Mar 21, 2012

Pride Goeth Before the Fall

It's evaluation time at work, a time of reflection and the earnest wish I could evaluate my supervisor the way she is evaluating me. :)  I have the best Sup in the world.

The hubs' job is winding down, the company bankrupt from decisions made that he had nothing to do with and no power to solve. For too long he's been the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke, selling like crazy to keep sales on the board and hope in the air.

The owners' instructions have been, and I quote, sell sell sell. And putting aside the integrity of knowingly bidding jobs there was no way to honor, that's just what he's done. The irony here is the company still holds the #1 Distributorship for sales in the US as it sinks in quicksand.

Someone on the outside helped interpret that for us. Why keep selling? Because the company's assets are in the backlog of jobs, which are sellable opportunities. When the company folds and investors come in, they will sell the jobs at a discount and other companies will snap up the chance to be the guys on the white horse saving the day. You've got to admit that is great PR.

It has occurred to us the owner could do that now, sell the backlog and bring the company solvent again, not displace workers, and get on with the hard work of rebuilding the company's reputation and credibility. He's an arrogant guy and would never face that, so instead he's instructed his minions to work hard as he slips out the back.

Time will tell how the investors will fare in all of this. But I know how the employees will do. Other than believing in the work-is-its-own-reward ethic, and collecting 3/5ths of a normal paycheck, all the employees will get out of this is a bad taste in their mouth as they desperately try to stay off the stats of the unemployed for another few weeks.

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