Really sucks, don't it?
My life took a bad turn in 1987 when another department member was retired in place and I got 90% of his duties in addition to my own. Same happened in 1992 -- only it was 100% 'cause the guy was gone. (Could I do the work of three? Hell no.) The pits was 1994-1995. We were cut by 50% and the work of the missing was "rationalized consistent with the new structure." One stretch went 173 days without a "day off" -- at least ten hours a day. The "year without Christmas." ("Overtime," what's that?)
Why? Because Ameritech wanted us to be "team players" -- to "go the extra mile." That was Ameritech corporatespeak for doing more and more with less and less and less -- "downsizing,""right-sizing,""restructuring,""cultural change,""take personal responsibility for company success,""Breakthrough,""bottom-up leadership," blah, blah, blah.
About every three months we'd have management pep rallies where we would all write letters of resignation and then write applications for employment explaining why Ameritech should give us the honor of being hired. Some were not hired.
The beatings continued until moral improved, and it never improved. (CEO after 10% layoffs in 1993: "Why are they unhappy, they kept their jobs. Maybe we got rid of the wrong ones.")
Management employees who put in a sub-fifty hour week were written up for "poor attendance."
The corporate officers, natch, were all gone when I got down to the garage at 9 or 10 (and they weren't in at 8 AM either). Never saw them on Saturdays or Sundays either (I'm sure they were "working at home -- thinking deep, "strategic" thoughts.)
Only saving grace is that my son was grown up and out of the nest by then.
What's the lesson? Companies, with very few exceptions, are simply there to make maximum $$$ for the officers and share-holders. For the most part, a boss may - MAY - look out for you if your make him/her look good. That's about the best you can expect. Companies will screw you over without a qualm. It's their nature. (Bill Gates: "Life is not fair." Annon: "Have something they want to buy at a price you will accept.")
(Actually, there was one exception at Ameritech-- my direct superior. He thought loyalty went down as well as up and tried to place everyone when they "restructured" in 1994. He pushed hard. Half the folks lost their jobs anyway, and he was demoted. He later was restored to his previous rank, had a heart attack at fifty, retired a couple of years later, and teaches school. But, then, he always walked point in Nam.)
Keep on keeping on -- and looking for a better situation.
