I just got fired (Tobin)

[Ralph Wiggum]

He deleted the OP.

Well, it is too late to Walldude or give tubby Tobin the Doug Bulna treatment.  If this story is even true.

Strange that he deleted it, unless he was getting PM's that noticed it's lies.

[Big Dog]

I am a little confused by the words and wisdom of Tobin. He states that he has to work 6 days/week to make it and then he also states that he has enough in savings to get by for a while.

But on reflection I should be confused since I'm basically, as Tobin himself would say Bat Sh%# Insane. What's worse is I don't even know it, I have no clue. Education is the key, or so they say. I think I shall go to college and get a degree in sociology. Or maybe an MBA in something. Or a CDL. At least until I get this all figured out somewhat.

Can someone please send out some vibes?

I would be happy to send you a Master of African American Gender Studies.

I have a black crayon, and I know how to use it!

[wasp69]

Reads a lot like you got fired for being a zero-initiative clock-punching drone putting the minimum into it, with a union 'Work to rule' attitude and no actual union to hide behind.  Tough titty, Tobin.

By Jove, I think you may have it.

[fatboy]

  Government requirements, aren't they fun?  Sheshe exaggerates about the volume, but there is one tricky piece of paperwork that may prove troublesome.  The record of work search efforts.  It's auditable at a moment's notice.

Response to Tobin S. (Original post)

Wed Jul 6, 2016, 02:39 AM

Star Member sheshe2 (32,371 posts)

25. I am so sorry Tobin.
 
................................ I am going nuts

First Tobin, now HeShe. Who next?

[wasp69]

Tue Jul 5, 2016, 10:04 PM

Star Member Tobin S. (8,822 posts)

I just got fired.

Sleeping on the job?  Sitting idly by while waiting to be tasked?  Spending an entire shift sitting on your ass and contemplating how crazy the rest of us are?

I'm shocked you didn't get promoted.   

I was totally blind-sided by it. Never even had a clue it was coming.

I'm sure you didn't.  Clock punchers and seat warmers seldom see it coming.

[Texacon]

Did he really think the HR lady showed up at night for NO reason ...

Sounds like they were tipped off and made a check. Found him sleeping.

KC


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[fatboy]

I would be happy to send you a Master of African American Gender Studies.

I have a black crayon, and I know how to use it!

That degree is a bit to too much, something a bit more modest with less marketing potential and a higher cost might not be more appropriate? Wouldn't want to give the appearance that I'm overqualified for work a paycheck.

But I do appreciate the offer. Would you be able to drop it off at my place? This afternoon before the dart tournaments begins?

[Big Dog]

That degree is a bit to too much, something a bit more modest with less marketing potential and a higher cost might not be more appropriate? Wouldn't want to give the appearance that I'm overqualified for work a paycheck.

But I do appreciate the offer. Would you be able to drop it off at my place? This afternoon before the dart tournaments begins?

Do you have beer?

[thundley4]

The record of work search efforts.  It's auditable at a moment's notice.

Some states, like Illinois make it easy for union members. All that is required is signing the book at your union.

[Karin]

Oh yeah, NY is like that too.  All kinds of exemptions for union guys.  What a crock.  What do these guys do down at the union hall?  Is it like a VFW where they drink beer and shoot the shit? 

[thundley4]

Oh yeah, NY is like that too.  All kinds of exemptions for union guys.  What a crock.  What do these guys do down at the union hall?  Is it like a VFW where they drink beer and shoot the shit?

I don't know what they do at meetings. In 27 years of belonging to one, I've went to a total of two meetings.  The first was when I was sworn in and the second was for a vote on raising our dues. 

[landofconfusion80]

Oh yeah, NY is like that too.  All kinds of exemptions for union guys.  What a crock.  What do these guys do down at the union hall?  Is it like a VFW where they drink beer and shoot the shit?

I delivered mail to one. Don't recall beer, but it did consist of a bunch of guys sitting around all day hoping (I guess) that a spot would open up at the vacuum place across the street.  Right to work would've cleaned up that community immensely

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[Karin]

I used to work with a girl who was married to a union electrician.  They have a rotating arrangement in which when it's your turn to work, you work, generally on a fixed project.  The guy seemed to be always in a state of unemployment, sitting around the house for days on end.  I think it drove her crazy, even though she'd been raised to believe in the union way. 

