Remember when I said that I thought my day-job days might be numbered?

Rosemary

Turns out: they were, though not by me.

Yep.  I was fired!

Reason given: downsizing.  Actual reason: who knows?   But I did know that the company was letting some people go — since I’m the one who enters workers’ time-card info into our computer system, it’s hard for me to not notice when there are fewer people, and less hours.

And given that other departments were being cut, and our department consisted of two people plus our manager (and the manager sure wasn’t going to be fired),  that makes it a  50% chance that any cut in Accounting would be a cut of me, out of the picture.

Well, I’d rather it was me than my co-worker.   A job loss would hit her much harder than it hits me.   Plus: her job includes making collection calls, and if they fired her, I’d have to do those calls.   Which I would refuse to do. And I’d be fired!  So, just as well.   Still, one wonders how how Accounting will do with half the staff?

Fortunately: Not my problem!

And of course, you know that I’ve been wanting to get away from that place.  I’d have preferred to have some warning, instead of being told at 4:10 that today was my last day.   No 2-weeks notice, no severance pay, just my last paycheck including unused sick days, and — bye-bye.

Also, I think it’s — how shall I put it?  –  cheesy that my boss did not tell me personally.  She almost certainly knew all day, but nevertheless allowed me burble on and on about the upcoming Christmas party, and our plans for decorating the office, and how much I was interested in  how the company was going to fare under the changes in management — exactly as if nothing was amiss.  And then, she left at 4PM, allowing HR to do the deed.

As it turns out, our HR department consists of one person, who happens to be one of my top 3  favorite people at that company.

Sad task for her, but when she gave me the news, I basically laughed.

I mean, gotta laugh, right?

Come on, I’m just leaving sooner than I thought I would!  Big deal.

Sure, I would have liked to have more plans in place, to have it all lined up.

Still, I’m out.   As of NOW.

It hasn’t exactly hit me, yet, for real.  Know when it will hit me?

Right: Tuesday.   Because my work week was Tuesday through Friday, so Monday just will feel like my usual writing day at my writing office…

But Tuesday, when I would normally be back at That Place — that’s when my subconscious will sit up and say, Hey, wait a minute…

Fortunately, I have champagne in my office beverage fridge.

And it’s the good kind, too!


25 Responses to “Remember when I said that I thought my day-job days might be numbered?”

  • Kenneth Says:

    Wow, what a terrible place to work, just from the description of the termination. Good riddance! I hope they at least properly paid into unemployment.

    Best of luck to you!

  • Sean Fagan Says:

    Oh no! How awful.

  • pointoforigin Says:

    WHOAH. Well, alrighty then. It’s good you just had a nice holiday immersed in writing! Now you can go back to that! I totally agree that they way they fired you was cheesy. That’s not cool.Good luck with your new exciting adventure. . . .

  • cat Says:

    Sympathies- this kid of thing often seems to line up with the holidays, which just makes it harder on folks. I once had to do an analysis which caused me to have to recommend the elimination of my own position.lol
    You have so many skills and such a brain I am not worried for you. More time to write in the meantime. Sorry for the bump in your road though…..

  • Vicki Says:

    There are worse things than getting unemployment payments for a job you were thinking about quitting.

  • Ita Says:

    Just awful!! My heart goes out to you. I hope you’ll be OK.

    But… I, bet your supervisor felt really *really* awful all day too, especially with you making plans for decorating and the Christmas party, etc. That can be your revenge for her cheesy behavior.

    I’ve been on the having-to-decide-who-to-fire side and carrying it out, and it’s a dreadful painful thing to do. Tied me knots, before and after. And I worried about the person and hoped they’d make it OK.

  • Eli Brandt Says:

    May the corporation’s unemployment insurance tax rate spike accordingly next year.

    I wonder if the HR person maybe told your boss they were bad at delivering termination news and wouldn’t be allowed to do it.

    If by any chance this puts into high gear a Kickstarter or such attempt to survive on fan support of your writing, I’m sure you will tell us here… I’ll subscribe.

  • Michael Grosberg Says:

    It always sucks to get fired, even if you planned to quit. And management sounds like assholes. But hey, you get severance pay, so yay?
    Anyway good news for us readers, and if you feel like finally doing the kickstarter thing, I’ll be first in line.

  • Lindig Says:

    What a sucky way to do things. Most places want you to give 2 weeks notice, but they give you an hour’s notice? Tacky tacky. They must be in dire straits. Tax season is coming up so there may be part-time accounting jobs around. I sure hope you can avoid getting sucked into another soul-killing job. I’d love to do some kind of patron contribution, a regular monthly contribution instead of a single chunk of money, but whatever works for you is fine by me. Have wonderful holidays, enjoy your writing time, and be your own wonderful self all of the time.

  • Charlie Russel Says:

    Easily one of the cheesiest ways to do the deed. Your former boss sounds like a total loser.

    It’s never fun to get laid-off/fired. Even when you were already planning on leaving, it still sucks to do it on their schedule, not yours. But that being said, enjoy the champagne on Tuesday, and celebrate the freedom.

