feeling the crunch

we’ve been very busy at work. as i mentioned in passing in an earlier post, our company lost people throughout last year and the group i work with (thought to be immune from layoffs) felt the axe in the last quarter. it goes without saying that we’re feeling the crunch. there are fewer bodies to handle the workload. i find it funny that after letting people go, management is now projecting more work ahead that contractors will be hired to help out.

this is the game that a company chooses to play. staff are treated like chess pieces that can be strategically maneuvered or sacrificed based on its position in the market place. should it prove later that a mistake has been made, management would consider it as an experience gained, try to learn from it, and move on. that’s well and good. but using layoffs, say, just to boost the company’s stock price doesn’t fall under this ‘well and good’ category. i don’t see it worth sacrificing people’s lives and careers for such a short-term goal.

i confess, however, that the dollar saving measures (including the layoffs) undertaken last year did help the stock price and the company’s bottom line. a couple of weeks ago, management announced that we met last year’s profit target that every employee will get the promised bonus later in february or early in march. i’m sure it’s pocket change compared to what the executives will receive, but i’d take it. i could use the extra money for emergencies like a midnight latte.

the company goals this year are more aggressive than last year. we are expected to continue doing more with less. i, for one, have the added responsibility of maintaining the group’s computer lab, images of desktops used for testing, and the hardware inventory. geez, as if i’m not already working my butt off in engineering.

i’m starting to wonder if i have any life outside work at all. sometimes i feel so tired that i’d fall asleep in the train on the way home. waking up, i’d find i’d missed my transfer and wound up in san francisco. and based on the stares that i’d get, i’d know i’d been snoring with my mouth open and tongue out. it must have been a lovely sight. i’m glad i can provide that kind of entertainment once in a while.

one of my co-workers once remarked that we should be grateful for the ever-increasing workload. it could only mean job security. she could be right. but hopefully, the request for additional staff will be approved soon. i think we’re all getting close to burnout.