Management styles

Here follows a short email exchange with one of my colleagues :
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Thanks Jean, I’ll update. Are you feeling better?

Jon
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Not much, but I think I had better come in if only to clear my desk and soothe my departing team members ;)

anything else I need to know but probably haven't been told?

Jean
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Not that I’m aware of, but then again, until yesterday, I wasn’t aware that you would be going

Jon
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Just as well I did stay late in the office on Friday to get *cough* early warning of this. The next phase of the project is on hold so everyone I assured would be there till April next year is on notice to roll off the project. Nothing unusual, we're all permanent employees and projects evaporating suddenly is more the norm than a rarity.

What's not OK is how they've managed it: at the second or at worst the third sign that things might not be moving ahead as planned, they should have given 'fair warning' that we might all be moving on soon.

I'm out sick, so wasn't able to DO anything about my people, and the personal call I got from one of them told me it was handled even worse than I thought it might. My advice to tell the whole team the next phase was delayed and tell individuals, individually, after at least a couple of hours, was ignored. Instead, they had a team meeting where my deputy, who is staying, told the three who are off this Friday in front of everyone else.

From Friday's late evening conversation (following which I slung a few reams of paper into the shredder), I know they have my end-date as next Friday, and am not actually too fussed beyond my holiday plans and their lack of honesty. I've now cancelled next week so that I can have two weeks together next month which suits me better. Apart from looking at the calendar to decide which social events I'll now miss! However, phone calls last night and this morning with direct questions about when *I* leave only got shifty responses that my glorious leaders "hadn't discussed it yet".

Why is it management don't realise that hiding bad news only makes things worse?

At least R told me she didn't believe I'd have done it like that, and I was able to give her a contact for potential work that means she can continue to work in Birmingham and travel from home instead of working away.

So, final fling in the Hyatt this week, and the knowledge that they'll be pissed off that I've applied work/life balance and cancelled next week as holiday. Shame they didn't tell me officially that I'll not be there next month *evil grin*

Weekend? Saturday afternoon went very well, Saturday evening was a bit sparse but with lovely people, and Saturday late evening delivered on it's promise ;0
Lurgy is unlovely but good company makes up for it