Good point. I assumed it was local, but if it was really local, he wouldn't be moving, would he? So it has to be far enough to make moving worth it. For me, that would be an hour or more.

Yah, assuming this is good times!

I'm just thankful he didn't ask me to help. :haha:

Remember this?
Then this:
Now this:

I was fired from this job yesterday afternoon with about ten minutes notice.

I got paid for Thursday (which is today) and for tomorrow and he paid me for my 15 hours of accrued PTO. He let me clean out my drawer and copy some personal files from the computer. My login and email access was terminated in the middle of the process. He said, "No animosity with this, I like you. We're going forward with the team without you." A very close repetition of his words. I was too stunned to remember it verbatim. He had shooed the other people out of the office so it was just him and me... what, in case I made a scene? He permitted me to offload some files and get a box for my stuff. I gave him back the key to the door and the 2FA usb key for online access to most every other thing.

He said I'm available in the future... For what I asked, for more talk, y'know. He asked if there was anything I wanted to say. I thought and said I like to think before I speak, so nothing at this time. I asked him if there was anything else he'd like to say and he said no. I shook his hand and said I like you, too. Then I left.

It's been almost 22 hours now and I'm a little less stunned, ... still pretty stunned.

I've setup a little office on a card table here that will be my new workspace. I have a computer and internet access, food, shelter, etc. No income, still have bills. Twil assures me she isn't going to fire me. My kids, all the kids have been sympathetic.

It bugs me that no reason was given. Ha! Worse than that, "I like you" was what he said, then he fired me was what he did. The aphorism "Words speak louder than actions" comes to mind when there's such a dramatic mismatch.

Anyhow. I'm still processing it. I have a list, an actual list of stuff to do. Getting my new office up and running was important to get done early, as it enables several other important better sooner than later steps. Steps like applying for unemployment, applying for jobs, etc. But checking in with my good friends here is also important.

I read through this thread... man. I must be doing something wrong but *fuck* if I know what it is. I wish I did, I'd stop doing it.

He fired you after 4 years by saying he likes you?

That's the most messed up thing I've heard in months, and I've been paying attention.

Anyway, I feel for you. I got shitcanned at my last job with no warning whatsoever, for things that had nothing to do with my performance, or even to do with me at all. On the plus side, I never had to go back to that dysfunctional clown show ever again.

Biggie, that is B.S. and I'm sorry this has happened. It sounds like this person wasn't the decision maker. Is it possible he was saying "for more talk" because there was something he couldn't say on the premises, where people might hear?

Might be worth a more private call just to ask, was it something I did or said? It's possible that someone another level up just wants their cousin in that job, or there was something else personal involved somewhere else.

I have had it with these small companies that can pull this kind of thing at any time. Big cos have policies and stuff, they have a system of warnings and stuff...

You're not wrong. I always felt most secure working for a giant company.

Hi UT

The person in question is the sole owner, the guy who hired me. There were no people to hear, the office had been evacuated. Well, that's a little dramatic. I leave at 4 pm, at 3:53 I got a slack message to come see him "after I've buttoned up" everything. The office manager also leaves at 4 pm, she left a couple minutes early, not uncommon. The new guy whose schedule is until 5 pm *did* leave a little before 4 pm, undoubtedly at the request by the owner.

So it was just him and me, I came towards his office and he said, no, I'll just pull up a chair out here. Then boom goes the dynamite.

Thanks for your support, I do appreciate the sympathy. Big companies have endemic problems, small companies, like this six-person operation have their own idiosyncrasies too. *My* problem is that the balance of power, economic power I mean, not personal autonomy or agency, is never in my favor. I don't have anything "they" would be willing to negotiate to keep or avoid.


Luce--thanks man. I appreciate the sanity check. I pay attention too. When I took this job and one of the most exciting prospects was working with a team minus drama and politics. Which had been true, riiiight up to the last moment when it wasn't. So.


I'm gathering my required info for my unemployment application ---> over there and occasionally clicking back to this tab for the fellowship of my friends. There are some cool things out there I can do. Twil's told me of some that are listed in a Federal Hiring Event at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, which is just down the street from me. On the way to dinner I saw "Accepting Resumes" on the marquee of an insurance business. Something will turn up. I do have skills and it turns out my availability just opened wide.

I know it's hard, but I definitely wouldn't overthink the reasons behind it. If you'd been fired within a few months of starting, then sure, I'd say you probably were not living up to some expectation they had (realistic or not). But after four years? That's not a personal failing, that's something out of their control. Maybe it's finances, maybe it's just greed ("I can force Employee X to also take on BigV's responsibilities and pay for just one person instead of two,") or maybe it's something even stupider, like his wife found big gay bear porn on his computer at home and she wants you gone.

You've gotten through crap like this before, and you'll get through this crap, too. Just keep yourself focused and refuse to wallow in it, right?

The main thing is to wait and not give the company 1s on Glassdoor and Indeed until you have found your next gig.

It's the best recourse we have, because fuck them

<pink elephant>

definitely not thinking about recourse

</pink elephant>

$10 says he asks you for either free work or help "lining a few things out" within 14 days.

