Sir Topham Hat's departure continued.

Well, the dust has had a bit of time to settle at the Dark Satanic Mill and we're getting used to the idea of not having a Fat Controller around anymore. I am still quite ambivalent about it all. I never liked the man and, as long as nobody emerges to take his place, it will be a more comfortable Satanic Mill in which to work. There is a "but" here; I am still uncomfortable about the way he departed.

Yesterday, I asked one of our Team Managers if she knew the story. She said that she has heard that he was told by the new Customer Operations Director that his job had ceased to exist and it was suggested that he and the company go their separate ways. Well, actually, the company would stay put and the Fat Controller would leave. I think leaving was one alternative but I don't have a clue what the other one was and it may be that he didn't either. Maybe he was asked to go on the phones with the rest of the hoi polloi. That would have been an interesting experience for him.

I'm sure the Fat Controller has got a nice redundancy package and will find somewhere else to use his man-management skills and new staff on whom to exercise his charm. There is to be no replacement, although there has been a slight restructure within the Mill, with even more Chiefs to lord it over the Indians.

I think I might have said this before but Plus c'est la même chose, plus ça change.