I Just Got Laid Off!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

After nine-and-a-half years of working with the same construction management company here in Calgary, the boss gave me my walking papers this morning.

The District has been light on work this year, with a bunch of expected projects falling through due to an increasingly competitive market and an estimating department that still thinks people will hire companies with a good reputation over companies that low-ball the competition. As a result, the team that has been in place has been strung very thin over the last several months trying to cover the work we do have without the boss hiring new staff that he’d just have to release if things didn’t play out.

Well, a few older projects are now wrapping up and that apparently means we have a surplus of people on the safety team. I guess I’m the odd man out in that equation.

At the end of the day, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. I have consistently refused to kill myself for the job, preferring instead to have a life outside of work hours and not put in 12-hour days like some of my now-former co-workers. Still, my last performance review had me meeting or exceeding expectations in every single category of a 70-point list, so it’s not like I was phoning it in.

Anyway, I’m still not quite sure how to react.

I’ve been loyal to the point of saying no to a couple of new job prospects in the last six months that would’ve meant a lot more money in the short term, but possibly also relocation and more hours. From that I know I’m very employable in a market that needs people with my skill set.

I’m also pissed with my boss. Since he entered the picture in 2009, every time I’ve had a conversation about where I’m going in my job, with new projects and whatnot, my job has gotten just a little bit worse. This last conversation of course being the emphatic stamp on the end of that thread. I’ve never really gotten feedback from him one way or the other in four years, so I still don’t know if he found me to be a valuable member of the team or not. He’s very good at what he does and there seems to be a general sense in the District that he can do no wrong, but for me he was nothing but the guy who made my job progressively more miserable, never provided feedback, and was never available when I needed him.

At the end of the day, this is the end of what I can easily characterize as the best job I’ve ever had, for the simple reasons that a) I didn’t dread going into work every day and b) they didn’t screw me around. Much.

So now I have some time to figure out where to go from here. Part of me wants to get my resume redone and on the market as soon as possible to keep the income flow steady. Part of me wants to take some time off to regroup, take stock and figure out what I want to do with my life. Part of me wants to just sit in front of the TV and watch movies for the next month. Part of me wants to get drunk and stay that way for about a year. And part of me thinks this is a golden opportunity to spend a ton of time in front of the computer writing my ass off, trying to find a sports journalism position that will pay the bills. Not sure what direction I’ll be going.

Thankfully my wife has been very supportive since I got home. Yay for support! We’ll figure all this out together and life will go on.

Anyway, just thought I’d share. :slight_smile:

2

Always a kick in the head to be laid off. Even from a job you hate. But especially from a job you like.

Speedy rebound to you, DPJ; Better job, better pay, better co-workers.

3

Dude, so sorry to hear this!

I can well believe that your skills will be in demand, so here’s hoping you find something good and permanent soon.
Roddy

4

Good luck Jimbo, no matter what else you decide to do, I would suggest you should at least get your resume updated and out there. Better to turn down offers than not.

5

Sorry to hear that, Jimbo. Best of luck with the job search.

6

Cool. I can use the 7th rung of my stepladder without fear now. :stuck_out_tongue:

But seriously, best of luck finding good new employment.

7

Spectacular new beginnings are often disguised as painful endings!

Congratulations on feeling so circumspect, well done.

(One drunken weekend, 10 days on couch in front of tv, three weeks of navel gazing, is a better recipe, I suspect!)

Every day that you are unemployed rise and congratulate yourself on not being a wage slave. Such opportunities are rare in life, might as well revel in it just a little, I should think!

Wishing you the very best Good Luck with whatever comes next!

8

Sorry to hear the news, Jimbo. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

In the interim–any golf courses still open? I could find time for a round… :smiley:

9

We’re coming to Saskatoon soon to review the Blades. {Eyes Gorsnak in a threatening way.}

10

Thanks everyone for the well wishes! Very much appreciated!

I’ve already made up my mind that I will do my level best not to wallow in pity, at least in part because I will not allow my former boss to have that power over me. So I’ll be devoting a bunch of energy to looking on the bright side. :slight_smile:

In the safety business there are any number of positions for which I’m highly qualified, so I won’t be losing any sleep about whether or not I can find something else. It’s really just a case of figuring out in which direction to head. And if I decide to start sending resumes to the other construction management companies in the industry, I already have contacts in most of them, so that’s to my advantage.

QuickSilver, I read an article a few years ago that said the fastest way to work your way up the ladder was to move to a new company every 3-5 years. In that respect I may be a little stagnant, but I’ve already seen opportunities in the last few months for upward climbs on the food chain, so I know those better jobs, pay and people are out there somewhere.

Roderick Femm, it seems I now have some free time on my hands, so our next trip to San Francisco may be sooner rather than later. :slight_smile:

What Exit?, polishing up the resume is high on my agenda. And I’ve already revised my LinkedIn page. Next step is letting the headhunters know I’m available.

Thanks Northern Piper. I appreciate the luck!

Gorsnak, I’m qualified to become an OHS officer in Saskatchewan if they’re hiring, so watch yourself! :stuck_out_tongue:

elbows, I’m already looking in about a gazillion different directions so maybe this will turn into a golden opportunity to chase something really interesting.

Spoons, I’m not sure if any regular courses are open, but I know there’s a couple virtual courses out there. :slight_smile:

11

Yeah, safety in Alberta shouldn’t be hard - every business we dealt with when I was dealing with the oil industry needed a guy for that.

I recommend you make a month of day-trips to the mountains, but then I’m in Edmonton and that’s always what I think I’d do in Calgary. :slight_smile:

12

We just spent the weekend in the mountains (Cranbrook and Radium Hot Springs), and it made me wonder why we don’t do that all the time.

ETA: I’m Dread Pirate Jimbo’s wife, in case that isn’t common knowledge yet. :slight_smile:

13

High five! :slight_smile:

:frowning: Oh. Sorry.

I hope things work out for you.

14

I am so sorry to hear this. I will not frighten you further with my unemployment experiences.

15

Best wishes for a speedy career recovery.

16

My only hesitation with going into the oil industry is that it usually means moving to Fort Mac and I’m not nearly addicted enough to hard drugs to do that. But I have a number of contacts in the safety field right here in Calgary, so finding similar work to what I was doing shouldn’t be a problem.

Woo!

I mean, D’oh.

Thanks a bunch. :slight_smile:

I’m hopeful that work circumstances in Wisconsin are different than here in Alberta. But feel free to regale me with all the horror stories so I maintain my perspective. :slight_smile:

Thanks a bunch! Much appreciated!

17

Plus the housing costs - $500,000 for a one bedroom shack, if you can find anything!

18

Yeah, housing costs are crazy. Plus there’s the death threats and drive-by shootings and stuff for safety professionals up there. :slight_smile:

19

And that’s just from the mayor - it’s like Toronto of the North up there!. :smiley:

20

Bring your clubs down here; we’ll hit the simulators at the local sports bar.