The idea suddenly came upon me that the reason of having a job may lie in the ultimate notes one is sending to his defunct colleagues, the final notes that sum it all up, the solemn farewell, words that aren't meant to be replaced by others, the very concluding words, and therefore, in a certain sense, words from here to eternity.
Please forgive me for not giving you the usual "I greatly enjoyed working with you guys, it was a terrific time, etc." or equivalent farewells. Working for a company is a lot like brushing your teeth. It's something you were told to do before you can remember, something for your own sake, a boring task you indulge in every day because of its hygienic essence, something related to self-preservation. The toothbrushing metaphor works inasmuch as discipline is evoked, but, in reality, working for a company is not at all like brushing your teeth, and not only because brushing one's teeth doesn't last for eight hours (if it does, you should revise your technique), but because working for a company means dealing with lots of different things and lots of different people. Ultimately, it means contributing to an economy, and he who says Economy has said Politics.
The fact that this link may not be obvious for everybody doesn't make it less real or obliging. Because eDreams is a classical example of what makes the "New Economy", and because that model is based on the denial of Politics, it is no wonder that these words may pass for heresy.
You meet all sorts of people in a company. It is interesting to note that, generally speaking, the higher you climb the hierarchy, the less human qualities are to be enjoyed (exactly like oxygen getting scarce when climbing a mountain). Individuals who seek power are spiritually crippled, prepared to crush whoever stands in their way.
At first glance, the atmosphere at eDreams is relaxed and informal. After a while, the true nature of both the company leaders and your contract emerges. Like someone said, the employer always demand more than what the worker initially agreed to give.
It is common to see people work twelve hours a day and still feel they aren't meeting up with the expectations. This constant sense of not doing enough must be a terrible thing to live with, and despite of that, it is cultivated by the management because of the obvious benefit gained by pushing workers to the limit.
The highest degree of cynicism and indecency can be witnessed on these so called Friday meetings, where a shroud of bad theatre is fooling only the most naïve. Self-satisfaction, mock communication, rewards and blames, in a word, demagogic tricks used to steer unprotected minds.
Although I have been ejected from this company with no explanation, I have no bad feelings against anyone. Time and again, I note how evil is produced by ignorance and vanity. If there was a meter for measuring the soul, here as everywhere else, results would spread on a large spectrum.
I wish you all good luck in life, and the strength needed for keeping it worthy.

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Daniel Szmulewicz