Not sure which way to take the news I got today. Also not sure whether to put this here or in the Pit.
I got laid off from my job this morning, from a company I’ve worked at for 9 years. (Funny how this came just a couple days after I posted in the “Is there such a thing as job security” thread.)
On the one hand, I have a reasonably good severance package – 27 weeks’ pay. On the other hand, it will not last forever.
I am in an awkward stage – I am really just a bit too young to retire, but regardless of theoretical laws against age and sex discrimination, a woman pushing 60 will find it hard to compete against younger – and more masculine – folks in the job market. Most employers don’t want to take on someone who will likely be retiring in a couple of years. And I’ll have to go buy an “interview suit” and go through all that job search and interview crap.
I know which parts of myself I can “market” – maturity, low probability of asking for maternity leave – but it will not be fun. IN fact, it will be a PITA, frustrating, and I will probably have to travel a lot of dead ends. I was the ONLY person in my entire family with a full-time job. My husband is retired, one (adult) child is currently unable to work, the other (adult) child is working part time while attempting to pursue an acting career (she IS supporting herself, though).
I have a vacation scheduled for next week anyway; maybe I’ll just start out tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll sleep late.
That is all. Thank you for listening. We now return you to your regularly scheduled message board.
Well, that just sucks rotten eggs MLS. The older I get (51 next week) the more I worry about what would happen if I were to lose my job. I do a lot of important stuff there, as I’m sure you did, but that does not mean I am indispensible. Best of luck finding a new job. For now, go relax and enjoy your vacation for a few days. I think you deserve it.
A Blessing In Disguise! That is how you must look at this. Seriously, why not say, “*I’m going on vacation, I’m going to find something else to do that is fun for me, and Damn it, I’m going to like wherever the universe puts me. *”
I know it sucks, but this could be a huge call to you to do something else. Start a business, travel, enjoy your hubby…etc…et cc
Well, travel is definitely in. Starting a business is definitely OUT. Not me.
I do keep thinking of how my father was let go from a factory he’d worked in for about 20 years or so, at about the age I am now, and how bitter he was. Then he got another situation through something called a “job shop,” the equivalent of consulting. He ended up happier than before, and making more money, too.
I realize that millions, nay billions, of people have it worse off than me. I was really hoping to just hang on for from 3 - 5 more years and then retire without having to go through all the job-hunt stuff, though.
A practical matter (and they should have told you this, but just in case–) You are still on the payroll for the 27 weeks.
So you do not need to tell anyone (job interviewer, credit form,…) that you are laid off. Sometimes this is very useful.
It is not a lie. Not at all. For instance, you can’t collect unemployment during this period since you are not unemployed (Unem is regulated by the states, but I’m very sure New Jersey has the same rule as California). I re-fi’d during this period and being technically employed sure helped the FICO and interest rate.
May you fall into a delightful job where they don’t demand a long-term commitment!
Actually, this is different from what I was told. The personnel gal told me I was “terminated” as of Monday, but that I had to leave as soon as I could get my stuff together. She encouraged me to apply for unemployment, so I did, on line this afternoon. She also said they will continue to send payroll deposits for I think it was 12 weeks, after which the rest comes in a lump sum. I am still on their health benefits rolls for 12 weeks as well. Another employee also told me that he believed unemployment could be received during that time, too. We’ll see what the UI folks say.
BTW, cite: Our Director of Human Resources was conferenced in and told me so.
told me and my boss so. But my boss later told me he wouldn’t verify employment on inquiry, so I gave out the employment-verification contact as the Director of HR
Maybe it also has to do with different kinds of “termination,” whether it’s a general layoff, or some other type. The company I worked for is HUGE. Some former layoffs have been in the thousands. But of course I am also well aware that huge corporations are far more interested in saving their own butts than having any concern for the individual, no matter what their slogans and HR flunkies say.
I guess the final word will be if UI accepts the claim. Although I am reasonably sure that there The Firm’s procedures are pretty water-tight, I’m going to have a lawyer go over the severance agreement before I sign it. I have until at least mid-August until I have to do so.
Another thing they have to do is to send me a list of everyone who was laid off, AND their ages and sex, so I can see if I think I have a case for age or sex discrimination. Of course, since there are not very many old ladies employed there to begin with, I am sure that most of the people on the list will be considerably more youthful than I. It will be interesting to see how many are female, though.
That may have been a mistake. Filing starts the clock running on whatever benefit period your state may have. You certainly will not receive benefits while you’re still getting payroll deposits.
Well, we’ll see what they do. I figured I had nothing to lose by filing.
I’ve decided I’m going to start my vacation early – at the crack of dawn tomorrow I will be off. I’m planning to go west, then south down the Blue Ridge Mountains, and then east again to the Outer Banks, to spend a few days on Ocracoke. After that, I’ll meander north along the Outer Banks by ferry and road, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, finally up the Delmarva peninsula and then on the Cape May ferry back to NJ. I won’t have any time constraints about getting back to go to work, anyway!