I had put a countdown clock app on my iPhone. The title of my countdown clock was "I Quit." I was totally and completely ready to quit my job and I had decided that June 30, 2013 was going to be the day.
I'm still working. Even I need to take a minute to sort out why I'm still working.
If I think about it, it all started back in April. In April the college I work at discovered the new student enrollment for fall '13 semester was going to be 1/3 less than they had budgeted for. Another way to say this is, they were $3.5 million short. There was PANDEMONIUM. What were they going to do? Where were they going to find the money? Why did this happen? Were they going to have layoffs? Were they going to ask for early retirements? So many questions...
I stayed through all this HOOPLA because of one thing. If there were going to be offers of early retirements there were going to be cash bonuses to take the early retirement. I thought it would be silly to miss the opportunity to get a bonus and just take the early retirement. So I waited... The early retirement thing did not pan out. Bummer.
While I was waiting to see if the bonuses panned out, a better job opened up and I was qualified for it. So I applied. This job paid a 1/3 more than I am making now and it had fewer responsibilities. My fingers were crossed. If I could make more money, I'd have an easier time getting up for work in the morning. After all, isn't money the reason we go to work? I told my boss I was applying for the job and I asked for a reference. I figured a reference from my boss (who had just been promoted to CFO of the college and was in the capacity of Acting President) would carry a little weight. So I waited... I waited quite a while (more than 2 weeks) and then discovered they didn't even offer me an interview. Evidently, in their eyes, I was not qualified for the job. I WAS PRETTY DARN ANGRY. In fact, I was so irritated that I sat down and wrote my letter of resignation. I wrote it. I printed it. I signed it. And, I carried it upstairs and handed it to my old boss.
Ok, I need to take a couple minutes to update you on a few things that were going on at the same time all this waiting and whatnot was going on. First, they fired the president of the college. And then they fired the VP for Admissions at the college. Who else was going to fall under the axe? Also, I told you my boss had been promoted, so I don't currently have a boss. We are in the interviewing process for finding my boss, but they haven't hired anyone yet. Oh, and btw, one of the candidates for my new boss is a co-worker of mine who is extremely qualified. But, no, they didn't just want to promote him. They wanted to spend thousands of dollars to fly in possible candidates from hither and yon. Then, they hired my co-worker. I have a new boss. Finally, while this was all going on, they asked me to move out of my office and move into the basement. (sounds a lot like Office Space, doesn't it?) They told me this on a Friday and my move date was the following Wednesday. Awesome.
That's why I had to say I carried my letter of resignation UPSTAIRS to my old boss. I now work down in the basement and my new boss had not been hired yet. Anyway, the date I put on the letter as my last day was August 8, 2013. I was DONE! When my old boss took the letter he was not happy. He asked if this had anything to do with the fact that I had asked for a raise in January, written up a new PD and duty list in March, and he had said he would move forward on this and then had done nothing at all. (oh, did I tell you he got a $100k raise in his new position? awesome.) I said yes. Yes it did.
He asked me if I would wait a couple days and he would go to HR and see what he could do about my raise. Fine, I said. So I waited... A week later I'm told that HR told them they could not reassign my position in a way that would allow me to get a raise. BUT..., would I continue working for 3 or 4 more weeks until the NEW HR director they just hired is on board and in place. Looking at my job description and seeing about my raise would be the first thing this person will do. My NEW boss said he would make this his TOP priority.
Too late to make a long story short. This is why I'm still at work. I can tell you this whole evolution has been quite a roller coaster. I have been left exhausted and wrung completely out with all this rigamarole. The only good thing I can say about this is that either way it goes, whether I stay and have a raise or a quit and stay at home, I will get exactly what I want.
I think I'm in a very good place... even if it is the basement.
337. I like my new boss
338. It's super air conditioned in the basement. I'm wearing a sweater
339. Being in the basement helps me focus on the positive
340. My favorite blogger is blogging again
341. Tomatoes are EVERYWHERE
342. BLTs
343. Surprisingly balmy weather for the end of July and beginning of August
344. Dreaming of traveling to Prince Edward Island (and seeing where Anne of Green Gables lives)
345. Smiling just a little more
I'm still working. Even I need to take a minute to sort out why I'm still working.
