A group of people where I work will lose their jobs on Monday. Until now, these things only happened in other places. A major University has always been safe. I thought. As I sit at my desk, I listen to the conversations around me. It makes me sad. I’m listening to people say goodbye to the lives that they’ve had for years. I can’t blame the organization – things are what they are. As we change technology, technology changes the way we live. As a result, the needs of a business may change to the point that people are no longer needed.
But isn’t it an oxymoron to use technology to provide the personal touch? To be a personal touch, shouldn’t a person be the thing doing the touching?
As someone who tends to hide from the rest of the world on a regular basis, technology has been a way for me to step out of my self-imposed isolation and to communicate with others within my comfort zone. And part of my attraction to using technology in communication is that for the most part, I don’t need to see another human face. I can get my point across much more effectively by the written word than by spoken word. Behind a computer screen, I can be anyone.
But a good portion of the rest of the world is not like me, thank goodness. And although I can certainly understand the reasoning of an organization for closing a department and ending jobs when there is no demand, it still hurts. I wish my co-workers the very best. And Godspeed in securing another position.
