My Position Was Terminated...Or...

"I Underestimated Evil".....Or....
"The Universe Kicked Me In The Butt.

Any of these titles would have worked I guess. I can explain them all.

After 20 plus years of working at the same place, I was informed a few weeks ago, my position was being terminated. I worked for the same company, then we were sold to a bigger company. Sometimes that happens, right?


Well, that is were Evil comes in. I had been having some problems with some employees. I had also been keeping notes, about my supervisor, who is at another location and the things that were going on at our location, and another. My supervisor has been sleeping with the CEO for a while, and nobody could complain about the supervisor. (We were told we could not go to the CEO directly, by the supervisor, and I knew what happened when people did.) The problem employees were apparently letting the supervisor know that I was keeping track of things, to look good themselves, to the supervisor. So said supervisor shows up to our location. Starts off accusing me of things. Ridiculous things. Then all of a sudden says my position is terminated, and gives me a separation agreement to sign. And has another employee escort me out, without letting me get all my stuff. Says I have till the end of the week to sign, then I can get my stuff.
At this point I am completely stunned.

I was advised to have a lawyer look over the agreement, so I did that. My state is a right to work state, so I knew what that meant going in, but I had a few questions. Lawyer looks it over, says yeah, sign it. I wanted one little change, that I requested and got before I signed. Got my stuff at the end of the week.
I am still stunned. And now depressed.


Now the Universe. I had been completely unhappy and had already started half a** looking for another job, since the begining of the year. The week before all this went down, I was physically sick, from dealing with the supervisor and the bad employees. I was miserable. I had also been reading a very interesting book, Akasha Unleashed, The Missing Manual to You. A lot of the things discussed in this book just "resinated" with me.

So I get it. Things happen for a reason. I needed the kick.
But I am also just human. I'm scared to death. I have had this job for over 20 years. I have never been "let go" for any reason! I went through some serious depression for a few weeks. It has been really different, doing everything online, applying for jobs and such.
What if I don't find something right away? Being at home is making me crazy!
But..
I did get a severence, through the end of June, that includes benefits. I can also file for unemployement after that. (another thing I have never done.)
I also was a bit of a money horder the last few years, and have enough stashed in addition to the severence and unemployment that I would be ok for 10 months or so. But I don't want to touch it!

My problem is... How do I get out of panic mode? Really, I don't know. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster. The high is "Hey, take the summer off, keep looking till you find the right job!" But the low is "Apply for EVERYTHING! TAKE THE FIRST OFFER THAT PAYS DECENT!!!!!"

Any advise is appriciated. Just please don't kick an old lady when she is down.

Lucky for you the economy is great.

You will find a better job.

They didn’t fire you...You left.

Your future is bright.

Working anywhere 20 years tells employers all they need to know.

You are better off than having to deal with that kind of office drama.

20 years is a long time to be anywhere these days. It just doesn't happen as much as it used to. I know it can seem like you're leaving behind a home, but honestly, the people there don't seem to be worth staying anyway.

What if I don't find something right away? Being at home is making me crazy!

I think a dedicated employee with your level of experience should have no problem finding another suitable job.

Thank you both!

I think the 20 plus years is the problem with being at home now.
I had a purpose, you know? Now I wander the house like I'm lost during the day. I'm trying to get motivated to do some organizing, that really needs to be done, but then I feel guilty if I am not surfing the job listings.

Go with the “low”, but keep your eye on the “high”.

You have the means to take the time you need to find the “right” job for you, but if you act out of fear, you’ll take a position that is just “the first available”.

Your lesson, from the last position was “don’t get stuck in one place when that place is not a good place to be”.

Think of your next job in the spirit of the old “Nasty Girl” saying:

“You may not be ‘Mr Right’, but you could be ‘Mr. Next’!”

Good luck!

a reply to: chiefsmom

Wow, really sorry to hear about what happened to you.......its an awful situation and one that I've been through (layoff) several times before.

You're not alone........I'm presently advising/counseling several friends who've been laid off in the last few weeks, (something in the air?). They all report the same "feelings" and emotions you are enduring. I am retired but have kept close contacts with my work mates.

