PARKING LOT - The other day we had our “Christmas Lunch” to wrap up the year, and one can only chuckle and let it go. I know I should be thankful for a job still at this tough economic storm, but I can’t help thinking about the ironies of life.
We used to have Christmas lunches; they weren’t great, but they were at least some real food for lunch. This year, we had bottle waters and some cookies in the parking lot. People were wondering what kind of news the management team would bring since Christmas lunch is, well, downgraded. We’ve had a few layoffs this past year, so the leftover guys have been working much harder than before to make sure we stay afloat. Business is not good, but the company is also fighting hard to survive this time.
When it was time for the speech, we held our breath. Things were said about the company’s direction to differentiate from competitors, and praises were given to the employees, and basically we’re moving forward. Vague, semi-inspiring, short, but exactly what needed to be said.
Vague: The company cannot be too clear on the direction because certain changes will be made, and if they release the information, people might panic. When people panic, stuff like the economy last year would happen in a company, freefalling. Yes, there will be changes, but we won’t tell you what.
Semi-inspiring: All the employees were praised for working hard, and it’s always good that the company remembers its employees for working hard for the company. After all, no people, no jobs done. A couple inspiring stories about the employees were told, and it was actually quite warm and nice to hear that. But somewhere between the lines of praise and thanks, one can hear that there’s still much to do in the coming year to help the company survive.
Short: Long speeches in touch times might lead people to think that management is trying to defend itself and give you some BS, so the speech was short. It was very concise to talk about the things the company needed to say, without releasing too much information. After all, we all gotta head back into the office and work more, right? :)
Even though we all know it’s going to be tough this coming year, and we all complain and worry, but there seems to be some resiliency among these guys who were in the parking lot the other day. We can do it, and life IS beautiful~
