Leo Next Week Career Reading How to Handle Workplace Changes
Okay so last Tuesday my boss drops this bomb in our team meeting – whole department’s restructuring next month. Felt like crap honestly. Been doing the same workflows for three years, now suddenly reporting lines change, two new teammates joining, plus some automation junk replacing my Excel reports.
Panic Mode Activated
First reaction? Freaked out internally. Messaged my work wife Sarah immediately like 😱 “WTF is happening?!” Scrolled through LinkedIn jobs for an hour feeling sorry for myself. Ate way too much chocolate. Classic.
Then Wednesday morning I dragged myself out of bed thinking, “Okay Leo, stop whining. Figure this out.” Did three things that actually helped:
- Stalked the org chart: Found the slides from HQ hiding in our shared drive. Printed ’em. Used highlighters like it’s high school – marked who’s going where, who’s new. Realized my new manager Janet actually ran that cool project I admired last year.
- Ambushed Janet: Literally waited by the coffee machine. Casually asked about her vision for our new team setup. Turns out she hates pointless meetings too. Solid start.
- Audited my own tasks: Made a brutal list: what’s getting automated? What new crap will land on my desk? Which tasks do I actually enjoy? Highlighted the keepers in green. Eye-opening.
The Actual Game Plan
Thursday was strategy time. Focused on damage control:
- Ditched the doomed stuff: Spent 3 hours documenting those Excel reports for the automation team. Packed it up neat with bow. “Here ya go, goodbye forever.” Felt amazing.
- Called in favors: Remembered Mike from Accounting owes me for covering his vacation. Called him up: “Hey Mike… about that budget analysis module coming my way… wanna grab coffee Friday?” Got a quick tutorial booked.
- Played Nice: Invited the two new transfers for quick virtual coffee chats. Asked dumb questions about their old roles. Learned one guy is a spreadsheet wizard. Instant ally. Score.
Where I’m At Now
It’s Friday afternoon. Still nervous? Hell yes. But way less than Tuesday. Got clarity on four key things:
- Janet wants less busywork, more big-picture stuff (my jam)
- My pet project survives the purge!
- Spreadsheet Guy owes me a favor already
- Those soul-crushing reports? Gone.
Key takeaway? Don’t just sit there scared. Print the stupid slides, talk to the humans, ditch the baggage. Feels less like drowning now. More like… awkward paddling. We’ll see next week.
