The rain beat down on the glass window of the cubical farm Paul was in. He had an uneasy feeling with his job as of late. Too many people were going into one on one meetings and coming out with stiff expressions on their face. Probably alphabetical, he could be next.
Times were tough in the world of IT. Which really shouldn’t have been a surprise. With the advent of A.I. ‘soon’ approaching. It seemed that businesses were being proactive with layoffs to get ahead of things. Paul didn’t think it would make a big difference, but he wasn’t in charge of the budget or general direction of the company.
Paul used to believe that studying hard, working hard, and putting forth his best effort for the company would lead to success. All this had gotten him was the yearly cost of living increase and a dead end job at a dead end company in a dead end industry.
An email notification pops up in the corner of his monitor.
Glancing at the text box, “Paul – Glenda, one on one” glared out of the screen like a portent of doom. The words stared at him with ominous intent.
Paul couldn’t even bring up enough energy to scowl. The normal amount of fear soaked adrenaline that would have shook his heart just wasn’t there. The rain on his way into work had beaten his will down into sludge today and it didn’t look like it was letting up any time soon either.
It was a small miracle he had an hour until the meeting. With the vague wording, there was not much he could do to prepare. With what he assumed would happen though, it would be best to take this time to review the ol’ resume.
It was a sparse resume. Still had his high school in the education section even. A four year degree in computer science which he had never really used at his current work, two years in a local electronics repair shop which had been immensely helpful, then six where he currently was. Might as well pad that to seven by rounding up the current year. Paul was fairly certain he would be able to find another job, but with the way things were he was doubtful it was going to be good.
“Maybe the repair shop will still be around.” he mused to himself, ever the optimist.
Time ground on relentlessly no matter how much Paul wished it wouldn’t. The dreaded Glenda, his HR rep, and the electronic calendar would not be denied. Paul dragged his sorry carcass towards the meeting room a few minutes before the hour. As he arrived, one of his co-workers, Eric, was leaving the room with a sour expression on his face.
Making eye contact and raising an inquisitive eyebrow was all Paul needed to do.
Eric gave a defeated sigh. “I’ve just been told that I’ll need to ‘take on a bit more responsibility’ and ‘be a team player’.” using air quotes for emphasis.
“Oh that doesn’t sound so bad, at least you’ve still got the job.” Said Paul as he leaned against the hallway wall. “From what I’ve seen the other people look like, I would have assumed they had been laid off.”
“Oh, yeah that does make things a bit better. Do you think I should have asked for a raise with the extra ‘responsibility’?” Eric gave that last word a bit of emphasis.
“HAH, if that were ever possible we’d both be retired by now. What I wouldn’t give for extra work to actually mean extra.” Paul eyed the door that held his meeting with Glenda inside.
“Good luck in there.” Eric gave Paul a pat on his shoulder as he moved pass. “Enjoy your ‘extra’ as much as you can.”
With a nod goodbye, Paul turned to face the door and gave himself one last steadying breath. He opened the door, stepped inside, and like a vulture about to feast sat Glenda the HR rep.
“Come in, close the door behind you, and have a seat.” her words filled Paul with dread like no other.
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The meeting dragged on far longer than what it should have been considering how it ended.
“While you have been a helpful, productive, and useful employee, it is with great regret that I must tell you that we are terminating your employment with us.” Said Glenda with a slight sad frown that didn’t reach her eyes. “It is unfortunate for yourself, but upper management has had to make tough decisions regarding staffing levels. We’ll keep your profile on file if we ever have need of your services in the future though.”
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Paul had, through the whole process of the meeting, no doubt that they would never call, text, or email him about future employment. Contract work was unfortunately becoming more and more common these days. It would be an act of God, or perhaps a changing economic trend, before they would get in contact. Possibly both.
“I don’t suppose that this is a two weeks notice kind of situation, is it?” Paul asked, fully confident in the actual answer.
“Unfortunately, it is not.” Glenda stated. “You’ll be given a short, supervised, amount of time to clear out your desk.”
A quiet, tense moment passed between the two. The second hand of a clock would have ticked loudly, had there been one in the room.
