Today was definitely one of those days, the last day in the old corporate office was full of nostalgic moments and reminiscing. For me the pain of change is not as great as for some, I've only been at this site for 12 months, so I don't have a lot of the memories. Some people have been at the same site for 35 years. The changes ahead for them are considerable.
For fifty seven years our company has operated from this site and during the reminiscing today, the owner of the company told lots of stories which made us all laugh. At its peak there were 2800 employees working at this site, today only 150 remain. The company has expanded and grown and manufacturing and distribution now operate from numerous other sites.
All of the manufacturing plants have been bulldozed and it's only the corporate office which remains, albeit in a rundown and decrepit state. The building is waiting to fall down. The offices will be bulldozed in the coming weeks and months to make way for an extension to the local shopping centre. Today employees armed themselves with cans of spray paint and graffittied the internal walls of the offices with signatures and well wishes for the future.
Despite my newness to the corporate office, I can appreciate the history and nostalgia that surrounds the site. Everywhere in the building there are memories and indication of that history. Change management is a huge part of the project I'm working on and we have a short two weeks until the whole project team assembles in the brand new corporate building.
Aside from the needs of the project team, I wonder whether more consideration needed to be taken for the sheer level of change that will affect many of the corporate employees moving to the new building. I expect next week to be quite chaotic as we all adapt to the new building and ironically our new change manager for the project commences work on Tuesday - boy what a start he will have to his new role.
I think a healthy amount of nostalgia is always good, as are healthy memories of good times from the past. It's also good to have a focus on what we want to achieve in the future but in reality, living in the here and now is what it's all about.
Making each day count and building those magical moments that we can look back on and know that we are living life to the full is what we all should be focusing on.
At the moment my nostalgic moment is remembering the joy of a full nights sleep without coughing - I will get there again soon.
Have a great weekend all
Cheers, Fiona
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~ Doug Larson
Good luck with the move -- and wishing you a night of uncough-filled sleep!!!!
ReplyDeleteChange can be unsettling but quite often change is a breath of fresh air and can put a huge smile on your face. Good luck in the new building.
ReplyDelete"I think a healthy amount of nostalgia is always good, as are healthy memories of good times from the past. It's also good to have a focus on what we want to achieve in the future but in reality, living in the here and now is what it's all about." i could not agree with you more, this is a great post!
ReplyDeletejust a thought, as i think nostalgia can be healthy if in small dose: have you considered a part of the old building could be preserved and included in the new building. i don't know what it looks like right now, but something along the old doors, a series of lamp fixtures, something that was characteristic of the old place and that could keep on in the new settings.
ReplyDeleteas i said, just a thought.
:)~
HUGZ