Send him a rate card if he does.

Also, google Jacobs Engineering. They're always looking for competent networking folks. They used to be CH2M.

The good news, they're a giant company, and have people in damn near every county in the USA, as well as Europe, etc.

The bad news, they're a giant company, and the right tentacle never knows what the left tentacle is doing. They have all the hidebound tropes covered.

Also, they'll low-ball an offer, but if you ask for more, they'll usually cough it up.

I would not suggest them as a career, but if you need income right now, take a look at them.

Initial reaction -he/company's in the shit financially and cutting you makes the books look instantly better.

My company is going through that right now (making finances look better artificially ...for prospective buyers in our case, regardless of effects on operations). December, they stopped giving hours to any sub-part-timers, week before Christmas they were all informed they had "involuntarily resigned". As people jump ship, they are not replaced, regardless of how essential they are to the team.......

Head up, keep treading water, something useful to grab will float by soon, and even if it's just a large turd, it can help you reach something else.

Well that sucks. :eyebrow:
At least in this current business climate they don't seem to be as concerned about how/why you left the last job, they're all aware it's use 'em and discard 'em game.

Don't spend a lot of time or effort retaliating, one or two small mail bombs should be enough. Just move forward, that's the best revenge.

This lady gets it. Good luck man.

Hmm. Reckon I'm joining you..... learned this morning our main supplier stopped delivering to us over the weekend due to unpaid bills (a "third-party invoice processing error"). Then this afternoon notice of a mandatory all store meeting 7am tomorrow. This is happening in all stores at the same time. After the mandatory store directors' conference call two hours ago for which they only got a couple hours warning. mmmmm.

Let's see how "Trump's economy" treats us. I start work Wednesday.

Crossing my fingers for you.

Confirmed. Store is closing. I should be one of the kast to go but will still be only a week or two

The 2020 recession is on, apparently. Good luck to everyone.

Damn. Sorry, monster.

Well, that sucks. Sorry monster.

I'm just worried about health insurance now I'm sole provider and all three kids are students who rely on it. Also I won't be able to have a much needed vacation

Damnit. Sorry Monster.

Fukkit. Just caught up with this thread. Big V, and Monster - what a bummer, each!
Here’s hoping something better than a [emoji90] turd floats by you for you to grab asap.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This may just be the Cellar Recession. I'm not sure how indicative the three of us are. Don't the economic numbers still looks like very slow growth?

I just hope my paperwork clears the gubmint website so my new employer can charge for services.

1000 people laid off

Crap. :(

dang

:lol2: Dammit, woman! :lol2:

Damnit. That's a lot of job hunters.

That sux, Monster and BigV. We be Praying.

Sounds like you've got involuntary vacation. Just don't lounge around eating bon bons. Go get a job that you're not sure you can do. And do it. You're a survivor. You're gonna win. You have leadership qualities and battle scars. A real woman. Be choosy. You're an asset. Ask for more than they offer.

:lol: thanks. I wanted a voluntary vacation. To finally go back to the UK after 18 years. And see my girl play polo for FSU. With my 40 hours PTO I just reached after cleaning out my account taking PoloGirl to Florida and getting foot surgery this summer ....so I would get paid and so would my insurance while I swanned about. now my PTO is being paid out on Friday.

But at least I didn't Involuntarily Resign. like the 40 part-timers we lost last month. Right before Christmas.

I do really need a vacation, though. Oh well. As you saw I've been networking my ass off on social media all night and have had a few requests for my resume/CV so we shall see.... what I shall ask for more of if someone offers is Paid Vacation. Two weeks is inhumane.

It's an American tradition. I negotiated 3 weeks vacation and $150/wk for travel expense when I started.

Now, after15 years here, I get.... 3 weeks. And I can't ever take more than one at a time. Most years I end up selling one week, or taking the 3rd week in one or two day long weekends. Nature of the business. There's only 2 of us, so when I'm out, my counterpart has to endure a 70+ hour week.

Anyway, my point is... When you demand higher compensation, you create value. Playing a little harder to get makes the employer re-assess you. Another candidate may take whatever they offer, and just be happy to have an offer.. But you're not just some candidate.

Go into your interviews with the mind set that you are interviewing THEM. And be mindful that you will never have the leverage you have in that moment once you work for them. If you forget to ask for it during the hiring process, they will never give it to you. Be it vacation, salary, whatever.

Your kids have been raised well, they're prepared to take on the world. Now it's about you going where you want to go and taking what you want to take. Devour to survive. So it is. So it's always been.

Just like selling art :)

Oh hey BigV, how's it going your end? Did you call the guy to see if you could get some insight as to why?

Hi monster--

I was just thinking about you. I'm sorry about your situation, I can understand the frustration of having these new circumstances thrust upon you. It's shitty.

I have a lot of confidence in you. You're smart and capable and energetic and motivated. I'd hire you.

As for me, I don't have your flair for networking and I suck at self promotion. I have made a small amount of progress developing my resume to reflect my most recent position. This is something that has to be completed *now*, this morning, so I can use it to followup on job applications so I can submit my unemployment claim--and to get a job, because, duh.

