The setting sun gleams off the buildings across the street. It was raining earlier. Out the window I see people moving about. Others in the office are wrapping up, packing their things. I didn’t get much done today. Should hang around for a bit because I rocked up 15 minutes late.
The computer screen is dull. The Outlook page static. I break the silence and wiggle my mouse around. I stare at the lines. The words start shifting up and down in a ripple. A wave of bits flows over the screen. The tide draws back showing a void of data. It pulls me in.
My face falls into an empty pit of emails and Microsoft Teams messages. Icons float up around me like buoys. Lines are dropped. Meeting requests to tie the knot pass by. I sink deeper. Things grow darker as the fluorescent light from outside struggles to reach. Do the others in the office not see this?
As I pass into the midnight zone, the Teams icon pings in the corner. I hear that hellish jingle and I am sucked back out into the office. A painful ring. The Managing Director (MD).
What does he want. It’s a Wednesday afternoon. Am I in trouble for not doing enough? Am I getting shifted onto a new project? Am I getting a new slide deck to complete by end of day (EOD)? Why are MDs always calling for things by EOD’
There’s a brief pause while the call connects.
‘..ow are you mate?’ he asks.
‘Oh yeah not so bad. Lots to do.’ I answer.
‘Workload always ramps up as we head into year end, busy time of the year for sure.’ He says in a well-rehearsed tone. There’s always a busy period in preparation for the next period to be busy for I think to myself.
Another pause and he continues. ‘I’m just calling you to tell you about some shifts in the team. Did you hear anything from Ken yet?’
Shit. This is it. I’m done.
I was just about to ask for leave, I guess I don’t need to put a request in anymore at least. I wonder if they’ll give me severance. Not a great feeling though. I report directly to Ken, Specialist Senior Manager, Service Delivery Lead (SDL)’. The title echoes in my head. It never meant anything to begin with.
‘No I haven’t heard anything from Ken.’ I respond, yielded.
‘Ah, well that’s fine. I wanted to tell you before you heard any rumours or gossip.’
‘Oh?’
‘Well,’ the MD says, ‘Ken’s been made redundant.’
Ken’s older, maybe mid 50s, wife and kids. He was always very specific about contract details, but let me work on my own. I could ask him questions and he would help in finding answers. I spent several hours every day for the past two years talking to him. Daily stand-ups, catch-ups, planning sessions, presentations. He was a regular part of my life. I wouldn’t call him a friend, but he was a good manager. Will I miss him? He just took last Friday off to take his family camping. It rained that whole weekend. Said once he usually runs on his days off.
I should feel bad for him, but all I could think about was the client meeting I scheduled for tomorrow. We were just talking yesterday about what to present. Now I would be alone with the PowerPoint.
I debate messaging him. He’s offline on Teams. The grey offline icon next to his display picture morphs into a gravestone. Would you want to hear from your ex (co-worker) the next day?
What would I even say?
‘You’ll find another job soon’? – I can’t get him one.
‘Good opportunity to get off the sinking ship’? – Bit rich to say while I’m still on it.
‘Shit happens man’? – maybe.
I write; ‘Hey Ken, just heard the news. I hope you’re ok, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to support.’
I reviewed the message a few times and sent it via text. Three dots appear…He’s typing.
What will he say? Will he explain why? Am I getting some tea? Some conflict with the MD? A scandal? Fraud?
Maybe he’ll just tell me to fuck off.
The message loads.
A .gif of Jim from the office shrugging, looking at the camera.
Thursday 9:15.
No Ken in the stand-up today.
YOWIEHUB 
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