Existence does not MaTter ?

I saw her. I found her hard working and focused. I was a new hire then. She was one among the senior in the team and we just had one more with such great experience in the work that we do. I thought people respected her. I thought she holds great knowledge about the work. I was happy to work with her. A month later she went on leave for her marriage. Its long time that she gave to the company (complete 7 years). I assumed her absence will be felt by all of us. Especially by her friends and colleagues who joined with her. Nothing happened as i thought. They used to come and back bite about her to me. Since she was the first senior with whom i worked i had that respect for her. But when people blabbered about her, and said something that i never expected they will, I was in state of shock. Her existence does not mattered to any one of us. We all were capable enough to perform our own work, we had other seniors to assist us with our work and help solve our issues. In a month when she returned of her marriage, no body bothered to be that close to her to talk to her personally. We all were prepared for her to leave one day. People started maintaining distance from her, and mind their own business. People started looking at her faults all of a sudden saying 'She comes late always, and leaves early. She don't know how to manage a team. She is really not at all good in communicating and BLAH Blah...bLAH....' I wondered then how come you guys didn't see all these faults in the past 6 years of her career? I understood that's how the world is..Out of sight, out of mind. In other words her existence does not matter to any one of us.

Observing the situation i understood that people didn't wanted to get associated with her or be called as her friends as she was losing her identity. She was losing the respect that she earned all these years because of not focusing on the work, concentrating on work, not being regular to office, because of her a kind of negative attitude, manipulating things and few other things. Since her career was on stake, her so called friends started maintaining distance and slowly stopped talking to her. They were worried what if someone sees them talking to her and if managers or the Leads start thinking the same about them. I also realized they all were fighting for one goal that was to get promoted. They started developing a kind of competitive strategy towards her. When none talked to her, she got depressed. Initially she tried talking to her friends and sorting out the matter but it didn't work since they were fighting with her. The only way to make her feel bad was to leave her alll alone in such big office. She tried, fought, and then fought again. But failed every time. Nothing was working. People already looked for other alternatives. She was no more in their company of friends..

When you know people are not interested in knowing what you are doing, how you are doing, when they appreciate or depreciate what you do..infact when they stop reacting on any thing it becomes difficult for you to survive. Eventually she lost interest in her work. When her existence was not felt and the presence was not worth and appreciated by a single person in the organisation, she realized its time for her to leave...its time for her to find something new, some where where people respect her and her existence is appreciated. She put her papers. And i was in state of shock. She was someone i thought is gonna be the future manager.

I just had one thought when i got to know this news, that people are strong enough to make you go weak. They can force you to commit suicide, they can take away your identity, your status, your freedom, your life from you. They can make you feel bad about the smallest thing that you ever thought could affected them. Always make your existence felt by people. Or you will not know when you presence is not even felt.

I wish if someone would have told her what people were expecting out of her. What they think should have been changed by her so that she could have come out of that situation. I wish if someone would have just once said ' hey this is what is going wrong. I think you should change this in you and then things will be fine'. But none did that. Because they were only worried about one thing and that is themselves..I feel since we have labour available on cheap rates (especially in India), the HR does not work to hold on the resources and maintain it. Because they know the have thousand of alternatives available to take that place.

P.S: It makes me think, how long am i going to survive.!!!