The elephant in the room

My impending redundancy has become rather the elephant in the room at work. Not within my small office, I should add - where all 3 of us have been given our cards and it’s therefore pretty much the only topic of conversation - but among the other staff in the building. Whenever I bump into someone on the stairs, in the kitchen, using the photocopier, people seem to either hurry away or speak overly brightly (and without eye contact) about nothing before scurrying away. Maybe it’s paranoia on my part of course, but I don’t think so.

It is the elephant in the room syndrome in action; the big thing that everyone knows is there but that nobody mentions.

Which strikes me as very strange. After all, around 100 redundancies were announced across the whole organisation so it’s hardly as if I have been singled out. Admittedly, the bulk of those concerned knew of their job losses in early December; mine is among a smaller group in a second wave announced last week. Whilst the outcome for all concerned is the same of course, it does mean that I missed out on being a part of the camaraderie that resulted from the big bang proclamation some weeks ago. The subsidiary I work for is the smallest in the organisation by a long way too, and I’m also a relative newcomer to boot so haven’t yet had the opportunity to develop those extensive in-house networks that come with longer service. Could those things explain it? Maybe, in part.

A bigger part I think is because I am one of very few managers getting the chop. Now I know I’m a good manager and I know I’m good at my job; when all of the core staff within the subsidiary are going, it’s clear the redundancy is not a reflection of that (or me) in itself. However, the issue is relevant nonetheless because managers are often perceived as exercising more control over their own destiny. As any middle manager in a large organisation will tell you, this is a falsehood of the first calibre. But it is nevertheless the perception that is sometimes held of the role.

The belief that we might actually have control is the illusion with which we allow our egos to delude us. I am not being fatalistic here; I certainly believe that we all create and help shape our own destinies. But only up to a point and only in certain areas of our lives. When organisations are making harsh survival choices in the midst of an unprecedented economic downturn, all bets are off. And with the discarding of the gloves comes the removal of any vestige of certainty, influence and control. Recognising that at least means I will hopefully never - at least in the work setting - harbour an elephant in my own room.

Or at least if I do, I’ll engage it in conversation.