In December 1997, I experienced my first Christmas party with my new company. The party started around noon at Mt. Fuji, a great Japanese restaurant up on a big hill over in NY state.
Noticing the amount of alcohol my coworkers and their partners were consuming, I turned to my girlfriend around 4:30pm and said, “You wanna get out? I’m a little afraid to be on the road when these guys leave.”
I later found out the party continued on past midnight, at two more bars and then someone’s home. Of course, I was too upstanding a citizen to have fun like that. Go figure.
Anyway, that party also was the occasion to celebrate the 20-year work-anniversary of three of my coworkers: Matt, Sharon & Cyndi. At the time, I didn’t really think about how uncommon it is to stick with a single company for 20 years.
Today, we celebrated Matt & Sharon’s 30-year mark at the company (Cyndi retired two years ago, and seems much happier for it).
I think Sharon’s deliberately smiling goofily; it was too early in the afternoon for that expression. And, yes, Matt was drinking in the workplace, but it was only Coors Light, so that doesn’t count.
Congrats/condolences!
10 years, Gil – congratulations …..
We were discussing the Longevity in the workplace last night.
Since college (grad. 89′) I have had 7 jobs (1-a radio job; 2- air traffic controller school – I was paid; 3- same radio job as #1 – when I missed the ATC school second phase by 1 lousy point; 4- cleaning chemicla tanks – sniffin’ those fumes; 5- dispatch for Matlack – at the time the largest transportation company in the US; 6- Loacation Manager for Logistics Express – “North Amercia’s Largest Cryogenic Carrioer” I think that was a lie; 7 Operations Mgr for Quality Distribrution – still in “TRUCKIN'”………………..
My DAD worked for one company (of course he moved up in the ranks and I am SUPER proud of him and brag on him often) all of his life……………….
It is not the “same” as it used to be……………………..