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“The Chat” And “Hey-Hanging”
There is apparently a new “workplace trend,” perhaps borrowed from the dating apps, where a boss just messages you and says “Hey,” or “Hey, can you call me by EOD?” Instantly your brain goes to layoffs, problems, etc. It’s detailed here:
I am not sure I’d call this a new trend, as I have experienced “hey-hanging” by bosses in probably 2005. In fact, my boy Todd (now known by some as Mr. Tara Lipinski) used to tell me this all the time: “It’s funny how if your grandmother wants to have a chat with you, that’s a really beautiful thing. If your boss asks for a chat, it’s almost always awful.” Would agree.
You usually can tell if a “hey-hang” is about to be a layoff or termination. I got blindsided on this once, so I fixed it the second time. Allow me to explain. In November 2015, on a Friday around 12:30pm, I was about to head out to lunch from my first job down in Texas. My boss had not liked me for about four-six months, and I knew a pipe job could be coming, so I had already started actively looking.
