If we’ve been less than prolific lately (and we have), please be assured that it’s for a good reason. Or, at least, it’s for a reason. Or, failing that — um.

The problem is twofold: There’s been a shake-up at my day-job, that’s led to us being one person below headcount. The non-corporate speak version of that sentence is: Somebody quit.

So, of course, my team is having to pitch in and do this guy’s work, which is causing all of us a certain amount of grief. It’s not pretty, and you’ve probably been through this kind of thing, too, so you know what I’m saying.

I write an awful lot of posts for this site either late at night or during my lunch breaks at work, and then I schedule them to be posted the following day. Well, lunch has become unavailable, shall we say; also, I’m much less coherent at night than I used to be.

What’s worrying me these days is the possibility that someone, somewhere at my day job may decide that, since we’re managing to get everything done even though we’re short-handed, there’s no need to replace the guy who quit. Hey, think of the money we’ll save!

If you had enough open road, you could drive everywhere at 120 mph, all the time. Of course, you’ll probably fuck up your engine and shorten its life-span, but you could do it. Some managers, as it happens, have lead feet.

But people are just things, and if the people you’re dealing with happen to be cheap, well, we know how that goes. Like a dollar-store mop, you work it ’til the head comes off. Then get another one.

Sure, it might be a short-sighted management style, but considering the fact that your employees’ last cost of living increase was wiped out by rising inflation, that the only way to make more money is to either gain a promotion (not that there’s anywhere to go), or to leave your organization, why shouldn’t you expect 120%? What’s more, with you in the same boat, financially, you’ll probably be gone before the nasty effects of over-work rear their ugly heads.

So, go on middle-managers: shake it ’til you break it!