Bidding farewell to GN
Leaving a job is a rare experience. Especially for one in which one has contributed significantly, and when the team has worked closely to achieve much.
My colleagues threw a farewell lunch for me. It was a simple affair - everyone trooped to the restaurant of choice and had a good meal. No ceremonies were called for, and the table paid a little more attention than normal to the one who was leaving. A Last Supper of sorts.
It was after lunch that I packed everything up, handed back my notebook, and made my rounds. It would have been an appropriate time for last words with others, but I’ve already started doing that over the past two weeks. In retrospect, I should have organised it a little better to spend some time together with them. Besides, many were busy at work and there would be the inevitable lack of privacy.
I did not know until recently that others had tendered their resignation. The SL told me a couple of weeks ago. Earlier this week, I found out that HS was going to share a farewell lunch with me. Then today, I heard about KM’s decision to leave as well. An unfortunate coincidence. But yet not wholly surprising.
There was a collective sense of frustration with the remuneration and corporate benefits. Pay increments had been small and did not reflect the growing experience of the software developers. Those that had joined with low starting salaries had not had their pay adjusted to reflect the market demand for their skills.
Perhaps the depressed economy over the past two years had suppressed the attrition rate. And now that the outlook was brighter and employers were hiring, it meant more opportunities for those who had planned to leave before, but perhaps did not find the right opportunities.
I had a final chat with TY before I left. He asked for my candid opinions on certain aspects of the company’s operations. I shared how I felt about the state of the department, on how GN lacked the leadership to tackle the issues they had with staff morale and how they would meet the long term goals with the current resources. I had opinions on how things would have been done differently but they should remain opinions. Too many and too trivial to describe today.
I think he realised that even though we were certain to keep in touch, our next meeting would be under different circumstances. After today I would be an outsider, no longer privy to the happenings in the office.
And so I close the door on another chapter in my journey.