If I think about it, it all started back in April. In April the college I work at discovered the new student enrollment for fall '13 semester was going to be 1/3 less than they had budgeted for. Another way to say this is, they were $3.5 million short. There was PANDEMONIUM. What were they going to do? Where were they going to find the money? Why did this happen? Were they going to have layoffs? Were they going to ask for early retirements? So many questions...
I stayed through all this HOOPLA because of one thing. If there were going to be offers of early retirements there were going to be cash bonuses to take the early retirement. I thought it would be silly to miss the opportunity to get a bonus and just take the early retirement. So I waited... The early retirement thing did not pan out. Bummer.
While I was waiting to see if the bonuses panned out, a better job opened up and I was qualified for it. So I applied. This job paid a 1/3 more than I am making now and it had fewer responsibilities. My fingers were crossed. If I could make more money, I'd have an easier time getting up for work in the morning. After all, isn't money the reason we go to work? I told my boss I was applying for the job and I asked for a reference. I figured a reference from my boss (who had just been promoted to CFO of the college and was in the capacity of Acting President) would carry a little weight. So I waited... I waited quite a while (more than 2 weeks) and then discovered they didn't even offer me an interview. Evidently, in their eyes, I was not qualified for the job. I WAS PRETTY DARN ANGRY. In fact, I was so irritated that I sat down and wrote my letter of resignation. I wrote it. I printed it. I signed it. And, I carried it upstairs and handed it to my old boss.
Ok, I need to take a couple minutes to update you on a few things that were going on at the same time all this waiting and whatnot was going on. First, they fired the president of the college. And then they fired the VP for Admissions at the college. Who else was going to fall under the axe? Also, I told you my boss had been promoted, so I don't currently have a boss. We are in the interviewing process for finding my boss, but they haven't hired anyone yet. Oh, and btw, one of the candidates for my new boss is a co-worker of mine who is extremely qualified. But, no, they didn't just want to promote him. They wanted to spend thousands of dollars to fly in possible candidates from hither and yon. Then, they hired my co-worker. I have a new boss. Finally, while this was all going on, they asked me to move out of my office and move into the basement. (sounds a lot like Office Space, doesn't it?) They told me this on a Friday and my move date was the following Wednesday. Awesome.
That's why I had to say I carried my letter of resignation UPSTAIRS to my old boss. I now work down in the basement and my new boss had not been hired yet. Anyway, the date I put on the letter as my last day was August 8, 2013. I was DONE! When my old boss took the letter he was not happy. He asked if this had anything to do with the fact that I had asked for a raise in January, written up a new PD and duty list in March, and he had said he would move forward on this and then had done nothing at all. (oh, did I tell you he got a $100k raise in his new position? awesome.) I said yes. Yes it did.
He asked me if I would wait a couple days and he would go to HR and see what he could do about my raise. Fine, I said. So I waited... A week later I'm told that HR told them they could not reassign my position in a way that would allow me to get a raise. BUT..., would I continue working for 3 or 4 more weeks until the NEW HR director they just hired is on board and in place. Looking at my job description and seeing about my raise would be the first thing this person will do. My NEW boss said he would make this his TOP priority.
Too late to make a long story short. This is why I'm still at work. I can tell you this whole evolution has been quite a roller coaster. I have been left exhausted and wrung completely out with all this rigamarole. The only good thing I can say about this is that either way it goes, whether I stay and have a raise or a quit and stay at home, I will get exactly what I want.
I think I'm in a very good place... even if it is the basement.
337. I like my new boss
338. It's super air conditioned in the basement. I'm wearing a sweater
339. Being in the basement helps me focus on the positive
340. My favorite blogger is blogging again
341. Tomatoes are EVERYWHERE
342. BLTs
343. Surprisingly balmy weather for the end of July and beginning of August
344. Dreaming of traveling to Prince Edward Island (and seeing where Anne of Green Gables lives)
345. Smiling just a little more
well i hope they honor you...and are not just blowing smoke to buy time...that rather sucks...esp tht they all of a sudden start moving when you stand up to them....
ReplyDeleteMe too..., but if it ends up that there is no raise, I will leave the job.
ReplyDeleteI missed the fact that you were bloggering again! I'm so happy! BUT this post made my blood boil. I was done so dirty at my last job (a technical school). So, so dirty. I hope things work out better for you. It's kind of you to stay on; I hope they're not taking advantage...
ReplyDelete