The day after we arrived at the start of our tour (07 July) in Thessaloniki, Greece, I received an e-mail from the HR person at the company I had spent a fair amount of time interviewing at. Would I be available for a quick call?
The fact that the e-mail had arrived was not terribly surprising, only because of the fact that my references had informed me that they had all been contacted with the idea of moving up the reference check if possible. Still, one never really knows in the current environment until "the letter arrives".
The letter, it seems, arrived, along with a formal job offer.
I have nothing to complain about. The offer is the top of the range that they informed me they had (yes, it is a pay cut, but that was to be expected) and a very fair offer. All the anticipated benefits that my industry typically offers (much to the relief of my family). They had a "no accrued PTO" policy in the sense that time off can be taken as requested (People acting as adults. Imagine that.). And they are accepting of the fact that I would like to work remotely to continue to manage the transition at Old Home.
I will have to go into the office again, which will be odd after three years of not going into the office. That said, as the job is still local (and thus, no move) and they are willing to accommodate "remote", I have nothing to complain about.
Start date is 05 July. That means I will have been "out of work" for 37 days and most of that by my own choice to accommodate plans which were already in motion.
Thanks be to God, of course. And thanks to all of you as well for your prayers, well wishes, and encouragement.
On the Former Employer front, things continue to implode. I was informed by my friend that is still working there that she was notified that she is being laid off, along with 50% of the remaining work force, at the end of the month (for clarity, the company will have no laid off 80% of its employees since September 2022). This was not really surprise to her, as the company announced it was going to pay everyone for the entire month on the first payday of the month to help "with financial planning". I have, in all my days, never heard of this as a policy ever.
It remains a sad truism that the first layoff is always the best one to be laid off in.
I anticipate one more entry in this series, documenting the quite slipping of the company below the waters of bankruptcy - less of an obituary and more of an acknowledgement of the passing of an institution that had far more impact on my life than I would have likely anticipated when I took the job originally. Such is the nature of such things: the most innocuous of items can produce impacts far beyond just the job itself.
Congrats on the Job Front news TB. Now that you have a known Income, adjustment of Outflow can take place..... :) Helps much to have a new job when watching the old employer flame out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nylon12. I have finished the initial onboarding and so know what health coverage will cost and what we plan to put away for retirement, etc. - so we have a real number to work with (and, of course, to start planning for the next time this happens, as it seems to all too often).
DeleteMy former employer's script is written; it is just a matter of how quickly it will happen.
By my reckoning you were never really out-of-work. You had your job in retail. It would not be enough to sustain your lifestyle due to hours and pay-rate, buy it demonstrates your character in a very favorable light.
ReplyDeleteOur world would be a better place if every person between jobs scrambled so vigorously.
Thanks ERJ. You are right and I suppose if this had not come through, I would have just tried to adjust my hours up.
DeleteCongrats on your new job!
ReplyDeleteThank you sbrgirl! It is a great relief.
DeleteThat is great news ! I hope the new job brings in new challenges that the old job was beginning to get old. Great timing too !
ReplyDeleteThank you! The on-site interview really made a big difference as I got to see what I would be working with it and it seems really interesting and challenging.
DeleteThe timing, as you point out, could not be better.
As was said. Very good news indeed.
ReplyDeleteJohn in Philly. I choose Google Account, but the weirdness of the platform still made it any mouse!
DeleteThanks John!
DeleteGoogle has been cranky of late for reasons that I do not understand.
Congratulation on the new job. As for your friend being paid on first of month "for their financial planning" expect the doors to be lock by a receiver in that month. The company in their own way is trying to help out the ones left. Receivers come in one day before payday it may be that the employees would never see that income. Start taking anything personal home. You'll not know about it because they will show up at 5a.m. and lock all entrances. My job started the day after.
ReplyDeletegl
Thank you GL! And thanks for the insight into a potential background of the change in pay practices - that said, the company has spent all of its goodwill with employees and so even if it was meant as an employee friendly gesture, it was not received as such.
DeleteThe quarterly report should come out soon and the end of the month not long after that, so either way things should be clear shortly.
I'm glad for you. Prayers have been answered. I never considered being in the first wave of layoffs as a blessing. But seeing how things are falling out, those that are left are just waiting for the other hammer to fall. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI had a company vehicle at the job I got laid off of. The plan was to remain a contractor to maintain the transmitters and studio equipment. I pulled everything personal out of the truck the day after I cleaned out my office. Sure enough, got a call to drop the truck off at the parking garage the next day. Services not needed.
We had free snacks and cokes, got fed Tree Beards once a month. The company burned up all their good will with a ham handed, zero notice "pause in programming". I don't know of anyone that worked there that went back when they ended the pause. Commercial classical radio was a hard sell anyway.
STxAR, I would never have considered it as an advantage either, but time and time again this is what I have been told (and what I have experienced).
DeleteMy former employer tried to be a model of good corporate citizenship and employee concern. Sadly, they forgot one also has to succeed as a company for that to continue. And their seeming complete indifference to the situation of their employees once they started laying people off made their previous actions all appear as window dressing.
You've got spam. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, congratulations, TB. Praise the Lord, indeed!
You all be safe and God bless.
Linda, I am usually spam free, so I am always surprised when those things pop up. I tend to think of myself as being too low on the pole for this sort of thing.
DeleteAnd thank you very much.
Congrats on the new job TB. The timing of everything would indicate you have friends in very high places indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Glen. Very grateful indeed.
DeleteCongratulations from somewhere in north central Illinois! Now you can take a big sigh of relief… or three.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ed! Yes, there was a great sigh from Greece when the letter was signed.
DeleteNot going to say I told you so, but you'll understand all of this in time. Remember, Wilder is always right.
ReplyDeleteThanks John. Duly noted, and I will not question your wisdom again.
DeleteThat's very good news. Uncertainty aside, I'm guessing that 37 days isn't a terribly bad length of time to be on the hunt? I hope the transition to a new work environment and routine goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteIt is good news Leigh. In terms of length of time, I would actually say it seems to largely be line with other folks from my former employer who are also got laid off and are looking for new jobs. I suspect part of that has to do with the fact that in our area, companies are hiring. It may also be indicative of the fact that good people are currently hard to come by.
DeleteOne factor that changed in my case is that I looked for a job in two different fields in the industry and the second one is the one that came through. Not everyone has this luxury.
Good news and good on you TB. You once wrote that you would keep the part-time retail gig regardless of your future employment status. Is that still your plan?
ReplyDeleteFranknbean
FNB - Thank you. Keeping the part time job is the plan for right now. I would not like to put myself in the position of having to rely solely on any one job again.
Delete