“borrow a box?” Paul asked. “Can’t say I was expecting this to happen today.”
Glenda reached down behind her side of the meeting room table and laid a fresh flat document box on the space between them. She pushes it towards Paul saying. “Consider the box a gift. Best of luck in your future endeavours.”
With this last dismissive statement, Paul exited the meeting room where his supervisor Frank was waiting in the hallway. Frank had the decency to at least actually look sad.
“I know what you just went through, you aren’t the first person I’ve had to do this to.” Frank approached. “We don’t have to do this immediately. Coffee? In the break room?”
Feeling drained from the meeting, drained from the work day, and drained from the weather, Paul just shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but with the weather being what it is, I think it’s better if I get this done now.”
The pair walked back down the hallway to the cubicle Paul used to call his workstation. The heavy rain outside provided a dull thrum to offset the clack of keyboards and muffled voices of people on phones. When they arrived, Paul took in the place he used to spend 9 hours a day at.
A computer, four years out of date, company property. Calendar, also four years old, came with the computer and not changed off of August once it was forgotten. Various pens and a notepad, unused because of the ticketing system, not needed because of a generally good memory. A drawer full of cough drops, the only thing of value Paul considered taking with him.
Frank gave Paul a look and said “This seems a bit sparse don’t you think?”
“I never really put any thought into it.” Paul said in a tired voice as he put a few bits and bobs into the box. “The desk just felt like I was here temporarily. It wasn’t an office ya know?”
“I hear ya.” Frank nodded along. “Hard to really put down roots in poor soil is what my grandpa used to say.”
As Paul finished loading the box of all his office based worldly possessions, it felt too light in his hands. Maybe he should have put in a bit more effort for his desk? It was all moot now though.
“I’ve got to walk you to the door Paul.” Frank motioned with his hands towards the exit. “You’ve got my email. Feel free to use me as a reference.
Paul could only nod and took the lead as they walked. The harsh LED lighting was providing darker shadows than usual due to the storm outside not allowing much ambient light in through the windows. The other people, still employed, barely glanced up at Paul as he carried his box through the aisles of the cubicles. They had already run the gauntlet of Glenda, or were buckling down in a last ditch attempt to keep their job.
They eventually reached the lobby and the front doors that led out into the parking lot. Rain was coming down hard but Paul had a rain coat. He was really only worried about the box in a minor way. Wouldn’t want it to fall apart and spill it’s contents in the parking lot. That would be insult to injury.
“See you around Frank.” Paul said to Frank. The goodbye forever lost in politeness and habit. Paul pushed the door open with his hip as he stepped out into the rain to head to his car.
The rain hit his face and coat at the same time the realization hit that he was unemployed. The past few minutes of packing his desk seemed not unlike a dream. He knew there were a few things he would have to do as he walked across the parking lot using his body to shield the cardboard box he carried. Update the resume, job websites, were his savings enough? How long could he afford to spend on getting ‘a good’ job versus getting ‘a’ job? His foot stepped into a pool deeper than what he expected and soaked his socks.
Cursing his luck he reached his car. He juggled the box and his keys to open the door. Slinging the box into the passenger seat, Paul sat in the drivers seat and closed the door. The rain outside was much louder in the car compared to his former office. He took a minute to just let the sound wash over him. The heavy droplets of rain were soothing in their cacophony but the wet socks put a damper on things.
A flash, and almost immediately a clap of thunder broke Paul out of his reverie. Dreading the upcoming weeks of job searching, and with luck, interviews. He started his car and pulled out of the parking spot. Maybe things would improve. He could leverage his years of IT experience into a supervisor role. Just massage those job duties a little bit to be a little more impressive. Everyone does it these days.
Leaving the parking lot, Paul mused about what his life was about to become. The rain beat down and really necessitated the full speed of his wiper blades. Head home first, or maybe stopping by a grocery store? Getting some comfort food wouldn’t be terrible. A stoplight glared red as he made his decision to buck his normal trend and get some steaks for once. Not from a restaurant though, he wasn’t crazy or employed anymore.
The light turned green.
Paul pulled his car into the intersection.
A bright white light appeared on his left.