Last week was one of the most difficult weeks at work, with 150 people out of 550 made redundant. I was not one of the people terminated, which is a great relief however that’s a huge number of people to suddenly leave a workplace. We’ve been rattling around this week, trying to work out who’s gone, how the gaps will be filled, what work we just can’t do, what organisation structures will look like now over 25% of us are gone.

More than that, I’ve been thinking over just how vital a part of our identity work is, more for some people than others however I know for myself, it’s key. Being an engineer, in the industry I’ve been part of for over 30 years, in highly industrial environments, has formed who I am and how I see the world. To have that terminated so suddenly was a huge shock when it happened to me at Woodside, and I was lucky enough to find another job which suits me well. Many of the people I know well who have gone have described how they are mourning a part of their identity, even knowing they are highly likely to find a job fairly quickly.

The only photograph I have is of the river, I took myself for a long walk on Saturday morning to clear my head after the emotion of the week ( and it was good training for the Three Capes in January). This week will be hard as well, as some people will come in for a few days then say goodbye, and we are working out how to bridge all the gaps that have opened up.

The Lego image made me reflect on the friend we make at work, the relationships we build, as we work together. Makes it all the harder when friends go, while feeling the conflict of relief to be safe while survivor’s guilt is a real thing.

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