“Hey Fred, did you hear about the London deal?”
“What London deal? No.”
“The company wants to send a few guys to London to work on the new eBorders contract.”
“Wha… what the hell? Sign me up man, I’d love to go.”
<Fade to black>
That same day I let our HR guy know that I wanted to go. He gave me a quick run-down of the benefits they were offering and said that there were only a few other people that had expressed interest.
Gradually over the next week, as our HR guy received more information from the guys running the contract we learned that the benefits were even more attractive than we could have imagined and that we were pretty much guaranteed a position! They advised everyone interested – which at that point had grown to around 20 – to get their lives and passports ready, they would likely need to leave in 4-6 weeks. The atmosphere around the office was absolutely jovial as we talked and researched and prepared for our deployment. Then we waited for more information.
And we waited.
And waited.
…
Nothing.
Our HR guy became so inundated with requests for information that he started working out of the other office and when he sensed that someone was nearby would utter a preemptory: “No, I don’t have any information yet. I will let you know when I do.”
Weeks went by, nothing.
A month, nothing.
The expected time of deployment came and went, and we still had no information. Rumors started to spread, tempers started to flare, discontent and unease were the norm, and the frustration that we felt was reaching a breaking point.
Finally almost two months into our misery something happened. A friend of mine who’s balls of Tungsten Steel are now unanimously uncontested wrote an email to the CEO of our company and in no uncertain terms demanded an explanation and information about our deployment status. A few others, after seeing what he had written also wrote emails to the executives, lending support to what he had written. Unfortunately, the response we received was not what we were wanted.
We did indeed get information about the contract and our status with it, but none of it was good. Our CEO to his credit did some investigating and found that the project organizers now wanted to staff the project in Texas instead of in London. Yes… Texas. Who the f$ck wants to go to Texas?! Still more demoralizing was the fact that they needed significantly fewer numbers of people than they had let us believe. Most of us would not even get the chance to go to Texas.
I was still under consideration though, my information had been passed to the project leaders and I was told that they would contact me “soon.” Even after the devastating email from the CEO I held on to the glimmer of hope that they would again change their minds and send me to London. As improbable as it was I held on to that hope for another month until I got a short email from the division manager thanking me for my interest, and that my resume would remain on file for other opportunities in the future.
I am actually quite proud of the self-control I exhibited and continue to maintain as a result of that email. The rage I felt – feel – whenever I think of that email, if left unchecked would have me writing the most profane and vicious things to anyone involved in the decision making for that project. I, as many of my friends here, feel absolutely betrayed and taken advantage of. It is the worst managed process I have ever witnessed in my professional life, and leads me to thoughts of ropes, whips, barbs, and lots and lots of blood… which is why I must now redirect my thoughts to something else.
Never trust your company to deliver on any promises it does not give you in writing.