Have I Done Any Good...

So much is happening... I work for a great company. It is family owned and has been in business since 1926 and has had the current owners since I think 1976??? Give or take a few years. It is a trucking company and I work directly for the Sr. Officers/Owners. For the first time in the history of the company it has had to right size (down size). I have worked for the company going on 7 years and watched it grow from around 200+ trucks to over 400 trucks. It was so exciting. Then over the last couple of years with what has been going on in the economy... gas, lack of building, lack of buying, lack of shipping... you can imagine how that would affect the trucking industry... In December of last year the company decided to do away with their lifestyle program for our over the road drivers... 50 of our 400 drivers were on the lifestyle program (meaning they got to go home every weekend). They were given the choice to stay on as over-the-road (OTR) drivers or leave the company... pretty much with out fail they all chose to leave... hoping to find a job closer to their homes that would accommodate them being home every week. Our OTR drivers are lucky in that they get through their homes about every other week (can you imagine??) So where I was going with this... then our fleet was down to 350 drivers... our office staff remained the same... with the thought that our fleet would regain the lost drivers... well that did not happen... and so after a year of watching things continue to decline in the freight economy... the choice was made to right size our organization... let 10 office staff go... If anyone ever is under the assumption that this would be an easy decision to make... let me tell you... you are sadly mistaken... all 7 Sr. Officers agonized over the decision. Then they had to figure who could they afford to let go... where did we have an imbalance in staff.... So as has been said "to save the body, we must cut off the foot" Now the foot will be missed, you can be sure... but the body must survive... and so it is with a company. 10 individuals were let go, so that 450 (drivers, office staff, & mechanics) would continue to have a viable company to work for. I must say that our 10 associates that were let go were given very generous severence packages that will see them through the first of the year... but still... they are now looking for jobs during one of the worst recessions in our country's history.

I know that our company is not unique. I know that all around the country this very thing is going on... and all I can think is... Have I done any good in the world today... Have I helped anyone in need.... Have I given thanks for the job that I have, the blessings that are so easy to take for granted... that the job I have will be here tomorrow... Have I given thanks for the organization I work for... have I prayed for those who were less fortunate... Am I doing my part??