The New Kids in School

The news came yesterday. Our company was ready to begin a major expansion which meant that all positions (including mine) not directly related to manufacturing would move from CUI in Spencer, Indiana to our global corporate headquarters in Bloomington. "Park 48" (as it's called) is a beautiful facility with lots of extras including a fitness center and an on-site Weight Watchers meeting. It's also closer to home so gasoline money will be saved.

However, the move to Bloomington is bittersweet--especially for many of my coworkers. We have folks in Spencer who've been here virtually since its beginning 30 years ago. I've heard them compare our move to the home office like going to a new school and being the "new kids in class." Finding the men's room. Learning where to sit at lunch without infringing on some one's regular space. Knowing who has the keys to the supply cabinet. Searching for the assigned mustering point during a fire drill. It's all pretty scary and daunting and certainly takes each of us out of our CUI comfort zone.

After a while, new spaces and places will become familiar. What will be more difficult is the splitting of friends and families. This Spencer facility has a wonderful family-like aura . People think about and care for each other and treat one and other like extended family members--even the newbees. We have raffles and bake sales nearly every week to raise money for a cancer patient, support a little league team, or the Cloth-A-Child christmas drive. People in this workplace, a 400+ person community, truly care about and pay attention to each other. I, for one, have never experienced that type of camaraderie in the work place, but since that's the Cook corporate culture no matter what facility we're in, I'm sure we'll find it again at "the new school."