O.K., here's my "formula" for surviving and getting back on your feet. Hope it helps; its not all conclusive.

1) Stay busy and by that I mean, continue to awaken and report to your home computer with coffee in hand at the same time you did when you were working! Turn off the news on the Tele.....its all depressing and mostly bad.

The idea is to rigorously build and maintain structure in your life through the course of the work week days. Activity, no matter how petty, will take your mind off your situation and help ease the confusion.

2) As part of your "structured day" build in 30 minutes of exercise....walk the hood, whatever...just do it and I find it works best if you do it as early in the AM as you possibly can.

3) Take out a cheap membership in the Coast to Coast Insiders Club; I think its like $35.00. And also check out Jimmy Church radio.
www.coasttocoastam.com...
jimmychurchradio.com...

Why? You think I'm one of "those" nuts? Simple........listening to the "out there" stuff on these two outlets focuses your mind and prompts creativity. It takes you out of yourself and gets the noggin jenning on knew ideas. Its a "happy space"; you don't have to believe any of it. But by far and away the most interesting stuff to me is the archeological shows and the recent "disclosure" dispute.

4) Job Hunting! START NOW! Do not wait; every day you put that off adds a week to the search. How to do it?
Tip 1: Temp to hire! Start contacting, making appointments with the Temp firms active in your area and in your field. You may well land a posting, temporary of course, within as soon as a week or less. Never took me more than 10 days and don't worry if its flaky or whatever. Your job now is to prove to the Temp agency you'll show up and work the hours and make their client happy. JUST DO IT!

5) Network. After 20 years you have to have build up contacts with like companies/vendors, competitors, etc. Contact your contacts. NETWORK Use LinkedIn; use Facebook, whatever resource comes to mind.

6) RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO DIP INTO THE 401K OR SAVINGS ACCOUNTS!
As in DON'T DO IT!

Keep us updated and............GET BUSY!

a reply to: chiefsmom

Hey there, your post really hit home for me and i wanted to touch base with you. After a very successful career, i got laid off from my job through no fault of my own. It wrecked my world and i was depressed for a bit, too. The career path was very stressful and i was praying to God for some type of change, though the change happened in an unexpected way. Just know that it is ok to be depressed and upset for a bit, so dont feel like thats just you. Life is not a straight path, its like a hike through the hills. Sometimes we just have to backtrack and go a different path to find the right one. By the way, the right one isn't always the easiest, but it is the most rewarding. This poem changed my view on it, saves my soul a bit. Interviewer gave it to me after i turned down his offer. Sometimes the universe brings light into your life in the briefest if instances that impact you forever.

Also, check out peopleperhour.com and have someone revise your resume. After 20 years its hard to start it up again. I paid someone $40 and they revamped it for me, started getting offers left and right. This was a gamechanger.

Max Ehrmann
Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and
the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

You will be ok, you still have purpose, just now you are in complete control of that purpose. Use this time to find your passion and your joy, and do not compromise. Dont look at this as a failure, but an incredible learning experience. Have you read the miracle morning or listened to jim rohn? That also helped my life.

a reply to: chiefsmom

Glitterbomb them .

www.ruindays.com...

I like to send a Spring loaded smelly poop bomb to all my foe.

a reply to: chiefsmom

That's how I felt when I got hurt and couldn't be in the army anymore.

But you have to find new meaning and purpose. Right now I'm in school for electronics engineering. There's so much I can do in this field that would be satisfying and bring meaning into my life, where I felt I was doing something important, like when I was in the army.

You'll be fine.

Don't feel guilty, and do take the time off to decompress. Do the housework you've been putting off, look at job listings later.

a reply to: chiefsmom

I am so sorry. This can hit one like a truck. Accept the emotions but don't let them control you. This is like a death and you will go through all of the emotional steps: bargaining, pleading, anger, denial, acceptance (whatever order they hit, they are all valid).

You have spent 20 years at a company forming a family away from home, a refuge, a place of meaning and one that supported your lifestyle. It's been ripped away from you. Retirees even struggle with the emotions you are going through.

