How crappy is that!

[HokeyReligions]

I knew my contract job was going to end. My 'boss' (Meg) told me it would last thru December. I volunteered to work one day next week (Wed 11/26) in another office sitting in for someone else. My work load has been very light and no new projects coming up. Okay, I can deal with that.

 

This morning I went to the other office to meet with the woman I'm sitting in for, and get the lay of the land. Then I went back to my office and turned on my PC. When the logon screen came up and I tried to log on I got a message that my user id had been deleted and I was not authorized to log on.

 

So.... I can't find Meg-- nothing new there as she never talks to me anyway. So I go over to the administration managers' office, Joyce. She handles the contract employees. She tells me that she talked to my boss briefly and was told that there was no work for me, so when I showed up I should be sent home. I say "permanently?" and she says "no, come back on Monday" Wha'fu? "Ok Joyce, but is there any point? If I don't have anything to do today, I won't have anything on Monday"

 

She then tells me that she needs to discuss my position with Meg. I go back to my office and collect all of my own stuff (I don't have much there - box of tissues, hand lotion, that sort of thing.) and I leave.

 

I'm thinking that if I was really to go back to work on Monday they would not have deleted my logon - they would have just told me to go home.

 

So I get home and make some phone calls to all the agencies and headhunters I've registered with. I get a call back about a temporary assignment for 2 weeks (well, 3 days next week and the full week after that). It starts on Monday. I went ahead and accepted it. Then I tried to call Joyce back and I get her voice mail. I left her a message and sent her an email. I also called the agency that sent me over there in the first place. They know nothing -- no one has called them back. Its Friday, people leave early. Now that company expects me back on Monday and the new place expects me on Monday. I'm going to the new place -- they can find someone else to "sit in" for the other person on Wednesday.

 

 

That's pretty crappy -- they don't call the agency that sent me and they don't tell me -- I just find out when I try to logon that my ID has been deleted!

 

Hmm.... The way they handle emails for terminated employees (permanent and contract) is to put a standard reply that the person no longer works there and that stays active for 3 months. So I sent myself an email to the work address. I haven't received a reply yet -- but I'll just betcha....

 

Well, at least I have something else for the next two weeks and I can squeek by the holidays on unemployment if I have to.

 

I hope this economy picks up fast in 2004!

[VASH THE STAMPEDE]

That is pretty crappy,I personally would break someone's neck.

But you handle it pretty good.

[quankanne]

hell, I'd want to break someone's fingers!

 

that's a pretty crappy way to dismiss someone, period. Be sure to bring that up with both the temp agency and the people at the office that did that to you. It's one thing to be let go, another to have it done in such a classless manner. Jackasses...

 

good to see you back, vash. How Chupi?

[moimeme]

Hokey - that stinks!!!! Lord but some companies are horrid at personnel relations. I hope the agencies can keep you busy enough, now. Fortunately, between 'flu and Christmas, there should be lots of positions coming up.

 

Vash!!!! Hi!!

[HokeyReligions]

I wrote a very nice letter of resignation and I didn't bad mouth anyone. I just accepted it for what it was -- a temporary position. I don't want to burn any bridges there.

 

One person there (a very high-up in the company) told me some things in confidence that helped me make my decision and this person also is giving me a supurb reference and has promised to let me know if he hears of anything anywhere else. I trust him that he is sincere - especially since he gave me him home address/phone and told me to use them now. He does have some connections in other companies - unfortunatly, he also told me that he is getting laid off after the first of the year. With execs they don't just come in one day and say bye-bye, they give them a few months to finish whatever work they have going on. I wrote him a letter of reference too and said I would be happy to talk to anyone who is interested. He was surprised a little by that, but I pointed out that I got one position based on what a subordinate had written about me. They wanted to know what kind of supervisor I would be and the best way is to talk to someone they supervised! Well, at least Im making contacts.

 

That company is so screwy though. I've seen their budget and a lot of the confidential info and there are going to be layoffs coming. I wish I could tell my friends that work there so they can prepare -- but I cannot. Everyone knows there will be cut-backs, etc. coming -- but they don't know WHO or what departments will be hit. I did assure them in my letter of resignation that any confidential information I may hold will remain confidential.

[HokeyReligions]

I got a call and an email today from the Administrative Manager (Joyce) where I worked for the last 7 months. She said she felt horrible about the way I was treated and she said I did not burn any bridges there and also told me to use her as a reference. She was so sorry that I left because she knew I was a valuable employee and I contributed a lot to the company (which is why a 2-week assignment stretched to 7 months!)

 

She really appreciated my letter because I outlined the situation, didn't try to blame anyone, and I also gave a full account of my duties and who needed to be contacted about what so that there would be no interruption in the work. I also gave an "inventory" of the work I created and exact locations on their mainframe so that others could access necessary information. And she contacted the agency that sent me there and told them that I was a great employee and she would not hesitate to bring me back if/when they have a new project come online. The agency said I am still in their good graces too.

 

To top it off she forwarded my letter to the woman that was supposed to be my direct supervisor , Meg, (I did not send her the letter for a lot of reasons) and she responded that I had done an excellent job and that the changes that I made will go forward as part of their regular business practices. She said she understood why I resigned and wished me the best.

 

Joyce said the only reason Meg was so generous is because some of the crap she pulled when I was there is coming back to bite her in the a$$ now and SHE needs to be in MY good graces! Especially since Joyce is demanding that I get paid for the 41 hours of OT I worked and didn't get paid for because Meg didn't want to know about it and refused to discuss it with anyone else. It was Linda, the Corporate Controller, who got with Joyce about it and said she felt I should be compensated because I really went the extra mile for her. Linda and Joyce started working on this, without Meg's input, and it had to get back to Meg at some point. That made Meg look really bad and even though she's the CFO, she is being held accountable for the way I was treated -- which flys in the face of the company credo of valuing their employees and treating them fairly, and her leadership style (yeah, right) is being questioned. Meg will NOT get a very positive review. Meg has been with the company just a year.

 

As hurt as I was about the situation, I feel that I handled it well and I feel so much better now that I have talked to Joyce and Linda, and my agency. As badly as I need to work I did the right thing in resigning when I did, and keeping a very accurate job log so that they could see the actual hours I worked and what I reported on my timesheet.

[CaterpillarGirl]

Congratulations, Hokey.

 

I, too, think you took the high road on this one, and it's nice to hear it's paid off! Very inspirational for me. I'll remember this story next time I'm tempted to go out in a blaze of fury!