The announcement that I will be joining the new company went out an e-mail yesterday and I spent the better part of the day answering congratulatory e-mails. I will be spending part of next week cleaning out my new office and figuring out what tasks are priority for me. I'm actually sad that I'm going to have an office because that means that I won't be able to socialize with co-workers as much. Plus, there is a perception that "office people" are the ones you cannot trust or talk to which with me is really untrue. I asked for a cube, but was told that I absolutely had to take the office. Fine.
Yesterday I had dinner with my new boss, the CIO, and a handful of new co-workers where the announcement that I was joining was unofficially made. It should have been a "sunshine and happiness" moment but events that occurred shortly before the get-together made me realize that the people that I trust aren't necessarily truly trustworthy.
On my way to the bar, I was walking with 3 co-workers that I didn't know that well. One of the guys, D, and I were talking and our conversation went like this:
D: So is what is being said about you in the rumor mill true?
Me: Tell me what the rumor is and I will tell you if it's true.
D: I can't tell you what the rumor is, but it has to do with you, the VP of IT, and the CIO being buddies.
Me: They don't treat me any different than they treat you, so I'd say that the rumor is probably not true.
D: I can't tell you what the rumor is.
Me: If you ask me a question that has to do with this rumor I will answer it honestly.
D: Okay - so will you always be a consultant?
Me: Absolutely - I don't think that my way of thinking and my approach to work will ever not be consultant-like.
D: Hmmm, so the rumor is probably untrue.
After the unofficial announcement, D came up to me and said that I lied to him. I responded that I didn't lie - he asked the wrong question. What he should have asked me is if I were joining the company as an employee which I would have had to answer "yes". He said that I was being evasive which was also ridiculous. The disturbing part was when I asked who he heard the rumor from, he told me that it was one of my co-workers (AK) that I trusted.
My co-worker heard the news from her boss who heard the news from my new boss AND my boss told that person NOT to say anything. There were instances of D blabbing gossip around the office and I never knew who his source was, but now I know - it's AK - because the gossip that was getting around was about things she knew or was told by other trusting co-workers. What's upsetting is that I trusted my co-worker, AK, and now I know that I can't trust her anymore.
One of the things that I liked about coming to work for the company I'm going to be working for is that I have friends there and I won't feel so much like an island. But, now that I know that I have to be on guard as to what I say (or don't say), I'm not feeling so comfortable anymore. I'm wondering if I made a mistake.
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