.

Having spent 25 years in the MH/MR field, I saw the corporate model imitated (poorly, I can thankfully say) but never really had to deal much with the corporate mindset. We were all too busy doing our jobs and helping out the individuals we served.

Today, at the new job, a group of us newbies were informed, by management, that 12 of the 30 new employees had been laid off (already?!). The reasoning? Corporate HQ had performed a code push (in short, screwing up our computer network) over the weekend in an effort to deal with some order timing issues. As Monday was a holiday, and there was no mail service, it appeared that our workload had slowed...hence these 12 fellow humans being given the axe...after working diligently and at the best of their ability, to learn their new jobs.

Needless to say, many of my fellow newbies were a bit taken aback. Low man on the totem pole is always the first to go. We all know this. But here's where it gets weird...

A few hours after being given this news, we were asked if we would like to volunteer for overtime! It seems that our workload hasn't slowed as first thought. Apparently, 800 hours of OT are needed to fill the projected workload for the week. Of course, we all volunteered for some OT...I mean really, who doesn't like MORE money?

Can someone explain to me, please, how 800 hours of time and half is cheaper and makes more sense than just paying the already existing employees? As ours is a continually growing corporation, it's not like we're ever likely to not have ANY work to do. Sure, there may be very short periods of downtime...but not enough to cripple the company financially...in reality, the likelihood is that the coffers wouldn't be effected at all by a few minutes here and there of stagnation.

This whacky way of (corporate) thinking is going to take a LOT of getting used to for me.

Allow me to pose some pure conjecture here...and let me know if I'm on track, please. It seems like these events were some sort of power play. By dropping the excess workers (who may or may not have been learning the job so well...but more about that later), we were, in essence, reminded of just how little we mean to the corporation. We can all be replaced and easily so. We were, in essence, prodded to believe that we should be grateful to our corporate masters for the opportunity to help them make more money. We were thrown the proverbial bone by being offered to volunteer to do more work for a wee bit more money.

Personally, I AM thankful for having a job. I was without one for 13 months. That's a long time to do nothing but look for work.

I feel bad for these co-workers who were let go. Maybe they weren't catching on. I've seen some of my fellow newbies who are doing well and others who are/were having some difficulties. But...it's only been a short time since they started the job. I have questions myself at times. Mind you, I'm smart and a quick study...and it usually takes 2 people to answer the questions I ask because it appears that I've come across some unique work problems. I enjoy the the problem-solving aspect of my job.  It's really the only part I DO enjoy! But I digress...

All of this said, if these fellow newbies weren't catching on and were proving to be more of a hindrance than a help, wouldn't it have just been better...more honest...to say "Hey...sorry...this isn't going to work out. Thanks for your help but we have to let you go..." 

I don't know...maybe the world has changed even more than I thought. I guess I was somewhat sheltered in my little feel good helping others world. All I know is...I miss it. I miss it a lot.