Everything was so abrupt.
Last Wednesday, the team leaders in our department had a meeting with our manager. I initially thought this was about goals for the month of October. The department, as a whole, was still feeling the effects of the successful floor meeting that we organized last Sept. 27.
When their meeting ended, I noticed that the people who participated in it were unusually quiet. Being a part of the management team before, I could sense the tension in that almost tangible silence. My hunch was that something unpleasant happened or is about to happen.
The next day, our manager called for a meeting with the whole department. My assumptions were correct. Apparently, she had a conflict with our team leaders during that meeting. According to her, it seems that her style of management does not fit the team anymore.
Perhaps, the way she handled the resulting conflict during their discussion was not too good. The department’s team leaders forwarded a letter of complaint about her to the HR. Using that as a leverage, our manager decided to forward a request for an immediate resignation.
From what our team leaders told us, there was a task that was not properly accomplished by one of them. Our manager lost a bit of her composure when she learned about that. I understand that that oversight must not be taken lightly, but there is a more diplomatic way of handling such issues.
To cut the story short, she ended up quitting her job on that very day the departmental meeting was organized. Her justification was that her subordinates already have a negative outlook towards their working relations, and it would be for the good of everyone if she will remove herself. Being a Buddhist, she kept on telling people that attachment is the cause of suffering. Well, I wonder what are her thought on her sudden detachment and it resulting upheaval.
I am concerned of the implications of her decisions. Her task was to coordinate the communication between the department and the upper management. We are currently assigned to a new manager, but she is also handling too many teams at this point. I hope the department is stable enough to sustain itself as we go through our tasks. It may take a while for us to adjust, and I still think that it would be better if we have a new manager assigned to our department alone.
Footsteps and Sighs 