Friday, June 28, 2013

Mourning At Work

Feeling just a little sad today -- it is the final day in the office for two co-workers who I've worked with on various projects over the past several years. They have chosen to move on for better or more lucrative opportunities, and they deserve nothing but success wherever they land, because they have proven themselves to be shrewdly talented and dogged pursuers of progress in each of their positions. I've grown to not only appreciate their professional prowess, but also their sharp wit and the fun times that we shared over the years.

And that's where the sadness comes in -- perhaps it's just me getting old, but I get pretty nostalgic about departures at work, especially when it's someone within our immediate work team of about 40 people. Like it or not, we spend as much time (sometimes more) with our co-workers each day, than we do with our own families -- which is a necessary reality and not always conscious choice. So when a co-worker leaves (especially skilled ones like these two folks), it truly does leave a void behind -- a void that, unfortunately, won't necessarily be back-filled in today's fiscal environment.

Then there's the inevitable questions that arise during this time -- they're moving on, am I doing the right thing by staying put? Am I becoming stagnant in my career? Have I made the right choices in my professional life? It seems there are never concrete answers to those questions, especially when you need them. But I think it's natural that they occur at times like these.

So. as my departing co-workers empty their cubes and plot their journeys into hopefully greener pastures, I'll just sit here, sip on my coffee, and indulge myself by mourning their "moving-on." At least a little bit.