A Hundred Miles Away Son

The last time I went to work for a client as a database application developer was a little over a year ago. It was a typical office environment with the vast majority of the employees working out of cubicles while a handful of managers who worked out of offices. The entire office was white with the exception of one Asian. I was the only contractor their working on their computer systems. I was the only black person there. My team manager was a woman who I thought very highly of. My technical manager was a man who wasn’t even on the premises. We electronically communicated via the phone, instant messenger, some knockoff of PC Anywhere, and e-mail. The guy would fly into town every other month or so to discuss details of the various projects I was working on. The work was challenging and keeping on top of all the various databases was a job unto itself. It was typical corporate environment from the aspect that there were absolutely no black people in the office. The only time there were other black people for me to engage is when I went home to my family. It was far from an ideal setup, but it was more than okay for me. I was there for six months.

One day a representative from the executive management at the corporate headquarters paid a visit to the office. Upper management was sending a communication to all the satellite offices about the condition of the company. Like almost every other company in the United States that has to compete in the global market the company was struggling against its competitors and the economy as a whole. The corporate representative played a video tape from the vice president of human resources. The message had to be played for all employees. The office was shut down so everyone could watch the video. The company was going through hard times and expenses had to be cut as much as possible. Unfortunately, one of the measures the company was employing to save on cost was to shut down satellite offices and lay off the employees.

The news was no big deal for me. I was a contract employee without any vested interest. My feeling was that my contract would have been terminated anyway despite the fact that I was able to improve the efficiency of the various data systems I worked on many times over. Whenever I had asked about the possibility of being hired permanently I was always given some hullabaloo about hiring practices and standard operating procedures that made it virtually impossible for me to be employed as a permanent employee. With this in mind I never took the time necessary to decorate my cubicle and give it my personal touch. I never had so much as a picture, a card, a knick knack or anything that could have made my office space a more comforting environment that would remind me of why I go to work. The generic cubicle walls were more than enough to remind me of my status.

When people heard that their jobs were being terminated many of my coworkers went red in the face. We were standing in an open area between a pair of cubicles rows. A couple of people who were standing pretty close to me started to tear up. Another woman put her hand over her mouth. From day one I could tell that the people at this  particular office were competing with each other with their conspicuous consumption. There was the woman who had to impress people with her expensive purses. Another person was trying to impress people with the amount of money he was spending on the renovations to his home. Somebody else had just bought a brand new Cadillac Escalade pickup truck. It was shiniest of black with some of the largest chrome wagon wheels I had seen in my entire life. Somebody else was planning an elaborate family vacation with their four kids on a trip of a lifetime. A lot of people had made some serious purchases that required a payment plan. And these people were beginning to regret their excessive spending.

The message in the video began to fade to black and the volume died out. The vice president was back with a totally different communication. The first message was a scare tactic. The video was a ploy to show employees what could happen if the company doesn’t meet efficiency targets. The real message was not that the office was closing down, but the office could be shut down if everybody didn’t do what they could to minimize absenteeism and other behaviors that could impact office efficiency. The office we worked in was part of a redundant corporate structure that was proving too expensive for the company to maintain. Our office had to compete with the others to see who could justify their continued existence best. While some people were visibly relieved, a lot of people were angry over the scare tactics. The video was more than enough evidence that my chances of going permanent were none to nil.

But nevertheless the contrast between the permanent employees with their lavish lifestyles and my rather sparse lifestyle of just getting by was very plain to see. If the office was indeed to close that very second I could have been a hundred miles away from there before some people were finished removing all of their cubicle wall decorations and personal paraphernalia off the premises. If I were timed it would have taken all of maybe five seconds to grab my briefcase and hit the door. But my white coworkers do their best to make their desk a home away from home. There was one desk with gold fishes. Other cubicles have so many jars of sugary snacks it would make a dentist drool. Talking photographs were spread all over the place. And a lot of people kept pictures of their pets and farm animals. Homes away from homes for sure.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve known real job security. Working contract it is a given that my assignments will eventually come to its inevitable end. It would be nice if I went to work in an office where my skills were valued to a point where someone in the company would actually make me an offer to become a permanent employee. But I can only dream of such a job like some people dream of getting a shiny black Cadillac Escalade. It may come one day. But until then, I’ll be happy just to look at bare cubicle walls.