In my most recent post, one of my thorns from last week was about how one of my good friends was dismissed from his job. As anyone who knows him would tell you, he totally didn't deserve it.

Last year when another one of my friends left the company (during an ongoing mass exodus), N hired her replacement, who ended up being a real corporate climber. While N really wanted to focus on getting work done, C volunteered to attend all the endless bottleneck meetings he opted out of. (Speaking from personal experience, they really do "meeting" everything to death at that office, and I've participated in more than my share of those time-wasters that I really didn't need to attend.) In retrospect, this was obviously a great decision on C's part, as it allowed her to shmooze with the right people, shameless flirt with her boss (according to other friends who sit nearby) and leapfrog her way into managing N. (Even though they were only a team of two, so making her a manager didn't really make much sense.)

Anyhow, that's when she started rubbing N the wrong way. She insisted that she wanted their team of two to be the best department in the company and began piling on tons of new projects onto his plate, even though he was already overworked, (as everyone is at that office).

Now, because for the last five years N had put in endless OT every day without claiming it, once all these additional projects started getting tossed his way, he felt that it was time he started claiming all this extra time. He's the father of two very young kids who has already made enough sacrifices doing unpaid OT through the years, he had to draw a line in the sand somewhere. Unfortunately, C told him he couldn't claim OT and that he had to learn how to manage his time better to get everything done in a 40 hour work week.

And so the unraveling began.

Now, N is a very level headed guy. As a former school teacher, he's very passionate about what the company does for students and he loves his job training educators on how to use our products to help their students. (I mean obviously... like I said, he worked OT almost every day for 5 years without a single complaint or even claiming that time.) He's always got a permanent smile on his face. He never says a mean or gossipy thing about anyone - even those who deserve it. And well, simply put, everyone just adores him. J n' I have even become really good friends with him on a social outside work basis. He's just a super cool guy.

So, knowing this about N, it was a shock to learn that he had actually raised his voice at C a couple weeks ago when she kept pressing him to keep up with his overwhelming workload. Apparently when she pushed him to prioritize his time better, he finally yelled, "Show me how!" He then went back to his calm talking voice saying, "I've asked you a million times, and you don't seem to be getting it. This is way more work than one person can finish in a 40 hour work week without doing over time." She abruptly ended the conversation by leaving the room.

Flashfoward one week... he's let go.

No warning. No review. No explanation.

Only a document for him to sign that says he will receive a small lump sum for being dismissed without cause. (Apparently if they have a valid reason, they can dismiss you without any compensation at all.) He hasn't signed the document yet, and was considering getting a lawyer, but in case you've been living under a rock, lawyers are damn pricy. The ones he has contacted average $300 for the initial consultation and require a $1500 retainer. He knows that he's probably better off just signing the stupid document.

Such a shit deal. It's not fair. Like I said, N was the one person who never allowed himself to get jaded by the daily nonsense, and who actually poured his heart and soul into his work. He feels betrayed that the one time he is pushed to the brink of his sanity and raises his voice for a single statement, he's immediately dismissed.

People have yelled much worse things. Jeez... I've been in countless meetings where people have swore their faces off! All N shouted was "Show me how!"

J n' I had him over the other night to watch the movie Office Space, enjoy a few glasses of vino, some guilt-free munchies, and a good venting session.

After our talk, I decided that I no longer want to be associated with this bull shit company. Of course that's so much easier said than done. While our development funding is helpful, it still doesn't completely cover our cost of living for as long as we need it too, which means a little contract work helps to grease the wheels. And while it's one thing to continue working for this b.s company, it's totally another thing that N was one of my main contacts... and now with him gone, I'm left to correspond with the person responsible for his dismissal.

I mean, I get along with C just fine... but I can't help but feel totally yucky about the whole thing. I have a phone meeting with her tomorrow and I wonder what I'm going to say? I obviously have to address the fact that N is no longer there and that I'll be receiving all my instructions from her now.

Shit. This really, really stinks. I feel like I'm betraying my friend, even though he insisted that I don't let this situation affect my relationship with C. (Can you believe he still isn't saying anything bad about the company, except that he's disappointed in how it was handled. The worst he'll say is, "Perhaps it was a good business decision, but it was a really shitty human decision." Meanwhile I'm spitting venom about the whole thing.)

Anyhow, yeah... so back to work with C tomorrow. Right now I just haven't been putting any happy faces in my emails.... yeah, I'm sure that'll show her. *Sigh*