I am not having a good week

[Crusoe]

My employer's future is looking rather dodgy at the moment, and I'll know whether I'm likely to still have a job by Friday morning UK time -- I'm sure anyone reading the papers can guess who it is -- so the office has not been a happy place.

Escaping from the gloom I went out to a bar last night, courtesy of management trying to lighten the atmosphere. After quickly knocking back a few pints I decide to cut my losses rather than face a hangover at work today and try to sneakily scarper.

Unfortunately I forgot the two small steps in the middle of the bar, and in front of around 200 people from work (including partners, managers and HR) fall down them. Stumbling home wasn't too much of a problem, but waking at 2am with my ankle the size of a grapefruit and every movement causing agony was.

So here I am, repeatedly checking for new posts as I'm stuck at home with nothing to do, having faced up to a disbelieving HR person on the phone ("You were at the drinks last night and you're off sick today? Riiiight.").

I know, I know, this is a really poor attempt at a rant. Unfortunately it's the best I can manage today.

[ruadh]

There's nothing worse than calling in sick when you really are sick or injured and everyone just assumes you're hungover.

Hope your tomorrow's better Matt.

[Crusoe]

Cheers mate!

[dreamer]

Crusoe - sending healing prayers your way

Hang in there....

~dreamer~

[jjimm]

Mate, I don't know you, but do sympathise (also working for shaky-ground employer, and have also recently taken a tumble down stairs during a works do).

I suggest in future you put jjimm's rule of sick leave into practice: only take time off sick when you're well. Go in when you're sick, no matter how bad. That way when you do ring in sick, they'll say "blimey, he always comes in no matter how shit he feels. He must really be unwell".

[Crusoe]

Thanks again all.

I used to go the real no-fault method of sickies: turn up looking awful until I get told to go home. Unfortunately I couldn't walk yesterday. I can today, so obviously my ankle wasn't as bad as I'd thought. Unfortunately I also fell over (sober) yesterday and somehow twisted something else. Ouch.

[kabbes]

Aw matt, things don't sound too hot right now, eh? Any news on security yet?

Still, remember that should the "worst" happen, I'd have thought that you'll be able to walk into another similar large company quick as you like and you'll hopefully get some nice severance out of it too.

Or you could always get a job recommending albums Got any more suggestions on that front?

Things'll pick up soon enough. Enjoy the weekend.

pan

[Crusoe]

No news yet. To be honest I don't think there'll be any announcements, just an obvious decline in workload that leads to some inevitable conclusions.

I'd like to think it's easy to get another job but if I'm honest I'm not really any better off skill-wise than I was two years ago, and if 6,000-odd other UK employees are also dumped unceremoniously into the market ... well, maybe some bar work would be a nice change. I'm not even convinced there'll be any money for redundancy payments if things go badly quickly. Who knows?

[Crusoe]

Oh, album recommendations:

From Here On In by South
Tindersticks by the Tindersticks
Nothing Changes Under The Sun by Blue States

[Tansu]

There's something about physical pain that allows it to unerringly seek out those who are already stressed.

Worried about your job? Have a bollixed ankle!
Lost your job? Have this nice urinary tract infection - if you can't sleep from the abdominal pain, that'll give you more time to worry!

They won't punt 6000 people at once. That would be ridiculous. I'm sure your employers' main competitors will soak up the workers along with the business. Think about it. There's a certain amount of work to go round. If your chaps aren't doing it, someone else will, and will therefore need to take on more people.

Even if the worst comes to the worst, it's not as bad as all that. You'll get good severance. I'm still getting by on the odd bit of freelance editing and brochure design, plus royalty payments from the last job. (Mind you, I live up north in a cheap house).

[Steve Wright]

Originally posted by Tansu

Lost your job? Have this nice urinary tract infection - if you can't sleep from the abdominal pain, that'll give you more time to worry!

That happened to me about three and a half years ago.... Tansu, are you re-using parts of my old life?

(If so, I offer the following advice: run. Run fast, run far. Start now.)

[Tansu]

Well, you'd finished with them, so I thought they were fair game for foraging.

[Crusoe]

My week doesn't get any better. My football team, who needed a plain win today to get a chance at promotion this season, are currently 7-1 down at home. Seven fucking one. I mean, I know it's not the end of the world for the rest of my life, but this is getting ridiculous.

Still no news at work. Clients are leaving, management's saying nothing, emails to recruitment agencies are flying, but there's a lack of jobs for underskilled 26-year-olds with lots of soft skills and fuck all else.

And my favourite pub is closing early tonight for a private party. Damn.

[TwistofFate]

Monkychews having a private party?

Get a bottle of Whisky, sit back, and fuggedaboutit.

[Crusoe]

I have a better plan. I am currently on my sixth pint and plan to drink until I wake in a gutter. It's no solution, and I will feel bloody awful tomorrow, but in the absence of a better plan it's my favoured option. I've rounded up some fellow stragglers and plan to hit the town shortly.

[kabbes]

If it's any consolation, I actually noticed the 7-1 win - this is a game I would not normally register. So you're a touch more infamous than on Saturday morning. Crumbs of cumfort, Crusoe, crumbs of comfort.

Still, how about that Baggies-Blades match, eh? Good heavens.

My team has just won it's third successive match 4-0. Things are good

Something I've just noticed: your new(ish) nick is an anagram of O! Curse! Perhaps you might consider changing it back...

pan

[Una Persson]

Crikey, matt, that sucks. It's not Nortel again, is it? Because Fierra went through all of this with with them last year...well, except the falling down...and she doesn't follow sports...OK, maybe it's not the same.

I hope things work out well for you; I know this has been a grave concern of yours for quite some time now, and that long-term accumulated stress is terrible. Good luck, and let all of your friends here know what happens.

[kabbes]

Not Nortel. No, Crusoe works for a simply shredful company.

Ho ho.

[Crusoe]

....and here we go again.

30% redundancies start in a few weeks. By any objective standard I should be okay, but given the range of rumours flying around nobody really knows.

I'm starting to feel very bitter about the way employees are being treated and the "information" we're getting about what the future holds. If one twentieth of these rumours are true then the way people are being led on is nothing short of disgusting.

Oh, and the two best players in my team were arrested the other day for assaulting a police officer. I doubt their careers have much further to go.

[Francesca]

Yeesh. Harsh times, Matt. Here's hoping it works out okay.

[Crusoe]

Oh, I'm not worried about my future. Either way I'll survive. It's more anger at the way things are being handled and the way the whole situation has arisen and been treated.

[kabbes]

Yes. Large corporations: loathe them or ignore them, you just can't like them.

[Crusoe]

Heh.