TRANSITIONAL THURSDAY – They Took Our Sign!

For the past few months I've been blogging off and on about how you know your office is closing – here's your sign. Well, today, they took the company name off of our building, AND they fixed the disposal that's been broken for a year. Some said it was writing on the wall, but maybe we should the writing ISN'T on the wall. The maintenance guy said this was all regular maintenance that should have been taken care of a long time ago and not related to the facility review. I don't think he really understood to whom he was speaking. He was trying to convince a group of Special Investigative claim reps – meaning, the most skeptical employees who question everything unless there are two independent sources to verify. Timing is everything.

Being the warped group that we are, we thought it was funny. We sent e-mails to our different bosses to let them know that we were confident that our office was closing because of what was going on. It spread like wildfire! We got calls from people from Arkansas, New Orleans, Oklahoma and Missouri within an hour wanting to know what was going on and what we had heard. Of course, we hadn't, but it's never far from our minds. I think most of us have gotten to the point that we are tired of being put off. At first it was the end of the first quarter, then the end of April, then the end of May, and they still don't have it together. It can be nerve-wracking. We all just want to know, so we can know how to plan for our future. I already know that I'll be looking for a job because even if I were to survive this round, I know we wouldn't survive the next round of cuts.

Not every transition is fraught with tension and stress though. My kids are transitioning into summer. They are looking forward to sleeping in, going to camp, spending time with their baby sitter, and going on trips, but most of all, they are thankful there is no homework during the summer. I too am grateful.

Life is about change. Some we anticipate with excitement, but some may cause anxiety. Either way, it's all in how you choose to look at it – can you find humor or are you going to focus on the sour? This is something in which you do have control.