Abandon all hope, ye who enter....

Ok, so, it's been a while.  For November-December, I was waiting for the axe to fall that would put me out of my job.  3 days before Christmas, I got an offer to stay at my company, which I accepted.   After the holidays, I returned to chaos and the twilight zone.  Titles had been changed, staff had be reduced by 40%, and the future was an evaporating grey mist--but I was thrilled to have a job, as the unemployment figures are high (higher than reported, I fear). 

I plodded forward in my new job, having performed the function needed in the new job for the last 10 years, and outside of the company I am now in, so I felt ready to roll and up for the challenge.  It was hard, even having experience doing the job I got, but I was a great deal better off for past experiences.  I had vision, the same vision my boss had, and I had energy and a desire to win.

After 6 months, I think I saw a new sign above the office door from the door of hell in Dante's Inferno, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."  There were 40% less people to work the same amount of work, and most of my colleagues struggled (and still struggle) with new responsibilities on top of the old, and at this point of the game, we are being tasked with yet more projects.   The projects are the kind I would expect in the job I am in, but I have multiple projects piled on top of one another.  I am now feeling what my co-workers felt 6 months ago, and with a vengeance. 

People who previously got along are now irritable with each other, as no one has any bandwidth to help someone else, and we are all getting very defensive of the time we have to work on the two jobs we already have.  Couple this stress with a lack of leadership from far above us, and you're almost in the perfect storm, as none of us see an end to the madness….and almost everyone is talking about who is hiring.

My energy, vision, and determination to win have been worn down after 6 months.  My co-workers and I are unanimous in our belief that our boss isn't in touch with what we do or the volume of work that we attempt--he's too worried about pleasing his own boss.  All the other departments of the company are under the same kind of stress and the ever-tightening rules designed to save money.  It's not pretty to see a company that could be great experience melt down. 

As I write this, it is 5 hours after I left the office, and I am still seething from the day's events.  This can't be healthy, and it certainly isn't how I or my family wants to see me live.