I had this same situation five years ago and had looked so forward to being "free" and was stunned to spiral into a depression that completely took me over. I had anger that took me four years to resolve. I shut myself off from everything. It was devastating. Not the same circumstances but similar enough - I was let go after 20 years as well.

I was let go into a world of computer savy young people who (generalization) come in when they feel, don't pull their weight and think they know as much as the top boss, no idea of what teamwork is. However, after I had some time to come to terms with the situation I started applying for jobs just out of curiosity and that way I didn't put any pressure on myself. And I started getting calls and it was because of my years of experience. Anyone can be trained, but do they have the ability to change with the flow of a company? That is huge! They want people who can adapt, who aren't rigid, who are pleasant, want to work, and are able to work the weekends, evenings (I don't care for that, but was willing). They see the value of a person who is mature in how and why to do the work and so believe in yourself. You DO have skills.

Good on you for checking with a lawyer first before signing. And remember: it's the company's loss in this situation, not yours. You are going to move onto better things. Be kind to yourself, give yourself a few treats, work on your resume right away while everything is fresh in your mind and keep your head up.

Feel free to PM me and I can be more specific if you wish.

From one "old lady" to another. And we're not old. Just our bodies have more mileage.

a reply to: chiefsmom

As frustrating as it has to be trying to find a new job take a little solace in the fact that you had planned well and saved money, have enough severance to get you through the next month and still have benefits temporarily. The biggest positive that has come of it is no longer having to work in what was clearly a toxic work environment that was stressing it out so much that it made you physically ill. You won’t have to deal with the shady supervisor or the back stabbing employees that thought they won by throwing you under the bus to cover their own behinds. You came out on top. If you had 20 years at the same company, that says a tremendous amount about you and your ability to work with others and your work ethic. That’s a goldmine for you when new employers are looking over resumes. I know it’s easier said than done to tell you to try and relax and not get overly stressed and adjusting to the employment market these days where a large number of applications are done online instead of in person but you really are much better off today then you were a month ago.

With the buyout, things will only get crazier at your old job and everyone will be turning on each other to save their own skin as “cost saving measures” begin to be implemented. A similar thing happened with my wife a few months ago. She worked for an insurance company helping patients under long term managed care, making sure they were getting the proper treatment, had safe home environments, were getting the proper medications, access to food etc... a lot of her patients were elderly and homebound which put them at high risk. The Insurance company was, oddly enough, owned by the local Catholic Diocese and the CEO was a Monsignor with the diocese. The company was making good money and reinvesting it into the community. Then they got a buyout offer from a large, multi state, publicly traded corporation whose main goal is to make profits for their share holders. Tge employees and patients were secondary to profit for them. Even without the buyout having been approved (because they’re a not for profit and haven’t had to pay taxes on their profits, the governor and Atty General have to sign off on it and could make them pay the state back a ton of money because the sale price was something like 4 billion) people from the company looking to buyout where my wife worked were already embedded with the local company and began making changes so that when the sale finally went through, the transition would be “smoother”. It was anything but smooth for people like my wife and even less so for the patients as they tried to cut back on services while increasing patient load on the RN’s and cuttin staff at the same time. She is much less stressed, makes more money and we have better health benefits now. She does the same type of work just for a hospital in another state where we’ve been planning to move for awhile. We had already closed on the new house so it was just a matter of her going up to Maine a couple of months ago to start the new position while I waited out the school year to move up with our daughter.

Similarly, you will be alright. Everything will definitely work out and with your experience and job history, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You may want to look into headhunters. My wife submitted her resume to a couple and that’s actually how she has found the current and former job and has received numerous offers through the one she ended up going with. You have tons of options and enough financial cushion to ride it out. You’ve got some free time and a little money so try to enjoy your time before you have to get back into a work routine. Summer is just around the corner and the weather is beautiful. Get some air, take a hike and destress a little. It’ll distract you from the craziness of it all and you’ll feel amazing after a couple of hours enjoying some nature.

Just remember that you’ve got this and you’re much better off than your former coworkers.

a reply to: chiefsmom

I hire and fire people for a living so I've heard them all.
When you said your boss was sleeping with the CEO I knew you were going to lose.
They can terminate you but at the same time they needed to keep a paper trail on you to justify a termination. Even in a right to work state they have lots of labor laws to comply with.
If you feel wrongfully terminated then you can file a grevience with the labor board or file a lawsuit.
The lawsuit is a bitch to win by the way.

