Not surprising: An unofficial blog has popped up to follow the fallout at Alltel of its acquisition by Verizon. The “elephant in the room” is the unknown impact on local jobs and how it affects the workplace.

It does seem like things are reverting more or less back to normal. But things are not normal and that is seeming in for most people we have dealt with. We’re not at the going-through-the-motions point, but it does seem hard to get motivated. Fortunately for many corporate employees, it’s “First of the month reporting season”, so most of us can pass the time in the normal routine.

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But even in that there’s the huge elephant in the room. Little aside comments, snide remarks, speculation about how long we will be doing these things creep up. We go to lunch a little longer, maybe leave a little earlier. (I noticed the parking lot was a cleared up a little earlier than normal). People are starting to speculate on severance packages and starting to openly discuss their options.

Then there’s the question of how to fill in the times when your hair is not on fire. How far in advance are you thinking about projects? It’s hard not to come across a task and not think “Well, is this important? Or will it just be thrown away when Verizon goes to town?”

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UPDATE: Roby Brock’s Talk Business has some details that could contribute to uneasiness about LR holding onto most Alltel jobs. In addition to a new network operations center in Tulsa, Verizon has recently opened a new customer service center in Tulsa and a new regional headquarters in Nashville. Would duplicate operations be necessary in LR?

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