“In the closet”. “Placardised”. The expression is violent, like the feelings of those who experience professional ostracization. They are now hidden from everyone. An invisibility which deprives them of part of their hierarchical work: leading a team, giving orders, sanctions, making decisions, controlling. Force of proposals, it is forgotten. Deciding on recruitment, being at meetings, that no longer exists. Leadership: can you repeat? Invitations, conferences, presence: it’s over. What a shock to no longer be received with honors, in guest or as an expert. A ritual that still exists, but now with others. Sometimes elsewhere, without us knowing it immediately. “I picked flowers and I whistled as much as I could/I waited and waited, she never came,” sang Joe Dassin. Cruel moments: we wait, we watch, we call but we are erased from the organization chart. It is Brazil with this desocialization suffered. We are nothing in the eyes of others. Cleared. “Ghosted.” Looks that avoid. What happened and since when? “If there is new governance in your company, you now belong to a fallen army,” responds Muriel Eskinazi, author of You do not have the required profile. Put an end to closeting (L’Harmattan, 2022).
Anticipating reorganizations is part of a manager’s know-how. Living them well is part of his know-how. Some do very well over the years and have careers that would make those excluded pale. Others withdraw very quickly, fearing that submission will be of no use. And then there are all these managers, like Muriel Eskinazi: “I was a grateful and fulfilled employee in a human and caring company. Sometimes product manager, sometimes project manager for more than twenty years, I successfully led business projects in various sectors of activity.” Until this famous reorganization. First tip: check when everything changes. Note the deterioration of working conditions, the new mapping, the redefinition of the functional scope. A hint: “Generally, the little boss who wants your skin is placed over your head, from one day to the next.”
Make no mistake: any reduction in responsibility, tasks or team management indicates relegation. “It’s a slow process, we poison the employee slowly. In the United States, the violence of a departure is more rapid.” A mechanism that affects the oldest in the company, the best paid, or even the task force of a management during a takeover. “We do everything to discourage them from coming so that they leave on their own because we have nothing to reproach them with, they are completely satisfied,” explains the expert. There is no point in doing more, risking burn-out, “sucking up” or justifying yourself: second advice, fight your vulnerability, put downgrading into perspective, forget “it was better before”.
Renew internal contacts
It is by accepting this change for which we are not responsible that we see “the after”. Bore-out or boredom awaits those who are isolated, without task: they need new challenges. It’s a chance, rather than dwelling on it. “Check if internal mobility is possible, do training, think about what we would like to do.” This is the third tip for regaining strength. Neither guilty nor victim. “Don’t complain because you’re making your situation worse. You don’t have to feel guilty, but you have to save your skin,” says Muriel Eskinazi. Live taking care of yourself and your loved ones, especially if work was your priority. Renew your internal contacts even if others shy away from us, smile, move forward and develop your external network.
Value yourself and make it known is the fourth tip. Be positive. Take advantage of the holidays to take stock. “Periods of teleworking are ideal for getting some fresh air and escaping this pressure.” In politics, crossing the desert often precedes the reconquest of power. Not in the business, says Muriel Eskinazi. Final advice: get involved less or pack your bags. In any case, it’s the exit from hell in mode winner.
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