7/17/09

Unemployment




Well, I had no intention of blogging about this subject this week but I am sorely in need of friendship and support and good thoughts so I am reaching out. I had some minor surgery on Tuesday, hernia repair, not terrible but uncomfortable. I have been at home since then recuperating. Just an hour ago my boss showed up at my front door with flowers. I didn't really want to answer the door because I'm not looking too stunning right now but I let him in anyway. We went to the kitchen and I thanked him for stopping and offered coffe. He declined the coffee and said he stopped in because he needed to talk to me. The first thing that came into my head was that he didn't believe I really had surgery (the man is uber paranoid).


Then out came the real reason for the visit....He fired me! Yes you heard right! The company I worked for is a landscape company and not doing well in this down economy so his plan is to have his wife work another day or so a week and to hire his daughter at a cheap hourly rate.


I didn't say a lot immediately, I was absorbing all of it. Then Mr. boss says "this is really hard for me, do you want to kick me out of your house?" What???? Because this is all about him as we all know! I told him yes, get the ....out of my house. Then I had to add that I am the one that just lost my job and my income! He admitted that was true and added that it was still really hard for him.


He then asked me for several favors, a list of duties, reminders, blah, blah. I didn't commit to anything.


Sighhhh!

13 comments:

Brenda said...

I am sorry to hear about your job. It seems that the downturn in the economy has hit many businesses very hard.

We have three large manufacturing plants in our town and a surrounding town who have also laid off many employees and everyone else is tightening their belts, but your boss's timing was horrible!

Some businesses do thrive in this economy simply because they offer the consumer a way to save money. I am involved in one such business and feel very fortunate. We actually offer free memberships.

Again sorry about your job.

http://homebasedbusinessbunney.com

The Bee said...

What an asshole!! You better start getting some more sales on Etsy.

Ann said...

Sorry to hear about the surgery and then this happening.
Firing someone because you're trying to cut back is one thing but to do it while that person is at home recuperating from a surgery is another. What a jerk. And then the nerve to ask you for a favor? I would tell him to figure it out for himself.

Lin said...

Are you kidding me?? He freaking FIRED you while you were recovering from surgery???! And he turned it around to be about HIM??! OMG.

I'm sorry, pally--that all of this happened. Geesh--that sucks.

I had hernia surgery in January and it takes awhile to recover on that one--which I thought it would be a breeze. You have to take it easy for awhile.

As for the job--it may just be a blessing in disguise if this dude is showing his real colors. Maybe it's just best you are out of there. Okay, once you are feeling a bit better--get back on that horse and start looking. Maybe if you don't need benefits--you may be able to find something else. It can be done.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the meantime and hoping you just feel better. YOU are most important right now--the rest will sort out on its own. And him--may he rot in hell.

Rebecca said...

Terribly sorry to hear you lost your job when you are obviously having a hard enough time as it is. Prayers going out for you. Maybe when you get well enough it will be a good time to start your own landscaping biz and give him some competition?

Buggys said...

Thanks for your support and good thoughts! Just what I needed, well, ok, I need a job too but all in good time.
Brenda, glad to hear you have a pretty insulated work life. Sounds intriqueing.

Rebecca, thanks for the prayers. Competing with him wouldn't even be that satisfying, good thought though.

Lin, you ARE chicken soup for the soul! Thanks for sharing my outrage at his total lack of decency! You're right about this hernia thing. I thought I would be good as new in a couple of days, not quite the way it's going. Well, at least I have a little extra time to recupe now!

Ann, don't fear, I will not be doing him any favors or offering a thimble full of help. Some people have no feeling for anything outside themselves.

Bee, asshole is exactly on point!

Jennifer said...

Frozen
I walk downstairs to make a copy......

The phone rings, distraction.
Faxes on the copier, distraction.

There is a scent in the air of warm garlic,
It's time for a break, it's time for lunch.

The freezer has been opened, a small box no longer stands alone.
It's just a microwave lunch; but it is a signal to stop and do something else.

Ignore the phones, chat about the day...
The hell with everything,
For, life is too short...so eat and be merry.

Step outside and stand together....

The office manager and I chat about our lives.
Smoke in the air, but there's dust on the road,
We roll our eyes and hurry back in.

There will be time later to talk.

I walk downstairs to make a copy......

The phone rings, distraction.
Faxes on the copier, distraction.

But, there is no longer a scent in the air of warm garlic,
Maybe it's time for a break, maybe not.

I open the freezer, two small boxes stand alone.
I could eat them, I could throw them away....
But, I won't!

Ignore the phones, think about the day....
The hell with everything,
For, life is too short.

Step outside and stand alone....

My friend is not there to talk about our lives.
Smoke in the air, and dust on the road,
I roll my eyes and hurry back in.

There will be time later to talk, with my friend, when I get home.
J

Lola said...

So sorry to hear about your job loss. What a tool! Since the company you worked for is small, the Family Leave Act probably doesn't apply. If it were large enough, he would have had to wait for your return to work to fire you and stop your benefits (if any).

I had surgery and went on disability. As soon as the company I worked for was legally able to terminate me, they did.

I say start sending out resumes now, while you are recuperating. Search online several times a week, or daily if you are able. In this job market it's going to take longer than normal to find something. The sooner you start looking the better.

Buggys said...

Jenn,
Do not make me cry! Damn, I left a garlic pizza there? That's worth driving down there to pick it up, you know I love those. I hope I didn't leave behind any chik-fila sauce, now that would be wrong.

Hey, I have a great idea. You need to be a guest blogger! I know, you love the idea...write anything you want. Ok, think about it.

Jennifer said...

Sorry, inspiration for my prose comes via strange ways....I went to make coffee and there were 2 little boxes staring at me from inside of the freezer..and it made me very sad.
Fill me in on what to do as a guest blogger...how fun!!!

Buggys said...

Figure out what you want to say..write it and email it to me. Want to include pictures? We can do that too. I'll post it when ever you send it to me, with your byline of course!

Anonymous said...

No FREAKING way -
what a complete and utter moron.
I may have to make a dirty shank card in his honor.
As for you - you will get a better job and more money and all kinds of happiness rolled in to a great big package! He will get run over my a bus because that is how karma works.

HDRKID said...

I once had a boss that gave us rubber checks, locks us all out of the building, threw out all my stuff, but that's not all - he called my new place of employment to bad mouth me. How did he find that out? By asking fiends of mine where I was.

Get better soon - you can guest blog on HDRKID.