"It's not the first time and it won't be the last."
This is what a colleague said to me on Friday when I was dreading delivering another crushing announcement to my team this coming Monday.
On top of much of my top talent leaving the past few weeks, I have to tell my stellar team members they can no longer work from home. Ever. Not even one day per week.
This will be a significant quality of life change for many. Parents with newborns, adult children caregiving for ill/elderly parents, those priced out of commutable distance to hub offices.
I have to tell them this while not telling them what they already know. Their company's greed and unethical behavior caused this. Their company did not care for them like they cared for their company.
Period.
Worst of all, their company WANTS them to quit. I don't. Wells Fargo does. Wells needs to stop the bleeding and deliver $$$ to shareholders at all costs. Human costs.
So on top of a crushing workload increasingly endured for years, despite being loyal and standing by the shipwreck stranded on some morally bankrupt island, my wonderful team members will be "rewarded" with another erosion of benefits.
I suspect this will the last straw for many of them. Wells Fargo will be thrilled at the "natural" attrition (for now).
And I will continue to deal with my self-loathing role until I, too, leave this dessimated organization weeks or months from now.
To all of you who give so much to this organization, please don't. Wells Fargo does not care about you. Or me, or my colleagues. Or about doing what is right.
My manager friend told me, "This is what we signed up for" and I told him, "Maybe you did. I didn't." I want to be able to proud of my work. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible here.
I wish all of us at Wells Fargo brighter days ahead... with other companies.