Corporate Musings: Of Goodbyes, Exits and Disappearances..

Corporate Musings: Of Goodbyes, Exits and Disappearances

Most of us were still trying to digest the mail that was the talking point of the entire organisation since morning. Messiah had decided to move on, after an illustrious career of 20 years in various roles in the organisation.

"He has set his sights on something more adventurous, most probably" Mr. Sales was saying. He was the perennial fan of the Messiah.

"He would have made enough money already. He could have chosen to hang up his boots. I would do it, if I were in his place" Mr. Forever mused, tacitly voicing his wishes.

"Or did the Transformation devour him too?" chipped in Mr. White Beard, with his characteristic chin scratching.

I had different things on my mind. Vinay had chosen to move on. We were colleagues, yes. But then, we had developed an excellent friendship too. We'd joined the organisation through the same program and had similar journeys in the last couple of years. The fact that he was moving on meant losing a friend on the one hand, but also sparked doubts of my reading of the situation at the organisation. 

"Don't get complacent, Alok. You may think you've got everything going for you here...the reality is different" was the message he rubbed in every time he got a chance. I smiled an unsure smile every time he said this. I wasn't sure of what I had - or what I didn't have.

Ravi had chosen to quit too. He was a member of the Housekeeping team. The team that helped us function smoothly without worrying about electricity, air conditioning, printing and scanning, cookies, lunch plates and many other little things whose business impact- most of us believed - was not exactly quantifiable. 

Moreover, Ravi was a person who went about his daily work diligently, without a fuss. Everything seemed to be in its place as if it was the natural order in office. The only time he was conspicuous was when he served tea and coffee to all of us during meetings. And to Mr. Sales and a couple of other senior colleagues everyday at three thirty sharp in the afternoons. 

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"We should send Messiah off in style" Mr. Sales was saying during lunch one afternoon. I was a fan of his conviction and class whenever he wanted to pitch an idea - whether internally or in front of the client. "Let's treat him to a five star dinner and gift him an exquisite oil painting. He has a refined taste for Art" The downside of his class was he at times came across as slightly snobbish to some of us. Contributing money for an oil painting and a five star dinner was sure to burn a hole in the pocket. 

Then the obvious question of connect came about. There were lots of veterans in the organisation who knew the Messiah personally. He had been a father figure for them in the organisation and supported them through thick and thin. And then there were the rest of us, to whom Messiah was a leader, an orator, an icon - but hardly anything else. I remembered him from my interview, a couple of coffee machine conversations and a jig at the sales conference where everybody danced with everybody else. I treasured those fan moments - but was still at a loss to develop any kind of emotional connect with him. The stylish goodbye seemed a luxury and a diplomatic obligation.

I was more concerned about how we planned Vinay's send off. He believed in a quiet exit - and I could rationalise with that. He wanted a last day where he could just go through the motions like every other day. Handover his laptop, ID and bid a final goodbye to the organisation. He had moved on emotionally from the organisation a long time ago.  

However, Ms.There-For-Everyone and Mr. Portfolio felt there should be a send-off lunch for a colleague who had been there with us for a length of time.  I, being his closest colleague, was tasked with co-ordinating the lunch and fixing a date. I was thankful for that.

True to her nature, Ms.There-For-Everyone soon initiated a mail trail for Ravi as well. We were asked to contribute generously in cash, so that Ravi could use the money during his transition from this job to the next. The entire office was unequivocally eager to pitch in and make a difference. 

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Messiah arrived at his send off a lot more relaxed than people had seen him in years. The charm, the poise and his razor sharp tongue still evoked the same intensity of laughter (partly natural and partly forced, as always). People stood around him, escorted him and took pictures with him like there was no tomorrow. A few over-enthusiastic colleagues recited couplets that they had meticulously composed in his honour. One of them went on to say that the organisation's journey would have two phases: Before Messiah and After Messiah. There was thunderous applause at this juncture. The colleague was so overwhelmed that tears started streaming down his eyes -  sprucing up the emotion of the occasion.

Messiah himself was composed and real in his speech. He thanked the team he had built. He cherished the successes and reflected on the failures. "I'm climbing a new mountain" he announced, as the audience cheered him on, Mr. Sales and Mr. Whitebeard at the forefront. Mr. Hardware was busy taking a video of the entire speech, that he planned to upload on LinkedIn later that evening. As Messiah walked to his Chauffeur driven BMW that evening, all of us walked to the basement to bid him adieu. Amidst the jostling that happened, I wasn't sure if the Messiah noticed that I was there in the crowd too.

Vinay and I drove to the restaurant together for his send-off lunch. We were still not discussing the fact that it was his last day. He might have felt pompous. I would have felt insecure. We discussed his plans in his new organisation. I told him my vision for the next few months. We continued to debate about what was right and what was wrong in our present state.

Most of the office was present for the lunch. Ms. There For Everyone commanded the respect of colleagues. And everyone knew Vinay in person - all of them wanted a chance to wish him luck. The initial spotlight was on Vinay, where he thanked everyone for their support and encouragement. Everyone smiled and nodded. The focus soon shifted to the Andhra lunch that was on offer. Vinay's exit was made more memorable by the lunch for sure. Once lunch ended, there was a group picture which Ms There For Everyone shared on the office WhatsApp group. That night, Vinay wrote a final Thank You message, before leaving the group forever.

There were eight of us in office, when Ravi was leaving. Not many knew his actual relieving date - as it had been moved around a couple of times. All of us in office gathered in a conference room just before Ravi was to leave. Ms. There-For-Everyone had placed the cash neatly in a company envelope. Mr. Forever spoke about Ravi. His humility, tenacity, courtesy and hardwork - all of it found mention. I felt a sense of pride for the organisation at that moment - which I had not felt at Messiah's Farewell or Vinay's exit. Ravi didn't speak. He kept smiling throughout the five minutes that this ceremony lasted. May be he felt thankful, embarrassed, relieved and optimistic at the same time.

I pulled him aside for a moment after his send off and asked him what his plans were. "I'm starting off on my own Sir. I'm planning to learn photography and do wedding shoots. My friend is helping me with that"
"Isn't that a big risk? You have a fixed salary here" I asked.
" I can only grow to be a supervisor here Sir. And I don't want to do housekeeping forever. I'll start off...God will help me along the way" he said, with confidence in his destiny.

I realised Ravi's parting words would haunt me more than Vinay's or Messiah's ever would.

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Out of sheer habit, I looked up Vinay on the company directory the next day.  "Presence Unknown" it said. My thoughts lingered on him for a couple of minutes. At that moment, I received a call from one of my customers. My attention completely shifted to the task on hand. I would WhatsApp Vinay later on in the evening.

Though I fully knew what the result would be, I looked up Messiah on the company directory:"Presence Unknown". I looked around. Business was as usual. Those directly reporting to him might have felt an ephemeral vacuum that their responsibilities would have filled the next moment. Mr Sales would still sing paeans when he found the opportunity. But I was at the bottom of the food chain. Messiah or no Messiah - organisational realities would never change for me.

Ravi had disappeared. He had no mail ID. So it wasn't possible to look him up on the company directory. At half past two, our morning tea cups were still at our desks. The previous day's sticky notes and tissues were still at our workstations. At three thirty, Mr. Sales and Mr. Forever walked to the pantry to make their own tea,

As I watched them brew their own tea, I wondered what mattered most - the Goodbye, the Exit or the Disappearance.....

                                                                                                                - 8th May 2019

DISCLAIMER: Incidents dramatised for fictional and narrative purposes