  • naomi Says:

    This is the way corporations treat people (unless there’s a union). The three different ones I worked for always did layoffs in December-that way they avoid paying most yearly vacation time. It’s good that you’re done with them, but it is impossible to not take being fired personally. Please do let us know what, besides moral support, we can do to help. I too would do a patron contribution!

  • Gail Says:

    Getting fired is always a kick in the gut, but things often happen for a reason. The old door closed, door opens thing. Really looking forward to your next book, happy writing!

  • A Says:

    For some reason I thought two weeks’ notice was required. Or is that only for employees resigning, giving notice to their employers? If the latter is the case, then that seems terribly, well, terrible. Unless one party in the equation is literally engaging in criminal acts, it seems like not a lot to ask.

    Anyway, looks like Fate gave you a nudge!

    • Rosemary Says:

      Connecticut, where I live, is actually and “at will” state, meaning that an employer can fire you with no notice — but very few companies actually do that as a general policy. They might do so when firing a troublemaker, or when they expect bad will from the employee being fired, and want to get that person out the door as soon they’re told.

      However, at this company, it’s a consistent policy with any hourly workers. I believe salaried positions fare a little better with severance pay, but even they tend to be told the day of the deed.

      This is NOT typical in Connecticut. But it’s how this company conducts itself.

  • Jane Heritage Says:

    Gosh, I don’t know how US companies get away with treating their employees in such a cavalier manner. Disgraceful! I am sorry, and I hope that when tomorrow (Tuesday) comes, you feel happy about it, not sad.

    From a purely selfish perspective though I rub my hands in glee, because I discovered your wonderful series only 2 weeks ago and have just yesterday finished The Language of Power (my reviews should be up on Amazon soon). So I want another volume as soon as humanly possible! Could it be that the universe was listening to me?

    In any case, good luck with whatever comes next!

  • Christian Brunschen Says:

    I am so sorry about how your ex-employer runs its business, how it treated you and its employees in general.

    I do hope that something positive can come out of this: I’ve only just finished inhaling the Steerswoman series so far (1-4), and would be absolutely delighted if there was a way that this could give you the opportunity to turn your writing into a more solid income-earner while people like me are chomping at the bit for more of the story of Rowan and her world, and the many more stories that lie behind.

    I agree that exploring Patreon, Kickstarter and such may be a good thing: Patreon for an income stream, Kickstarter to perhaps fund completion, editing, possibly physical printing of the next book in the series (or for a set of all 4 Steerswoman books in hardcover? With stretch goals for some of the illustrations that Rowan makes or comes across in her work, including of Demons, Dragons, and more? Here, have my $100 . But I digress.)

    Best of success, and luck, going forward!

  • laura Watkins Says:

    My guess is New Management, knowing they were going to be doing a fair amount of this kind of thing, put strict protocols in place to handle all severances.
    The whole bums’ rush out the door is a favorite with corporate creeps, and they have it totally choreographed.
    I suspect that both boss and HR person were tightly constrained in what they could say, and when.

    But, at least in the case of your boss, not only will there be well-deserved guilt in the immediate instance, but now there’s also the lovely task of managing two people doing the work of three, in the face of an upper management that is clearly willing to let people go.
    After all, just because some MBA type decides by fiat to create a leaner, tougher, and more profitable workspace by eliminating “excess” workers doesn’t mean that in every case the remaining workers will actually be able to cover everything the larger workforce used to do.
    One might prefer to observe the debacle from the outside.

    But, really, ICK, ICK, ICK.
    No matter whether you can weather the blow well or not, it is still a blow.
    Yes, you will land on your feet, and, yes, you will spend the week – oh, right before Christmas, CLASSIC – coping with all the resultant crap.
    And I really think it sounds as if you can walk out of this situation in better shape than you came into it.

    But, it is a blow, a real one, so treat yourself especially gently.
    You will find yourself crying unexpectedly, so go ahead and cry – the endorphins help.
    Being fired sucks, sucks, sucks.
    On the other hand, getting unemployment is rather lovely.
    Especially since you had been considering bailing on the job anyway.
    –if they’d only held off with their Scrooge act a little longer they’d have done better financially.
    Take that, management creeps!

    And I’d totally second the Patreon suggestion, since I’d love the opportunity to toss a couple of bucks at it.

  • EK Sommer Says:

    You are one of the best writers on the planet. Fear not. More time to write. I still run over and over that scene in the The Language of Power with the penned “beasts” and the delicate chess game the protagonists have to play of stepping in the right grid at the right time. I marvel at how you conceived that scene!

    Plus on a personal note, the best thing that ever happened to me was getting fired. I started my own business. Sold it 10 years later and bought a house!

    • Rosemary Says:

      Thanks — I had so much fun writing that scene.

      Was getting fired the best thing? Well.. not yet! At the moment it’s remarkably inconvenient, but I shall slog through to the other side.

  • Mage Bailey Says:

    We will be with you crossing our fingers and toes for a better job after the un job. 🙂

  • Amanda Says:

    I am sorry to hear this, but maybe you’ll be able to spend more time writing.

    If you set up a Patreon, I would kick in. I’ve been waiting so many years to find out what is going to happen to Rowan and Bel…