 

[J P Sousa]

Oh yeah, NY is like that too.  All kinds of exemptions for union guys.  What a crock.  What do these guys do down at the union hall?  Is it like a VFW where they drink beer and shoot the shit?

Had to visit a steel workers hall once to pick up literature for my daughters school project, they were playing poker. Didn't even get up, just pointed.   

[fatboy]

Do you have beer?

No, you can bring some.

 

[SVPete]

I could have gone one way and beat the living shit out of somebody or I could have gone the other and cleared out my locker. Fortunately probably for a lot of people, I chose the locker.

  Tobes would be winded after 2 laps around his boss's desk, and after 3 laps CPR or an AED would be necessary.

[Big Dog]

No, you can bring some.

 

What kind of dart tournament doesn't have beer?

[Karin]

"Bet I can jump this creek with this forklift."   I knew a dumbass who surfed down the stairs in a bustub.  Fired.

[freedumb2003b]

Now it can be told.

Me and my 7-year employer (which bought my prior 15-year employer) parted ways at the end of May.  Not for my performance, which was stellar.

The facts:
Those in the Consulting biz will understand this:  nearly 100% utilization (85% goal), 2 years of work lined up, all reviews Excellent or Outstanding.  Beloved by colleagues and clients (truly -- proof in a minute).

The reasoning:  The Company wants people that do the "networking" thing.  They want proof that you are contributing to The Company beyond just billing the hell out everything (my bill rate: $300/hr).  It wasn't just me.  The Company decided to eliminate many up-mid-level techies who don't Play The Game Well.  My spies (I have many) tell me that a raft of people in my position (well paid, high tech performers, hands-on, knowledgeable) were purged. My "supervisor" has been put on death watch himself.

What is going on is that The Company doesn't really understand technical Consulting (they just lost a HUGE deal) and think you can offshore everything.  Also, I am a bit older and, even though I promise you I keep my tech skills current, I don't Social Media because I don't think anyone gives a rat's ass that I just took a crap at the Starbucks at Wilshire & Westwood while waitring for a Frappe that has as many calories as Big Mac.

I look forward to watching The Company crash and burn when they realize they CAN NO LONGER DELIVER on their technical projects (as was already realized by one of the largest companies in the US).

Anyway, what did I do?

Of course, I went to my nearest Internet BB and whined and cried and complained about how I was set up.

Oh, wait, that isn't what I did at all.

One: I have never lost an argument, much less a job (/Charles Emerson Winchester III).  No matter if it was senseless, it is demeaning, embarrassing and something I would prefer not to publicly admit (no offense my DC homies!).  I aqm old-fashioned and capable of shame.

Instead, I took stock of my situation.  Many years of thrift and decent investment put me in a pretty good cash position.  I and Mrs. FD could go 2 years unemployed if I chose (I choose not).  Let me note that Mrs. FD has been a rock throughout this.  Without her support I would have probably collapsed and maybe even hit the bottle in a pity-party (I don't drink -- from choice, not AA).

Then I hit my networks HARD.  I have dozens of clients and hundreds of people who I had a great relationship with. I have "worked miracles" in more than one place and always get along well with people (despite evidence on this board I really DO have a good sense of humor).

Let me wrap it up for one and all:  After one week of terrible/no sleep and constant contact I have hung out my shingle, have work for the next 3 years or so lined up and actively working now and at about 40% more than my salary (truth!)   I have to pay my own Health Care but that is not so terrible as all that: about $900/mo for me and the Mrs.

We were worried about what I would do when I retire and talked about going independent.  Well, The Company forced my hand, and did me a HUGE favor by kicking me in the ass.

I have started an S-Corp (or C-Corp - my accountant is going back and forth) and will start getting a paycheck from me next month (as will Mrs. FD). 

I am now either: self-employed or semi-retired.  I don't care which.  I am close enough to my Retirement "Magic Number" I expect to hit it next year based on the work I have lined up.  My boss is an asshole but I can deal with him ;)

I have told this to no one on any site -- my family only knows part of the story.

