It was a big decision and one I needed some help with, so I called Wilson.
“Can you come in here for a minute?” I asked.
“Is it important?” he asked, sounding preoccupied.
“Yes.”
Seconds later Wilson walked into my office. He sighed for dramatic effect, like your kids do when they want to let you know just how put out they are about something. Then he plopped down in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
“What is it?” he asked.
I swiveled my computer screen to show him what I was working on.
“I need a new pair of shoes. These are the two pair I have in the cart. Which one do you like?”
“You’re kidding me,” he said.
“No, not at all. My old ones have taken a beating. Besides, I’d like to update my style a bit and you have much better fashion sense than I do.”
He stared at the screen and seemed to be putting a lot of thought into it. Then he sighed and shook his head.
“I really don’t have time for shoe decisions right now,” he said.
“Will later be better?” I asked. “Maybe after lunch?”
I went back to the my shopping cart and took a look at the shoes. There was a fourteen dollar difference, significant but within the range of workable. As I was doing the math, Wilson spoke up.
“I’m thinking of resigning,” he said.
The statement grabbed my attention. We’d lost two people a few weeks back and more were rumored. If Wilson left not only would I be losing a trusted friend, but my work load might increase.
“Resigning? Why?” I asked.
“Everyone else is doing it and I don’t want to miss my opportunity,” he said.
Wilson looked away, like he didn’t want to make eye contact with me. I gave him a little space, like Roz had recommended during our recent senior management meeting. Everyone was under stress with the pandemic she had said. We were instructed not to push our direct reports too hard. I gave the recommendation a moment of thought then decided it didn’t apply to me.
“So this job, career and life change would be made because everyone is doing it?” I asked.
Wilson nodded. “Yes, essentially,” he said.
“And you think that’s wise?”
Wilson shrugged but said nothing. A moment later I heard the bell of Ashley’s bike somewhere down the hall. She careened into my office, clipping the Tornadex that I thought I had moved far enough out of the way.
“Hey,” she said, putting the kickstand down and taking the chair next to Wilson.
“Wilson is thinking of resigning,” I said.
Ashley’s jaw sagged open in disbelief and she smacked Wilson on the arm.
“Get out,” she said.
“Yes, exactly,” he said.
“I mean, why?” Ashley asked.
“He’s afraid he’ll miss his spot in the Great Resignation,” I said.
I expected Ashley would provide some additional peer pressure on Wilson and help make a case for him to stay. I was wrong.
“You too?” she said. “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I haven’t really done anything about it. I’m kinda worried I may not find a job that allows me to ride my bike in the hall.”
“That could be a sticking point,” I said.
Ashley was energized and engaged with the whole idea of resigning now. I was growing anxious at the thought of having two direct reports leave at the same time.
“Tell you what,” Ashley said. “If you resign, I’ll resign too. This may be just the kick in the butt I need.”
This was spiraling out of control. What if Wilson sparked a mass resignation? I was going to need to separate these two and then try to limit their contact with colleagues until Roz could come up with perks and incentives to hand out to potential job jumpers. Maybe a few dollars more in the paycheck, an extra vacation day or two. Just something that looks bigger than it is and makes them feel better about themselves and their work.
Ashley bolted from her chair and said, “Come on, let’s go and tell Roz we’re outta here.”
“Who’s outta here?” Big Mike said, entering the office.
“No one,” I shouted. “Please leave.”
Mike was wearing the hi-vis vest that identified him as a member of the Rapid Response Reentry Team. He had added a utility belt to the ensemble to hold his walkie-talkie and flashlight. I felt as if I had yelled at a member of Bob the Builder’s work crew.
“Wilson is resigning, and so am I,” Ashley said.
Mike looked at Ashley, then at me and said, “Well, those are two different stories, aren’t they?”
I looked at Wilson and shook my head. The man had started this whole mess, or maybe I had with my request for help with my shoe purchase.
“What about you?” Ashley asked Mike. “You want to leave too?”
Mike shook his head and frowned like it was a horrible idea. “No, no, I’ve actually been thinking we should form a union.”
“A union?” I asked.
“Yeah, you see the offers some of the union guys on strike are getting? Like ten percent raises and that’s not even good enough to convince them to take a deal.”
“Ten percent?” Ashley said. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a ten-percent raise. The heck with resigning.” She looked at Wilson and put a hand on his shoulder to break the news to him. “We’re going to have to skip the whole solidarity thing of me resigning with you. I think a union is the way to go.”
This was like presiding over a meeting of the Colleagues Who Have Lost Their Minds Club. Wilson, forlorn and sullen on the brink of quitting, and Ashley and Mike hammering out the details of unionization.
I knew things were bad in the workplace with a shortage of workers, mass resignations and burnout of those left behind, but I hadn’t expected it to blow up like this right here in my office. And as a senior level manager I was concerned with it getting around that the word union was even being uttered in my office. My concern grew into panic when Stephens sauntered in.
“Hey, you guys are forming a union? I want in,” he said.
I waved may hands frantically. “No, no, there’s no union,” I said.
“Not what I heard,” Stephens said. “It’s all anyone is talking about.”
Mike’s walkie talkie crackled with the voice of another member of the Rapid Response Reentry Team.
“Captain Mike, come in. Where are you?” Hector asked.
“In the union meeting,” Mike responded.
Wilson shook his head and walked out while Mike, Ashley and Stephens talked over each other, throwing out ideas and potential plans for their union.
“You in or what?” Ashley asked me.
“I don’t think I can be,” I said. “I’m management. If we go on strike I’d be striking against myself.”
“What are we going to call the union?” Mike asked.
“I like something with brotherhood in the name,” Stephens said.
There was more back and forth over potential names and I realized the need to clear them out before I was reported to upper management for aiding and abetting unionization efforts. My phone rang and and I saw Roz’s name appear. It was too late, I was found out.
“Yes?” I said, answering.
“Wilson just resigned,” she said.
To be continued…