I wanted to do this as a rant in the Pit, but I’m too sad and tired. My boss left suddenly - something happened, but we’re not allowed to know what, I guess for privacy reasons. He had never given any indication of intending to leave anytime soon, so it was quite a shock. We had worked here together for almost 7 years, and now I just feel adrift. Have not been happy here for a while, and there have been some other changes made that I also dislike. If anything, I thought I would be the first to go. Now everything sucks. Don’t know what to do. Dammit.
Start looking for a new job is probably step 1. You don’t have to make the change, but you should look to see what your options might be.
Yes, and that is a tough row to hoe. Am thinking of looking into job coaching. Will need to spend some time this weekend trying to find reputable job coaches.
Yes, what @What_Exit said. Even if you don’t think you’re quite ready to make a move to a new job, updating your resume, getting it out there and keeping an eye on what’s available on the job sites should help you feel more in charge of the situation, and consequently less sad and stressed about it.
I feel your pain. My former manager wooed me back last year from another project I had transferred to – in part because she was such an awesome boss – and then six months later she left. (Her boss totally dicked her over on a proposal that she had spent the last three years laying the groundwork for.)
Unfortunately I’m too old to go looking for another job at this point. I’m about five years from retirement and am trying to just ride it out to the end.
Good luck!
@Skypist , that’s rough! Hubby is going through something similar right now. His boss of the last 2 years, someone who has really helped him grow in his position and he was hoping to learn more from in order to take a position of her level someday, announced at a work lunch that she’d be leaving soon because she was offered a better position across the country for a lot more money. She’s going to help him as much a she can before she leaves, but it was still a blow.
{{{Skypist}}}
This is a very good idea, and is exactly what I did when I was at a crossroads with my job. The external career counselor worked with me to discover what I really wanted to do and helped me make the decision I needed to make. It was the right decision and I never regretted it. It was money well spent.
This is why i often exchange personal contact information with coworkers i like. Well, maybe it’s not the only reason, but if my boss left suddenly, in a veil of secrecy, i would text him.
Best wishes. I agree with everyone else about looking for jobs.
I understand where you are coming from because I’ve gone through it myself. The suggestions to update your resume and window shop jobs are good ones just in case you get a demon for new boss.
One thing I went through that you might watch out for is having your boss’ boss try to get you to do some of your former boss’ work in an effort to fill the void. I tried to help to some extent, but I actually had to say “NO” in other cases where the requests were unreasonable. Only you can determine what to do in your particular situation.
I was going to suggest this, if possible. Getting a little more context about why he left might help you feel better about your job – or more resolute about leaving it. Plus, maybe he needs someone like you at his new job.
If you don’t already have his contact info, you might be able to find him on LinkedIn or Facebook, and connect that way.
I am able to text him but am not sure how much to pry. Oh, man, would I love to pry, but he might be smarting, too. I suspect a personality clash. Not sure what that says about what I should do!!
Like I said, I think I definitely need the help of a qualified, reputable job coach. I’m thinking about going with the ones at Flex Jobs but want to check into that a bit more before committing. I believe there are job coach associations to look at qualifications.
I don’t feel like I have many job skills or prospects or even know what to look for. It might be interesting to see how things shake out here, maybe.
It’s at least nice to know there are others who get what this is like. Thanks so much for the emotional support!!
Don’t pry. Just reach out, tell him you are sad he’s gone, and you wish him well. He’ll share if he wants to, unless a court order prevents that. He’ll probably at least reply with something bland, and you’ll know he wasn’t hit by a bus.
I often say that half of your job IS your manager. The good ones are memorable.
As are the bad ones.
You have my sympathies on this, and my best wishes for a better- and easier-than-expected next chapter.
As someone who has undergone way too many boss changes in my career (seven or eight at last count), I can say this- it feels very scary and precarious when a respected long-time boss leaves. There’s a feeling that things will change, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about how.
The good news is that usually it’s temporary- unless you end up with a complete ass as your boss, they usually don’t change things drastically right at first.
I’d definitely brush my resume up and put out feelers/post your resume and see what’s out there, but I don’t know that I’d necessarily assume that having a boss change is automatic grounds for changing jobs. If nothing else, it tends to make you more desperate for a new job, and that’s never a good place to be when you’re making a high-impact move like that.
I joined a firm just to work for a great boss. Months later, he left suddenly.
My advice: Go ahead and pry! I got the whole story by offering to buy him a beer, and he shared what little there was (no drama, he got an offer from a computer games company. And he shared a lot of little stuff that our big boss had pulled on him. But that helped me cope whenever the boss acted that way toward me.)
And Favorite Boss did offer me a job! The only catch is that it was out in the wilderness, and my wife would’ve had to drive mountain roads after dark to the nearest town where she could work. It hurt to say no… he was The Best Boss Ever.
No advice or anything. This thread just reminded me of when my boss was escorted off of the base. He was sacked for sexual harassment.
Very sorry you are going through that. It sucks a whole lot.
My boss of twenty years just retired. She was a pillar of strength and competence, and had legacy knowledge of all the workings of our biggest clients. She was also my shield against some of my other jackass bosses, one of whom is starting to try to throw his weight around just because he can now. I miss her every day. But I’ll be retiring soon, too, so that will be that.