Fry is an ex-coworker of mine. He survived the Celebration or Decapitation meeting, but has become a casualty of the re-org.
I’ve never quite figured out Fry. He works lots of extra hours. In fact, it has been reported that he worked a quarter of a ton of overtime hours on the last project. Yet, he always seems chipper. This may be because he takes long, exotic vacations. Since I’ve known him he has been to the far South of the globe, far East of the globe, and middle of nowhere islands. I’ve also heard rumors that he lives in a house designed by a famous architect and that it is furninshed with Stickley furniture (so jealous). After reporting this information to Hubby, I was banned from ever talking about Fry in the house again. Why would a man that can afford to do all these things need to work? I assure you that the company does not pay well enough to support this kind of lifestyle.
Right before the Decapitation meeting, Fry cleaned out his desk. He spotlessly and quietly removed every personal item. Only his work computer equipment remained. Rumor has it he heard them sharpening the guillotine late in the night one night, while he was putting in a 40 hour work day.
Fry survived the Decapitations, but as part of the re-org, his desk was moved to another department.
Now Fry has been marginalized by the company since the day I started. I don’t know how someone who works so many hours gets invisible so fast. Maybe it is just that his project doesn’t involve any “real” programmers, but is just that multimedia stuff that folks think is easy (cause it doesn’t involve any “real” coding) but actually isn’t easy at all? Maybe it is just part of Fry’s brilliant plan, which he has been years in the making? Anyway, the re-org marginalized him even more. In fact, I think he is well outside of the margins these days.
Well, Fry moved his desk. I went to visit him shortly after he moved and found just an empty, sparkling clean desk – no computer equipment, not even a pen or sticky note. Even Fry’s name plate was gone. The name plate holder was there, but someone had just written his name on it in magic marker.
I asked about the state of Fry’s cube and I was told that Fry is working from home this week. He needs to finish some things undistracted. But then, later that day, I heard that Fry was on a four week vacation.
You know what I think? Fry has pulled off the most brilliant plan ever. He saw all of this coming – from at least a 4 year distance. He started to facilitate his marginalization and work off-hours, so people would get used to not seeing him around. He also fostered a group of loyal co-workers who readily spread the news of his long hours, preparing people to accept a potentially “burned-out” Fry who needs a little TLC from the company. Now, so burned out from his quarter of a ton of extra hours, he has to work at home in order to focus, or is it that he has to go on vacation? And therein lies the brilliance. Fry isn’t working, nor is he on vacation. He has set it up so that he never has to set foot in the company again, but no-one will find that odd, and he’ll still keep getting his paycheck! In my mind’s eye, I imagine Fry having spent a lifetime of carrying out this plan at various companies. Why he may receive four or five company pachecks at this point, for his fine “work” from “home.”
I salute you Fry! No wonder you can afford Stickley furniture!