I have a bad case of writer's block, amplified by my tendency toward completeness. This is not a good posture for the task. I know it is just the worm on the hook to lure an employer to bite and invite further contact. Saying that out loud helps some... The whole process is a slog compounded by the fact that I am angry about having been ambushed like this. No, I still don't know any more about the circumstances that led to his decision than I have already shared. I definitely haven't contacted him, though I've had conversations with him in my head.

Speaking of my head... it's pretty fucked up right now, with occasional brief periods of a good attitude. I like those and they're where I get...

am I being distracted from my serious mental unhealthiness? These flashes are where I've been able to get a little flow in my writing and my organization and my employment progress. I don't know. I'm suffering, I'm stressed, it's fucked up, I'm fucked up, I'm not doing well, I'm worried.

I'm having a helluva time getting a firm grip on my bootstraps.

back to the fucking resume.

You’re good at speaking highly of others. Maybe try changing the name on the top of the resume to Tim Smith and write about how awesome that other guy is. Fool yourself into writing about him. It’s not you.

I most certainly do not have a flair for it. I fucking hate it. I also suck at self promotion. What has helped me is career counselling. I found a free service offered by the university of Michigan, and they helped turn my down played volunteer positions into a killer bullet-pointed "single-handedly-cured-the-world" kind of resume. have you looked around for any career counselling services near you?

absolutely this.

Also try taking the piss out of yourself. Imagine you are a puffed up narcissistic whatever and write a resume for yourself in that character. Then go back as yourself and just rephrase it in nice person language. Or have someone help you do that

OK! Good work team!

Resume version 0.9 has been completed. All that remains before publication is this final walkthrough to correct the punctuation problems, a couple other tpyos and to remember to delete that last page where all the crud accumulated. Save a local copy in addition to the cloud copy. I really should proof it again, have Twil proof it again because I know damn well I can lick my own elbow better than I can proof my own resume.

I'm going to make my deadline. It's going to be version 1.00, but it will be handed in, pencils down.

Back in a couple minutes.

Then write it complete with all the detail that lets you move forward. Then start paring it down to what everyone says it should be, even if you have to enlist help to ruthlessly do that. Someone(s) else can prune it but only you can write it.

Waste of time? yeah, probably, but slow progress is better than no progress.

Correction 2500 nationwide

Professional proofreading services available here free of charge.

I could be totally off base here, but I feel he was trying to let you know that he wanted to tell you the reason but couldn't in that time and place. It might be worth your while trying to set your anger aside and call him to see if he can shed any light on it.

If nothing else, a bit of closure, but perhaps also a bit of confidence going forward in your new job search, because at the moment, the not knowing and feeling there must be something you do wrong is impinging your ability to "be the best you" -you have a niggling self-doubt there that you're going to do the same thing again. Even though the chances are there's no such thing and you have just had some shit luck.

I hope that made some sense :/

It did to me, hopefully it will to him.

When a person is involuntarily terminated from their job, they typically ask at least two questions if the answers haven't already been provided by the employer:

Why am I being terminated?

In some states this affects eligibility for unemployment compensation; because, you can't get it if the employer claims you were fired for misconduct. Termination for other reasons is essential to know when a prospective employer asks why you left your last job; so, they don't assume the worst.

What reason, if any, for my departure are you going to give prospective new employers when they contact you to verify my work history and departure standing?

Regardless of company policy, which may be to only verify your employment period, additional information about you may be passed on through off-the-record phone calls from prospective employers to your previous employer.

Not thinking to ask these questions at the time of termination is understandable since that can be a shocking experience causing distraction.

Not pursuing the answers after regaining focus is typically due to the person thinking they already know the likely answer and not wanting confirmation of it (they're in denial).

The thing is, there's always a chance that they're wrong and there's too much at stake to not find out for sure.

aaaand they filed for bankruptcy

https://www.wsj.com/articles/kroger-...cy-11580136545

Does this leave an opportunity for a competent grocery? A co-op or another small market?

Hard to say. Local market may be saturated.

Gotcha. Be serious about networking, you have a shit ton of contacts through youth sports use them. This last time, I finally just asked people for help finding a new gig and the most unexpected person came through.

I observed two evaluations for Early Intervention services yesterday. I think I've made a good move. It turns out I just love the little dudes and they usually love me.

Schmoozing at an "informational interview' tomorrow. Got my outfit together. I HATE THIS

Good news Griff, sounds like a good move.

Monster, because you hate it you'll work at it and do well.

Most people do. Hammer through this part by focusing on optimism.

Fingers crossed for both of you, monster and V.

I think it went really well... I was horribly apprehensive. She suggested the opening I was already applying for -as was hoped but I thought too optimistic because it seems a bit of a reach to me- and told me about another opening coming up, a few more places to check out, offered an introduction to someone I should talk to next and suggested the best ways to get my stats skills up to date -checked every single box and then some :D

Since these two fine citizens are available, they should both run for congress.