We Say Goodbye, You Say Hello

July 5, 2023

We Say Goodbye, You Say Hello

We experience loss and change throughout our whole lives. Some are permanent, while others are temporary. When we think of grief, death is the one we think of most and certainly seems the most final, but a loss is part of our experience throughout our whole lives. Sometimes they creep up on us, and we are so filled with anticipation for the future that we don’t recognize the loss. From moving away from our homes to graduating from a class or school, we often miss the chance for a proper send-off.

Loss in the workplace is real

Loss in the workplace is real. For many of us, we are losing a friend that we have spent countless hours with. Goodbyes are part of our work and life experience, and it is important to both recognize this as being open with our team members and work family.

Saying goodbye to a fellow employee can be bittersweet and filled with a wide range of emotions. As we gather to bid farewell, there is a sense of loss and nostalgia. In the professional world, relationships are forged, camaraderie is built, and memories are shared. So, when it comes time to say goodbye, the weight of these connections is palpable.

Emotions run high in the workplace, and a bond is formed with those we spend so much time with. Laughter echoes as we recall inside jokes and humorous anecdotes and tears well up as we remember the challenges we faced and conquered as a team. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment, mingled with a tinge of sadness, as we realize that a chapter of our professional lives is coming to a close.

The spectrum of emotions that accompany farewells is vast. There’s a sense of gratitude for our departing colleagues’ contributions to the organization that is often accompanied by a tinge of envy for the new adventures that await them.

Saying Goodbye

Ultimately, saying goodbye to a fellow employee reminds us of time’s fleeting nature and our journeys’ transient nature. It evokes a mix of emotions, from joy and gratitude to sadness and anticipation. Farewells are poignant reminders of our impact on each other’s lives and the power of human connection, even in the context of the professional realm.

Turner Group has had to say goodbye to team members, and there is always a sense of loss with anticipation of the changes it will bring. This month has been one of those times when we have had to say goodbye to two critical members of our “work family.” Friedrich Kanz, President of Arburg USA, is retiring, and we have spent 21 years working with Friedrich. We had a chance to say goodbye, but the hole in the daily work activities is already evident.

This week we will also say farewell to Justin Kassnel. Please see attached Justin’s comments on the changes he is experiencing in this process.

Change from Justin’s point of view

“There’s only one consistent aspect of life and that is change.

Destruction, love, clarity, friendship, family, memories… are just some of the words that come to mind when the time comes for life to reveal its impactful moments. Losing anyone close to you can have wide ranging impacts on our lives both personally and professionally. Most recently, the loss of my father was the spark that ignited a deeper search for meaning and fulfillment.

Being thrown into the moment of change can feel confusing. Ignoring it feels safe. Diving into how moments of change affect us was something that felt foreign to me. Especially, after being conditioned throughout my life with an engineering albeit overthinking mindset, looking internally was difficult to say the least.

All too commonly when we’re faced with decisions that we know in our gut need to happen but are difficult can be a challenge to keep a balanced perspective. It’s easy to focus too much on the positives/negatives that may justify the logical safe path.

Connections between colleagues were forged on a much deeper level than I experienced previously

Being a part of the Turner Group is where the feeling of family merged with work. Controversial topics that never seemed relevant in a professional work setting before were openly and honestly discussed. Connections between colleagues were forged on a much deeper level than I experienced previously. This created a space for me to be open and honest about what I was feeling with my colleagues early on.

Soon after the passing of my dad I felt I needed time to re-evaluate…everything. Not only did Turner Group give me the space & time I needed to process, but also expressed carefulness in finding out what feelings were driven by the intense temporary grief or whether they were more permanent.

I’m grateful that a friend referred me to a 10-day silent mediation course. This 10-day journey turned out to be one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. It helped give me insight into the common but vague phrase, “know thyself”.

Providing a pathway into the subconscious was a crucial step in finding clarity to the many questions I had, both known & unknown. Summarizing this experience into a sort of life review helped shed light into who I was and what brought me here. Looking back on all the events that shaped me were vividly revisited. This also gave me clarity to separate the many positives that being a part of Turner Group provided versus the exploration that I felt I needed to do.

A safe space in the workplace

Fully committing myself to exploring other opportunities was something I never had the courage to do until now. By putting in the time for self-reflection along with being in a safe space in the workplace I’m finally able to come to terms with the illogical path I need to take. I’m forever grateful for the thoughtfulness, insight, and love that Turner Group has shared with me. Despite the hardship I’m putting the team in for giving me a chance to explore “my bliss” the door remains open for anything the future may hold.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. “