Workplace realignment

[WSU MUP Student]

I took all of last week off as vacation to do some stuff around the house and get our den up to snuff.

I arrive at the office today to discover that my little market research group (only two full-timers and one part-timer) has been folded into another group with our planning department along with a couple techies from our marketing group.

I knew there were some changes coming down the pipe eventually but it was just sort of sprung on us - it seems that those who were here last week had no idea it was about to happen. From the scuttlebutt I've been able to gather, my old supervisor, who is the other full-time person in the research crew and was planning to retire next year, was quite upset after the news and was ready to call it quits a few months earlier than expected mainly because she was upset with how the changes went down with zero input from us and of course she is also upset that she is no longer a supervisor (she wasn't one before but that's a technicality from staff cuts from years ago... she still had all of the authority). I think she was also a bit upset that our new supervisor is somebody she doesn't really get along with (and he is about 15 years younger than her).

Personally, I'm a bit peeved that we had no input into the process but looking at the information that was passed out, it looks like my job is secure and that my old supervisor's position is secure as well. Those are my main two concerns. I don't care about her job being secure because I'm a super nice guy, I care because when she retires (hopefully sooner rather than later), I was sort of hoping that I could just be promoted into her vacant spot (as has been hinted by higher-ups). This rearrangement has the added bonus that I actually like our new supervisor as a person more than my old one and he has in the past shown very appreciative of my work and my abilities. The last added bonus is that with a bit of rearranging who is responsible for what, I may finally be in a position that would count towards experience for me to be eligible for AICP (but I have to do some investigative work to verify that still).

In the end, I'm just going to keep my head down and power through. I guess after four years in the office, it was eventually time for a little office drama...

[/rant]

If anybody else has gone through an unexpected workplace realignment or shuffling, please feel free to share your experiences.

[Cardinal]

My former employer also handled changes badly. Very badly. The first layoffs did not affect me directly, They were mostly in survey and construction inspection, which fluctuated seasonally anyway. Then one Monday I came in to find the two offices next to mine empty. From then on there were a handful of people let go every month. No word from managment, just show up and wonder who would not be there tomorrow. Chet came into my office one day to say it was his turn. I did get notice when a couple of my employees were targeted, but they laid them off on a day when I was out of the office, not even including me. When my turn finally came after a year and a half, I was glad to get out of there. It was a depressing environment, and it only got worse. The company let go almost averybody that did a good job and had contacts in the industry. I get reports from people now that they don't deliver either quality work or on time.

[mike gurnee]

I never considered myself as a good manager, but from these examples I know I was not horrible. Even when workers did nasty things to me I still respected them as individuals. Well, except for this one time...

[nrschmid]

The last planning job I had was for an engineering company. Let's just say that I knew my job was in jeopardy within 5 months of starting the job when my boss (a planner from cyburbia) couldn't bring in new contracts. Both he and his boss (an engineer) didn't even consider ways of keeping me on board, even though I taught myself more and more software programs to stay billable. Then one day my name is called out on the intercom, I'm brought into a conference room, and that was it.

Well, I'm down in sunny Houston now figuring out a new profession. That last job was pretty much the death knell to my full-time planning career. It was a good 8 year run with +100 planning projects in 5 states. I think I will still continue to do occasional planning pro-bono work as a volunteer or contractor at my own pace.