I pulled all my job-related posts from this blog because it wasn't really the focus that I wanted to have here - I wanted this blog to be more about my ideas about God and Christianity than personal updates. However, some (okay, maybe one and a half) people requested personal updates. Gotta respects my peeps, so here goes.
I was scheduled to lose my job July 11th. However, two weeks before this date, I received an email that stated that the layoff had been rescinded. That's it. No further explanation, no "welcome back and we're glad it worked out," and no apology.
I'm not real thrilled with how I was treated throughout this episode. However, there is much that I like about my job - it pays well, the work can be interesting, and I don't have a lot of oversight or pressure. In addition, it is a 9 to 5 job (well, 9 to 6), which is really unusual in IT - most Information Technology jobs require working or being on call on nights and weekends. When I realized all these positives about my job, I was thankful for the job that I have.
Last month I saw an interesting job with a smaller company. The pay range just barely covered my current pay, so that was a potential issue (if I give up 18 years of seniority, my pension and four weeks a year of paid vacation, I want to be compensated for it), but what really turned me off to the job was that it required nights and weekends. I suppose that I could view it as an investment in a better future - I think that I would have a better chance of advancing at a different company - but I'm not sure that I feel the need to advance at the expense of my time with church and family. I might be happier with new challenges, but I can find plenty of IT-related challenges on my own without making it a job requirement.
So the job hunt is in slow mode right now. That's what's going on.
thanks for the update, PJ!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand how you want to have nights and weekends reserved for fam, friends, and church--someday drew and I are gonna live like that, too:-)
Oh, and by the way--who's the half-person you are referring to? Me, or Kathie?!
Ugh work.. it makes me long for heaven
ReplyDeleteJess, re: "drew and I are gonna live like that, too"
ReplyDeleteYou know, it's funny. From the outside it might look like that is not a priority for you, since you have so very obviously ordered your lives differently right now. But, I know that you and Drew both want that and I have faith that you will find it some day. And not "someday when you are sixty-five and finally stop travelling/performing," but someday soon.
Regarding one and a half: you are one, anonymous on my last post is a half. Anonymous asked about my job, but he/she only counts for half because i don't know who they are (sorry, anonymous!).
Kathie's comment could have been just a plea for me to post anything, so she doesn't count in the "personal update" category. ;-)
actually you do know me, but I'm very ultra paranoid about OTHER anonymous people on the internet. So I am only semi-anonymous. I should consistently sign my name that way. Semi - hmmm. Does that downgrade me to a fourth?
ReplyDeleteI think you made the right decision about your job, but I agree that you were treated very shabbily. I wonder how morale is at your company.
Morale... stinks. It took a dive after the dotcom bubble burst in 2001, and never recovered. During 2001-2003, whole groups of people got laid off with no warning and no attempt to help remaining employees deal with it. People were given "pay in lieu of notice," meaning that your last day at work was the day you were notified that you were being fired. Rumors ran around that a security guard would show up at your desk with a box, and stand there while you cleaned out your desk. Yeah. Horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe company keeps saying how "all our competitors have a greater percentage of their employees in India" and tout how they are going to send x percentage more jobs to India real soon. They seem to think that this information will encourage employees that the company is working to stay competitive, and don't seem to understand that employees are fearing for their jobs. There is a real disconnect with most employees between what benefits the company, and what benefits the employee; most people don't think these are in any way the same.
Closer to home, my responsibilities over the last few years have shrunk. I used to do quite a range of things. Now, I am pretty narrowly focused. This seems designed to allow jobs to be sent overseas more easily, and I know that many of my colleagues and former colleagues (since we split into about four groups) now find their jobs fairly monotonous.
So, morale is bad, but we soldier on.
My comment was more of a "I know you're alive, write something!" plea. I didn't feel the need to ask for a personal update as I recently spoke to you live and in person about that very thing. ;-) Sorry, guys, it's true, Peaj and I actually communicate outside of our blogs. However, PJ, that does not give you carte blanche to be a slacker on your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat?!?!?! You guys TALK? what do you if you wanna send a wink, as in ;-)? Don't tell me you actually just wink?!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteUm, you know we're both married, right? And not to each other? And that we see each other at church? Not really the place to be exchanging winks. They might be misinterpreted.
ReplyDeleteUnless it's like a stage wink so broad that it looks like you're having some kind of fit. That might be funny.
I know - in honor of Jess, the next time I talk to Kathie and feel that a wink might be appropriate to the conversation, I'll scratch out a ";-)" on a piece of paper and hand it to her. ;-)
Hmm, passing notes in church, no, that wouldn't be misinterpreted at all! ;-)
ReplyDelete