Trial Balloon: January 5, 2009 Archive

Back to the Grind

Posted at 4:40 AM on January 5, 2009 by Dale Connelly (26 Comments)

If you work in an office at a desk with a computer and this is your first day on the job in at least two weeks, welcome back! The initial signs indicate that you are still employed, so congratulations are surely in order because there are no guarantees in any workplace anymore, anywhere.

"But maybe this is a dream," you mutter to yourself. "What if they let me come back today just to give me my walking papers?"

That's a cynical thought to start 2009, and very wrong because the watchword for the New Year is optimism! Things are changing and there's no way to go but up! That cloud of purple paranoia that's been strangling your brain is nothing more than the fading remnants of your 2008 housing bubble hangover.
No one is plotting against you. They're not even watching. Go ahead and look over your shoulder. The little group of sweaty managers huddled over by the file cabinet are not drawing straws to see which one will give you a little tap on the shoulder. Really.
Probably not, anyway. But here are some ways to check.

1. Call yourself. If you get a voice mailbox, and the voice is yours, that's a good sign.
2. Check your e-mail. After two weeks off, you should have hundreds of new messages. More than half should be from someone other than Mr. Undugu, the Nigerian banker looking for a quick way to secretly transfer millions into the USA.
3. Parking. If you drive to work and there was still a spot to put your car, do a little victory dance. In workplaces where parking is an issue, it is everything. Often, the organizational chart and the parking map are the same document, starting at the top with the slot nearest the door. Having a place means you still Have A Place.
4. Keys and Access cards. Do these still work? Obviously you got to your desk. That's a huge plus. Are there any empty bins or packing boxes stacked nearby? Idle hand carts for moving cubicle contents to the door, ready and waiting? Hope not.
5. Visit the leftovers you've been storing in the office fridge for the past six months. Are they still there? With your name on them? These may be your liveliest workplace initiatives - the only recent projects that haven't been killed for lack of funds. Defend them. Be their champion.

There's a lot to do today as you re-enter the world of work, so stay busy and look productive. And if you think of anything else that might add to the sense of job security we all so desperately need, feel free to share.

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