No more mid-year/year-end reviews!  No more stupid "What did you contribute to the Company?" year-end.  No more "Give back to the Community" while having 25 people paint a fence that 1 could do in an hour (while getting free high-end catered lunch).  I work for me.  I call my hours and am answerable to no one, except the clients who only need deliverables.

Also: NO MORE TRAVEL!!  After 3 million air miles and 1,500 hotel nights I am home and that is part of my contract.  I am Plat for life at one airline and hotel chain so that works for me.  I am getting healthier by the day!


Tobin is the polar opposite of we on this board.  I am 100% sure any and all on this board if unexpectedly separated would do what I did: take a moment to mourn, look at options, decide on a plan, pull the trigger, live with the results.

You heard it here first.

[SVPete]

No more mid-year/year-end reviews!  No more stupid "What did you contribute to the Company?" year-end.

I was about to say, all that self-evaluation and review process will be much simpler and quicker.

  time ... I've been laid off 5 times since 1993, 4 since being on Internet discussion sites. AT MOST I let friends know what is up and ask for their prayers. I do NOT burn bridges! I'm not that stupid! More often, I say nothing online until I am at my new job. Prospective employers talk to past employers, and sometimes I meet people I've worked with before when interviewing for a job. Bad-mouthing one's employer or past employers is a good way to make oneself unemployable!

[freedumb2003b]

I was about to say, all that self-evaluation and review process will be much simpler and quicker.

 :bouncy: time ... I've been laid off 5 times since 1993, 4 since being on Internet discussion sites. AT MOST I let friends know what is up and ask for their prayers. I do NOT burn bridges! I'm not that stupid! More often, I say nothing online until I am at my new job. Prospective employers talk to past employers, and sometimes I meet people I've worked with before when interviewing for a job. Bad-mouthing one's employer or past employers is a good way to make oneself unemployable!

One of my current contractor gigs is with The Company.  I still have many friends there who are aghast at the pogrom.

They need me, I need them:  I will use them like a rented mule as long as I can.

Their destruction will take time -- more than enough for me to profit.


In the meantime, Go Company!

[landofconfusion80]

My dear freedumb, well done!

I've had a lengthy career path myself, bounced around a bunch after college. My longest run was at sylvania. After 5 years, I wasn't thrilled where things were going. Bounced from there back into a machine shop (big mistake) and lasted 6 months before they ran out of capital projects and let me go. I hit it HARD after that, went on an interview spree that would shock most people. Sucked it up this time and took unemployment. We cleaned up our finances a bunch during sylvania so we were somehow making money off those checks.  I refuse to be defined by my failures, I stayed agressive for months and wouldn't settle for just any job. It all paid off

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[SVPete]

One of my current contractor gigs is with The Company.  I still have many friends there who are aghast at the pogrom.

They need me, I need them:  I will use them like a rented mule as long as I can.

Their destruction will take time -- more than enough for me to profit.


In the meantime, Go Company!

My first layoff - 1993, a company that no longer exists, even within the company that swallowed the company that swallowed them - the company had pre-paid outplacement classes for the people who had been laid off (a large number). I looked around the room, and realized two things: 1 person out of the 20 or more there had been at the company less than 5 years; while I had been at the company for over 11 years, a quarter or more had been there longer than I. IOW, the company was getting rid of people who were at the high end of the salary range for their positions and were accruing vacation at the highest rate.

Sounds like your former employer's "pogrom" may have had a similar goal. With those laid off went a lot of "corporate memory" - of how to get things done, contacts internal and external - and a lot of relationships with customers. Short-term actions have long-term consequences.

[98ZJUSMC]

Some states, like Illinois make it easy for union members. All that is required is signing the book at your union.

Imagine that..........   

And they wonder why we consider their "safety net", a porch hammock.

Or, the updated for Millennials, basement futon custom gaming console.

[thundley4]

Imagine that..........   

And they wonder why we consider their "safety net", a porch hammock.

Or, the updated for Millennials, basement futon custom gaming console.

OTOH, Illinois democrats are driving companies that have union workers out of the state with other regulations and taxes.