To me it sounds like they did you a favor by getting you out of a toxic environment. Take your 20 year work history, put together a resume "A good one" and find a new job.

originally posted by: chiefsmom
...gives me a separation agreement to sign. And has another employee escort me out, without letting me get all my stuff. Says I have till the end of the week to sign, then I can get my stuff.
At this point I am completely stunned.

I was advised to have a lawyer look over the agreement, so I did that. My state is a right to work state, so I knew what that meant going in, but I had a few questions. Lawyer looks it over, says yeah, sign it. I wanted one little change, that I requested and got before I signed. Got my stuff at the end of the week.

What lawyer did you use???

Holding your items hostage until receipt of the executed agreement is generally illegal. I also question the week period.

Get yourself an EMPLOYMENT lawyer.

Also when you say 'right to work' state, did you mean employment at will state?

They are not the same thing. The former is much more favorable to your situation.

It doesn't matter that you already signed this agreement, if your wrongful termination claim is valid and they violated the rules for obtaining the separation agreement from you.

OR.... you could just move on.

Good luck.

@ TestingTesting: LOL It takes a lot of strength for me everyday, even now, not to retaliate. LOL I know where the figurative "bodies" are buried for some of them.

But at the end of the day, they aren't worth it. I need to concentrate on me. But thank you for the laugh.


@ the rest of you, for all the heated debates and mud slinging that can happen here, at the end of the day, the members like you all, that have such wonderful advise, and a kind word when someone really needs it, that make it worth coming back.
Truly, Thank you.
@JCMA- I'm printing that. Thank you.

Try a book by Dale Carnegie "how to stop worrying and start living" It's an older book! my late Uncle gave me a copy years ago
It teaches one to work out every scenario possible in a situation and all possible outcomes thus relieving anxiety over what to expect! It helped me so much! it might help you also! and you may find a free PDF online (try librevox)

good luck and god speed

Tim

Sorry you lost your job, I remember you tried to help me as we are in similar fields.

If you have trouble finding a new position locally I just want to recommencement to look abroad, many transnationals hiring experienced personnel in Asia.

I think it was you that worked with polyurethanes, if I'm mistaken ignore me

Best of luck, if I were you I would apply for everything and ask your conditions, if they don't meet them it's ok, but if you get selective you may miss good opportunities.

a reply to: chiefsmom

A. I haven't seen it, but can tell you your resume looks great! I've switched jobs and even industries a few times, don't let it scare you.

B. You weren't happy there, so this is a gift. Being comfortable is far different than being happy.

C. Have fun with the search, look up one crazy out there job that can still pay for every 9 in your field.

You just got a new lease on life! Best of luck to you!

Side note, chances are that CEO will move on to someone else, and that supervisor will be screwed.... Again lol.

Also, any companies who operate like that usually don't prosper long.

a reply to: loam

Yeah, sorry, it "At will" The lawyer said it mostly had to be racism or sexual harassment to even have a shot. He did question the not letting me get my stuff as well. I thought about it overnight, and decided I wanted the change on the Termination of Service agreement.

I really am at the point, where I don't want to fight. I am really hoping Karma works.

a reply to: Indigent

Your right

Or did. LOL

a reply to: chiefsmom
Sorry to hear of your situation. Myself and some friends went through the same process. We worked for a firm ,myself 11 years, but some of my friends were 30 odd years. Good pay off but quite a few were really, really afraid.
It comes from being (should I say a rut) at the same company. You think it's secure and therefore do not even entertain looking elsewhere so the job market, when you're thrown into it, like you, seems very daunting.
I could disagree with some advice already given, but look at all options. Myself I would not take a job just to do a job. Try to get a job that you like even if it's less money you will feel better in the long run. To take a job you don't like will bother you every day you go to the job and drag you down gradually.
You are a good woman and you will always survive but it might take abit of time. Do not fear the labour market there are opportunities that even might surprise you.
GOOD LUCK.