Photo by law_keven

A lion’s work hours are only when he’s hungry; once he’s satisfied, the predator and prey live peacefully together. - Chuck Jones

I heard that quote on Criminal Minds a few weeks ago.  As I sit here in the aftermath of yet another layoff, a metaphor sprang to mind.  Or a simile.  Whatever.  A post was born.

When it was announced last month that my company would be laying off several dozen employees, it caused a pall to hang over my department.  There was the usual gallows humor from the Comedian (who didn’t get the axe, Thank God) about unemployment benefits and working at Burger King, but the mood in the office was, for the most part, pretty grim.

I even noticed a separation on an emotional level between management and the rank and file.  You started hearing, “I wonder how those bastards are choosing who stays and who goes.”  Or, “Wait till it’s their turn to get marched out the door.”  It was an us-against-them mentality, and it built to a crescendo by the end of last week.  Because, the lion was hungry, and had a job to do.

After yesterday’s bloodletting, like gazelles after the lion has eaten one of their own, the pressure was off.  Remember, the lion is only the enemy when he’s hungry.  The survivors had to sort things out, so back to work we went.  And to joking around.  I think some of it was in poor taste, and I tried to keep it quiet.  Don’t get me wrong - I’m glad I survived this round.  But I’ll miss many of my newly-former coworkers, but some will improve the place with their absence.

Lateness Man was an early victim.  He can keep others in suspense at his new job, wherever that will be.  Also hitting the road is Conspiracy Guy.  I’ll actually miss him, though.  He was quite colorful.  One person I won’t miss is Mr. Gripes.  I’ve never written about him before, but he was probably the most miserable person that I’ve ever had to work with.  If you look up negativity in the dictionary, you’ll probably find his picture in there.

What these guys all had in common was a tendency to badmouth the company and its management. They obviously didn’t know how to avoid getting laid off.  Some of the phrases that they uttered:

“This place is going down the tubes.”

“They don’t have a freakin’ clue about how to run this place.”

“I have X amount of contracts to manage.  He only has Y amount.”

“Wah!  Wah!  Wah!”

“Beware of the Office Snitch.” (wait, that was me who said that one)

You get the picture.  Complain enough, loudly enough, and maybe you get to the top of the layoff list.  Congratulations!  Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out!

Now, time to join the other gazelles at the waterhole.  It’s safe.  The lions have already eaten.

• Don't Just Answer the Question Photo by alexanderdrachmann I was on a conference call today with two of my coworkers.  One of them, a program manager,  was asking questions about a specific contract, and the other, a contracts administrator, was giving simple yes or no answers.  The program manager finally became frustrated, and said,......
• Jumping on the Yankees Bandwagon Basking in the glow of yet another championship, I was greeted at work this morning by a preponderance of Yankees paraphernalia (I didn't notice any Phillies or Mets caps.  Even the Red Sox fans are keeping their heads down this week).  Not that I mind; I am a big......
• The Ghost of Layoffs Past Photo by peasap The recent layoffs at my company brought a visit from the Ghost of Layoffs Past.  Years ago, at one of my old employers, I crossed paths with a former colleague.  He was a manager in the manufacturing area, in his forties, with a couple of kids in......

• Another Breakthrough? Well here's an interesting bit of news. I ate a piece of cake at work. ...OK, that wasn't the interesting bit of news, but keep reading! I'm 'painting the picture.' Well, this piece of yellow cake was fluffy and moist with thick, chocolate frosting. My favorite combination in a cake!......
• 5 Wealth Building Tips for Financial Freedom There are a lot of different things that are involved in building up your wealth. One article is not going to explain everything that you can do in order to build wealth and obtain financial freedom. We have put a simple five step list together to help you build a......
• Start the 2009 Work Year Right for Your Money and Your Life If you are like Mr. ToughMoneyLove, January 2 will be your first work day of 2009.  Your New Year's Resolutions are fresh in your mind.  Perhaps on that list of resolutions are goals such as "keep your job"  and "make more friends."  If not, maybe they should be.  In fact,......