This morning I got a text from a co-worker: “Uh oh.” That usually means something came through work email, so I pulled up Outlook. I saw an email with the subject “From the Desk of [our CEO].” I opened the email and saw three attachments: letter to employee, an FAQ, and instructions to join a Zoom town hall meeting scheduled for 45 minutes after the email was sent.

You know it’s a big announcement when there is a FAQ included.

The big announcement is that the company I work for, a privately-owned consulting company, has been acquired by another company. This has happened to me before, so it’s not my first rodeo. 

As usual, in the beginning stage, there aren’t a lot of answers to questions even though the deal is signed, sealed, and delivered as of 7/31. Next week we are supposed to receive a copy of the new company handbook along with some paperwork with next steps. I would expect minimal disruption for the rest of the year based on how we work; my day-to-day work is done for my clients, and I rarely have interaction with my manager.

What is most interesting to me about this announcement is how varied the reactions were. I had many co-workers texting me and freaking out. I would say most people are reacting at a level of 7 or 8 out of 10. I’m maybe at a 4. I think the people who were most rattled by this announcement are probably the ones who have been most lulled into a false sense of security. No company and no job is secure. 

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. I look at this change as providing more opportunities. The worst-case scenario is that it all goes downhill, but that just forces me to finally take action to get out of the industry and pursue something that really matters to me where I feel I can make a difference.