There are moments in my job where I get windows into the lives of people who work at the companies I cover–sometimes unintentionally. At those times, I often find myself feeling like I just walked in on someone in the bathroom or bedroom at an awkward moment, getting way more information than I expected or needed.

That happened again today. I was trying to reach a source at IBM for a story I'm working on, and I got voice mail. The woman's voice was cracking, a forced pleasant tone teetering on the edge of tears: “You have reached phone mail for [her name], formerly of IBM Global Solutions PR. For all IBM matters, please call…”

You get the picture. I don't have any idea how long ago she recorded this outgoing message; she's still listed as the contact in IBM's press contact database, though that's notoriously out of date. I picture her there, cleaning out her desk, still dealing with the layoff news, recording this outbound message for people she'll never talk to on behalf of a company shedding her to protect its profit margin, with her manager watching her to make sure she says nothing derogatory…

I can't tell you how many messages like this I've heard on the other end of the phone over the last 18 months–it must be an average of at least 5 a week. Dead leads for me; dead ends for them. On to the next number in the Rolodex…