So Pink Slips Aren't Really Pink...(the paper ones, U Pervert!)

One of the major discoveries in the past fortnight has been the realization that pink slips aren't really pink...no, my firm hasn't decided to "let me go", at least not as yet (though i find the term "let you go" very funny...it conjures the image of a bull-dog with bloodshot eyes straining at the leash and try as i might, its impossible to find any parallels with your boss walking in with downcast eyes and a pained expression and telling you the "news"). The way I got to know was when a very dear friend got the bad news and when she 'broke the news" (again, another expression that i find funny as I always thought that its news when you break a record or something so how does one break the news itself) to her family members, a particularly curious sibling's first reaction was "Didi, Are Pink Slips really Pink?"

An ode to my political correctness later, have decided to evaluate lay-offs...know that its a painful experience and know that I might be at the receiving end anytime but think its a subject, on which discussion (and more so in India) is as taboo as sex (which again is ironic as the latter is a pleasurable experience while the former is not unless one is into sadism & masochism, in which case both can be pleasurable ...or painful...or both..sorry, haven't figured out what!).

It has got a lot to do with people's reactions (which ranges from extreme despair, sometimes more than that of the person who got fired"Oh Sh*t! Now what are you going to do.." to those of extreme sympathy and a load of philosophical cr*p "Its all His wish, sweetie...he will open other doors for you blah blah and some more blah!") and also a bit about a person's own sense of self-worth, which arguably does take a beating for obvious reasons.

Think we need to grow up a lot in terms of our perception of what role our jobs play in our life as well as they way people define us. I, for one, would be hugely disappointed if my friends, acquaintances and colleagues recall me as "that banker from that firm", irrespective of how blue-blooded that firm is. Our jobs are a part of our identity, not the identity itself.

How would I want people to react when they get to know that I am laid off? (another expression widely used for getting fired is just so tantalizingly close to getting laid...a quip that i just can't resist is 'when you are laid (off) you are really screwed :)'... ? First, let me know, what would be a good place to chill for a couple of months and second, help me find a job...really that's worth more than all the commiseration in the world!!!

A Really Funny One
The Layoff
The vice-president of a local company had quite a problem. He was told by his boss to lay off one of his employees, either Mary or Jack. His choice was a tough one because Mary had been a devoted employee for 10 years and Jack was a fine worker who had a family to support. At night, the VP tossed and turned in his sleep trying to decide which of his employees he would lay off. Finally he decided, the first one to come to work tomorrow would be the one. Morning finally comes and the VP waits at the office for one of the two employees to arrive. At 8:55 Mary walks into the office. "I've got a difficult decision" the VP says, "I either have to Lay You or Jack off." "Oh? jack-off," Mary says, "I've got a headache."