A man walks into a police station ,” I want to report a murder “ The duty Sargent asks,” who has been murdered ?” “Me” the man replies. It’s the intriguing start to the film D.O.A. How can he be dead, is he a ghost? No, he is not. There is a simple and plausible explanation. He has just learnt he has been given a deadly poison for which there is no antidote. But who poisoned him and why? The film is about his frantic search for answers.
Did you, like me, think if I only had weeks or even days to live I would be looking at enjoying myself, completing my bucket list putting things in order before I passed. Especially if I could function normally till a few hours before the end. Or would you be so driven by the injustice of this death sentence, so incensed that someone would do this that you would spend every minute of your remaining short life determined to find out who and why?
OK, it’s just a film and the idea doesn’t bear much resemblance to everyday life but put it into a work situation. You’re called at short notice to a meeting with the CE. His PA won’t tell you what the meeting is about. You enter the meeting room to find the head of HR is sitting next to the CE. This is not good. The CE informs you your time with the organisation has come to and end. His exact words are “You have no future in this organisation”. The head of HR is present to discuss your exit package. You are informed you are now on gardening leave. Despite your questions you are given no explanation for the decision only that it is final.
You have attended five, yes five , interviews under the organisation’s redeployment scheme. You have been unsuccessful five times despite in your view being qualified for the posts and having as much experience or in some cases more experience that the person appointed. Following each disappointment, you have requested feedback and although the interview panels and posts applied for were different the feedback is remarkably the similar. Your interview was fine, your answers to questions were ok but the successful candidate was just all round stronger. You suspect you’re being forced into accepting “voluntary” redundancy but you don’t know why and neither your line manager or HR will say why.
You may never know why. It is probably the case that someone somewhere has been expressing doubts about your attitude or loyalty, undermining your credibility but despite your suspicions you’re never going to find out who or why. The best advice is move on. Don’t waste time and energy trying to find out who has been spreading poison and why. Think of your mental health and well-being. Think of your family. Don’t let the injustice eat away at you. Move on they don’t deserve you somewhere else will recognise your skills, knowledge and experience.
