Sometime Soon - By Debra Doxer Page 0,22
What’s up?”
“Tom sent out a message over the weekend. There’s an all-hands meeting this morning, no exceptions, no excuses.”
“What about?” I ask, searching my Inbox.
Nate shrugs. “No one knows.”
I briefly wonder if it concerns the shenanigans Rob pulled on Karthik. But that’s typical Rob, hardly worthy of an impromptu all-hands meeting.
I sip my hot coffee as Nate and I speculate. Then a thought occurs to me. “Oh no,” I say out loud.
“What?”
“At the last company I worked for, when they called a surprise meeting like this, it was to announce a buyout.”
“You think we’re getting bought?”
“Could be.”
“Marketing and finance departments are the first to get axed in a buyout,” he says, leaning against his flimsy cubicle wall. This seems ill-advised since Nate is not a small guy.
I think about Nate’s new family addition and quickly backtrack. “But who knows. It could be anything.”
I glance at the email and see that the meeting is set for 10 AM in the large conference room.
The large conference room is not quite large enough to hold all of us. The seats around the wooden oval-shaped table are occupied first, and the rest of us stand nearby, leaning against the walls and spilling out into the hallway. Nate and I squeeze into the packed room and find some free wall space along the side. Tom Norton, Vice President of our business unit, sits at the head of the table, with Joan to his right. Whatever the topic, it’s important enough to pull Joan off the front desk all morning.
Once everyone is settled in, Tom stands and glances around the room. The quiet buzz of conversation fades as we all focus on him. Tom looks like a vice-president. He has an easy confidence about him, with his tailored navy suit and his side-parted steel-gray hair. Other than a hello in the hallway, when he’s sure to include my name to show me that he actually knows it, I have never had a conversation with Tom. All my dealings start and end with Rob, who has managed to get a seat at the table this morning. He’s leaning back in his chair, appearing unconcerned. Karthik and his team of engineers are grouped together in the back.
“You’re probably all wondering why I’ve called you here,” Tom begins. He eyes travel around the room, taking us all in. “Well, I won’t keep you in suspense.” His serious face softens. “Friday afternoon we entered into an agreement to be acquired by Napa Networks.”
A quiet shock settles over the room. I can’t believe I guessed right. Nate throws me a strained glance as his face begins to flush red. The quiet soon dissipates as whispers and low mumblings take hold. I look over at Rob, trying to see if he is surprised by the announcement, but his expression remains unchanged.
Tom puts his hands in his pockets, and he appears to be gauging our reactions. “This is a smart move for us. The wireless market is flooded with products and services, and we’re having a tough time getting to market with the latest and most timely technologies. With the resources of Napa Networks behind us, we can push harder and sell into more channels…”
I start to tune out at this point. He’s regurgitating the same business platitudes I’ve heard every time a company I work for makes a tremendous shift in plans that requires selling it to its employees. Scanning the room, I see the shell-shocked faces of the younger, less experienced workers mingled with the sardonic, yet accepting faces of the more experienced ones. I count myself among the latter group. This buy-out is right on time within the general pattern of my work history. At about three years in, either a buy-out occurs, or the company starts having financial difficulties, or the project I’m on is discontinued. A good three to five-year run is the most one could expect these days in the high-tech industry. This is something my family, especially my father, who has been with the same company for nearly thirty years, cannot understand.
“Nothing will change in the short term,” Tom is saying. “But as we begin to integrate our departments, some reorganizing might be necessary. Although I want to assure you, at this time there are no plans to cut any positions. Every single one of you is important to our business and to the future of this company.”
“Napa Networks is in California. Are they going to keep this office open?” This question comes from one of