Recently at work there have been quite a few jokes about my quitting and/or being fired. The latter doesn't concern me so much because I feel that if they tease me about it, then the idea of it must be absurd. And it's usually done in a very light way. For example, when my swipe card stopped working they're cutting costs by not using pink slips; I'm supposed to just take the hint.
What does bother me, though, is jokes about my quitting. This is because it's certainly a possibility, or possibly a certainty. It's a question of when, not if. And it's definitely uncomfortible in front of a larger group of people. For example, at yesterday's staff meeting I mentioned how I would be out of the office for two weeks for my exam and a trip home to PA. A consultant jokingly asked if I had purchased a return ticket back to Milwaukee. I didn't tell them that there's a good chance I'll be talking to my dad about whether he plans on my ever working for the family business. To be fair, morale in the office is low and most people talk openly about quitting or applying to other firms. I'm not the only one who people suspect; I'm just the most likely candidate.
This also follows an episode I had with the office manager the other day while driving to a client meeting. We were talking about the restaurants of Milwaukee and when he mentioned the only 5-star, which happens to be down the street from me, I said that it is "one of the places I want to try before leaving Milwaukee."
"You're planning on leaving Milwaukee?" he asked.
I'm not sure if my reply was intelligible with my foot in my mouth. Oops.
1 comment:
Thats a really funny story, Donny. I can picture myself starting that same line but (ever so charismatically) stopping myself midway through the sentence for a boisterous coughing fit immediately followed by an excited exclaimation about ANYTHING out the car window.
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