I had worked under this VP for 7 years and I never seen him smile. Well, I didn’t see him that often, probably once a quarter in the department update. He always wear a strict face. He don’t like to talk, he only say the words absolutely necessary to get the message across. I never heard him joke or make fun of things ever. I always though he must be a robot.

In the last round of restructuring, he was striped all his sub-ordinates. He keep his VP title, but moved into the research department to work on strategy planning. Today, I was chit-chating with some colleagues talk about the latest layoff rumors, he came and join the chit-chat. It is the first time I ever see him smile. He make some good jokes about himself being the last man remaining on his aisle, everyone sitting around him got laid off. We have some good fun and waste half an hour bad mouthing the company.

He seems like a totally different person to me. I wonder, does a person can change this much between when he is playing the role of the boss and when he is simplify a peer worker.