The End of an Era

I've finished up working for my current employer today after 10 years in the job. That's not bad considering that I accepted the job offer for want of something better to do. I can't say I'll miss the company but I think I will miss the office.

I've worked in a few offices over the years and they have varied between bland open-plan modernity to an overheated broom cupboard. However, the office in Bellshill has been by far and away the most welcoming. Part of this has been the office layout. It's all open-plan, which I largely dislike, but the part I worked in had a high roof with skylights which rather gave the feeling of being in a 1960's library building. I just needed the white plastic chandeliers to finish off the effect.

The building itself is situated on an industrial estate with a telecoms firm, utility company and whisky bottling plant for company - as well as a duck pond which has caused much amusement over the last few months as we watched startled mallards crashing into the frozen surface. Bellshill is an old mining community and is possibly best known as the birthplace of former Liverpool Football Club captain and legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Matt Busby - the local sports centre is named after him. The town itself has been modernised over the last few years but I think what really made it a great working environment was the people.

I was transferred there just over a year ago along with a few other IT staff. As far as I can tell the only reason this office was chosen is that there was some spare floor space. You might think that having some extra bodies filling up the building might have created some antagonism amongst the existing staff but they couldn't have been more welcoming. I think this may be a feature of small town offices. I've worked in a few big city centres and they do seem to attract more than their fair share of arrogant idiots - showing off in the Big Smoke. In the smaller towns people tend to be less full-of-it and much more pleasant to be with as a result.

Anyway. I'm off to Livingston tomorrow - Scotland's answer to Milton Keynes.