Twenty Years

Today was Flow's celebration of employees who have reached significant service dates. In the (more affluent) past, these were held monthly, with breakfast pastries and coffee, and a chance for each manager to thank people individually. This year, they decided to hold a single celebration for everyone.

I admit to being skeptical at this approach, but it was amazing. The three who celebrated 20 years with Flow all came from Engineering, and it was pretty cool standing in front of the crowd with Kate and Sean, whom I've known and worked with for all of those 20 years. The manager who thanked us was from Manufacturing, and to have someone completely unfamiliar with my individual contributions stand up and thank me was unexpected, and very satisfying. When he told everyone that if they needed to know anything about our products, way back into the 1980s, they should come and talk to me and people applauded, well... I don't think my current boss could have done as well.

After the celebration, I stood and talked with another Flow old-timer. He celebrated 25 years today, and we both took note of those who are no longer here. A lot of our friends and fellow workers have moved on, or retired, or have been told they're no longer needed. As I found comfort in knowing that others value my contributions to the company, I also was saddened by the loss of so many Flow friends.