The Moose

In November 1994 I worked in a job in a department, adjacent to a warehouse, which was very much male orientated. At this time, I was very settled at the company but my role, alongside another lad, had become too busy as the organisation's turnover had increased considerably and there was more work than just the 2 of us could cope with. This led to my manager at the time interviewing, and then appointing, a girl of the same age as me to work alongside the other lad and I. We shall refer to her as "Moose".

As stated previously, it was an all male environment but this didn't faze Moose and she quickly settled into the role. She had an effusive, cordial personality and was fully prepared to join in with the lad's banter without taking offence and became a popular and valued member of the workforce. Her work ethic and general approach breathed new life into our department and it became a pleasure to go into work every day.  Of course, as in all workplaces, there were some moments of conflict but it was impossible to fall out with Moose. 

Approximately 12 months after Moose started, there was a restructure within the company and a new manager was appointed and placed in charge of our department. The dynamics changed considerably and not for the better. I had an immediate "personality clash" with the new manager and Moose and the other lad in the department also clashed with him in the following few months. The old adage of "if it's not broken, don't fix it" did not apply here. For the previous 12 months we had been efficient and hard working. The previous manager had recognised this and rarely interfered in our day to day work, which worked for us and the empowerment we felt motivated us.The new manager had a completely different approach.

In February 1996, Moose told me she wasn't happy working there anymore and was now looking for another job. Within a month of this conversation, she left the company. I was devastated.A couple of months later the other lad in the department also left. I was now left up the proverbial creek without a boat, let alone a paddle. In hindsight, I should also have taken this opportunity to leave the company at this point, however, I now had a mortgage to pay, had worked there 6 years and on a point of principal, didn't feel I should be forced out  like my other 2 colleagues. 7 years later I would regret my decision not to leave quietly at the point Moose left as my "career" at this company imploded.

After Moose left we stayed in touch and she became a close friend and confidante for many years.  Due to circumstances, I have not seen much of her in recent times but her part in the story of my life is a key one and I still think of her fondly.