I keep thinking about how I should write a post & then I
never do. There are a lot of things that have gone on since my last
post including some birthdays, a wedding, etc. The latest, which
doesn't really supply an opportunity to post pictures is that this past
Monday I was told that due to the hit the economy is taking on the
company I work for, my official last day of employment is October 29,
2010.
This was quite a surprise in one way & not so much in another. Last May, I believe it was, I had been told the owners were going to move to SC to be closer to her daughter & granddaughter. The plan at that time was to have me continue to work for them & run the local office until they either sold the building the company is located in or decided to move it to SC or even possibly shut it down. I knew in the past that they had moved the company from AR, so was surprised to think they would, but it meant my employment with them was open-ended & could technically end at any time. But since they were talking trying to move between September & October for themselves, I thought there was a chance that I might have another year to work here before I had to start looking again.
Then in August, her son was found to have some cysts on/in his brain - at least that was the first idea. After testing, they decided they were tumors & it ended up they were skin cancer / melanoma in his brain. So she has taken off most of the last 1 1/2 to 2 months to be with him during the 3 surgeries, etc. Finally has been home about 2 weeks & Monday came in after I had gotten to work and didn't seem to be in a very good mood. So I just figured something had occurred over the weekend and it would work out. But when she handed me my paycheck, she told me they were going to have to let me go after this month. And that she has no idea what they are going to do. Business is so bad that they haven't even been buying/ordering more product to fill orders in what I would consider a timely manner to assure no products going on back order while the product is manufactured. So I knew things were getting bad.
So, at least this gives me a date to work with! I have checked & it seems I am right, I should be eligible for unemployment. I may not even have to worry about the wait week, especially if they were to close the company. And I am certainly being let go through no fault of my own. She is even going to write me a letter of recommendation. I also have reapplied & been accepted by the temp agency that placed me here. I filled out the application yesterday before work & had my interview today. They said that since I am now in the computer I could get calls offering me jobs before November 1, but that starting the last week of this month, I need to start checking in each week.
After being told they were moving, I started making a mental pros & cons list - the cons of getting a new job aren't all that big. There are a few things I have learned that I would prefer not to repeat from working in a small office that is almost all family. Some is just from it being a small office. I kind of like the relaxed atmosphere, but at least here it has meant that nothing much is in writing, so I would love to see vacations & holidays all spelled out so that I know what to expect & not find out on Friday that I have or do not have Monday off, for instance. I also wouldn't mind having the option of having personal days. Here I have pretty much been able to take off & still get paid, if I needed to. But having it in writing I think would make it easier to feel comfortable in asking for it.
A part of me won't be too terribly hurt if no jobs are available until January 1 - as long as I do qualify for unemployment! I do still have a car payment, etc. after all!
Original comments:
This was quite a surprise in one way & not so much in another. Last May, I believe it was, I had been told the owners were going to move to SC to be closer to her daughter & granddaughter. The plan at that time was to have me continue to work for them & run the local office until they either sold the building the company is located in or decided to move it to SC or even possibly shut it down. I knew in the past that they had moved the company from AR, so was surprised to think they would, but it meant my employment with them was open-ended & could technically end at any time. But since they were talking trying to move between September & October for themselves, I thought there was a chance that I might have another year to work here before I had to start looking again.
Then in August, her son was found to have some cysts on/in his brain - at least that was the first idea. After testing, they decided they were tumors & it ended up they were skin cancer / melanoma in his brain. So she has taken off most of the last 1 1/2 to 2 months to be with him during the 3 surgeries, etc. Finally has been home about 2 weeks & Monday came in after I had gotten to work and didn't seem to be in a very good mood. So I just figured something had occurred over the weekend and it would work out. But when she handed me my paycheck, she told me they were going to have to let me go after this month. And that she has no idea what they are going to do. Business is so bad that they haven't even been buying/ordering more product to fill orders in what I would consider a timely manner to assure no products going on back order while the product is manufactured. So I knew things were getting bad.
So, at least this gives me a date to work with! I have checked & it seems I am right, I should be eligible for unemployment. I may not even have to worry about the wait week, especially if they were to close the company. And I am certainly being let go through no fault of my own. She is even going to write me a letter of recommendation. I also have reapplied & been accepted by the temp agency that placed me here. I filled out the application yesterday before work & had my interview today. They said that since I am now in the computer I could get calls offering me jobs before November 1, but that starting the last week of this month, I need to start checking in each week.
After being told they were moving, I started making a mental pros & cons list - the cons of getting a new job aren't all that big. There are a few things I have learned that I would prefer not to repeat from working in a small office that is almost all family. Some is just from it being a small office. I kind of like the relaxed atmosphere, but at least here it has meant that nothing much is in writing, so I would love to see vacations & holidays all spelled out so that I know what to expect & not find out on Friday that I have or do not have Monday off, for instance. I also wouldn't mind having the option of having personal days. Here I have pretty much been able to take off & still get paid, if I needed to. But having it in writing I think would make it easier to feel comfortable in asking for it.
A part of me won't be too terribly hurt if no jobs are available until January 1 - as long as I do qualify for unemployment! I do still have a car payment, etc. after all!
Original comments:
I say look at it as a nice paid vacation. A time to do some of the things you always wanted to get done around the house but never had the time to do. I know it's been great having hubby home these past 4 months. He now has a new job, starts next week and I'm already missing him doing the house work...
I figure I am not going to get into too big of a hurry to accept the first thing that comes along, unless it starts dragging out. And I have plenty I want to try to do at the house. And since I haven't had a vacation since A & I cruised to the Bahamas, I am ready for one.
The pay may not be that much different than a lower wage I will probably be offered from the sounds of it, my type jobs they told me today will probably start at about 2/3 what I am making right now & then if it changes into permanent employment, there could be a pay increase. Part of that is because the company is paying the temp agency about 1.5 times what the temp agency pays you. But for clerical work, I have been told that it is rare to find a job without going through the temp agency. And I think it is less stressful. When I came here, I had been without a job for a month - if it were to repeat itself, I might just have a job about the time it ends here or if it is about a month after I start interviewing, that isn't too bad either - at least if there is the unemployment there as well.