The Rancor Pit Forum Index
Welcome to The Rancor Pit forums!

The Rancor Pit Forum Index
FAQ   ::   Search   ::   Memberlist   ::   Usergroups   ::   Register   ::   Profile   ::   Log in to check your private messages   ::   Log in

the end of an era
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> The Rancor Pit Users/Forums Info -> the end of an era Goto page 1, 2  Next
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:40 am    Post subject: the end of an era Reply with quote

So here is a brief timeline of my employment with the "company" I work for.

    2000 - I was a new hire for a big subsidiary of a giant corporation.
    2001 - I got promoted. Over the next several years in this position, I piloted a few programs implemented for my team.
    2003 - My company spun off from our parent company into our own publicly traded company.
    2007 - I began working at home.
    2010 - My position was eliminated but I was offered three crappy positions and chose one. One month later, I was saved from that by being assigned to a small team of five people that would create a new department within the company. I had to go back onsite for a couple years but eventually I successfully piloted working at home for my new position.
    2012 - My company merged with another giant corporation in the same business.
    2018 - My company merged with another giant corporation with a major peripheral business.
    2020 - Just last month, I had my 20th anniversary of employment.

Today (7/22/20) - My team of 20 people was informed by upper management that our department was being eliminated and our work was being sent off to other locations. We have been well regarded under the prior company identities but I'm sure some current big wig thinks there's someone else that can do it better (I'm quite sure they are wrong and have a rude awakening coming).

We aren't being laid off. In the next couple weeks we will all transition to training for another position. They told us that the company is hurting for quality people in this position and we will be a part of a movement for our location taking over more responsibility for this part of the business (still Medicare-focused). We will stay a team and report to the same manager (until she retires). We do get to keep working from home. It technically is a demotion, but our "experience is valued" and they are not reducing our pay. This new job will still have some opportunities to help people and feel rewarding, but I don't know if it will be more or less so than now. This job will be more stressful and I won't have the freedom to make my own schedule like I do now.

I am truly thankful that I still have a job and do not have to take a cut in pay. Especially in this day and age, that is great. But I am trying to work through the feelings I have about this. I feel like the rug was ripped out from under me. I guess I didn't realize how much my current position and department was a part of my personal identity. 10 years of an extremely nuanced and complex part of the business. Everything we've developed is going to be taken over by some other team in some other state who doesn't know what they are doing. I feel depressed to be losing this in this way.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
cheshire
Arbiter-General (Moderator)


Joined: 04 Jan 2004
Posts: 4833

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is really rough. I'm sorry to hear that.
_________________
__________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16163
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sad
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Ray
Commodore
Commodore


Joined: 31 Oct 2003
Posts: 1743
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Sol, Western Arm, Milky Way

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well... Poo. Sorry man.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, guys. My manager and my manager's manager had a conference call with just me today. Apparently it is not technically a demotion because our current leadership reclassified all the jobs into broader categories so it is equal, but I'm thinking I've maxed out on pay anyway so probably no raise is coming next year, whether I am still in this new position or get into a new one (so probably next raise is only possible in 2022). They explained to me what department is taking over our work, which I would have to say probably is the best choice (if not us) but they are still going to have a very hard time for the indefinite future. I was told I may be asked to help out with some training of my replacements! The managers seemed genuinely interested in keeping me in the company and transitioning into another new position when the right one becomes available. I also found out due to some new rules I have to use a bunch of time off I've accumulated before the end of this year or it won't roll over and I will lose it. They told me they would try to approve whatever I request since they are in the position to enforce it in my new position. I'm still sad.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Ray
Commodore
Commodore


Joined: 31 Oct 2003
Posts: 1743
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Sol, Western Arm, Milky Way

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Take the time off to figure out the dice bot for Discord and run us in some games!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray wrote:
Take the time off to figure out the dice bot for Discord and run us in some games!!!

I'm not getting any time off any time soon. My current position ends next Friday, and the new position starts the following Monday. I am thankful I wasn't furloughed.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Raven Redstar
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral


Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 2648
Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope that having a less flexible schedule won't be too much of a hindrance on your family. It sucks having your entire view on your job and your place there change overnight.
_________________
RR
________________________________________________________________
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ray
Commodore
Commodore


Joined: 31 Oct 2003
Posts: 1743
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Sol, Western Arm, Milky Way

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
Ray wrote:
Take the time off to figure out the dice bot for Discord and run us in some games!!!

I'm not getting any time off any time soon. My current position ends next Friday, and the new position starts the following Monday. I am thankful I wasn't furloughed.
I was thinking of your "Use It Or Lose It" vacation time, but, well, do what is best for you, man.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray wrote:
I was thinking of your "Use It Or Lose It" vacation time, but, well, do what is best for you, man.

Gotcha.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
DougRed4
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral


Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 2258
Location: Seattle, WA

PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to hear that, Whill.

I'm sure they are going to eventually realize that they should have left things in your team's hands. But by then it will be too late. Sad
_________________
Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Grimace
Captain
Captain


Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 729
Location: Montana; Big Sky Country

PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 1:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been in those shoes before, Whill. Not the best feeling, I know.

I wish you the best in your "new" position. With the vacation requisite, take the time to clear your head. I know it will be a challenge to do so, but if you're going to be doing "teaching" of your replacements, you're going to NEED a clear head (or clearer than it likely currently is).

You'll know in a month or so whether this is a decent, albeit sudden, change, or whether it is the tell-tale sign to start hunting for a new job. It took me 2 months to figure out my lateral shift when this happened was NOT for me, and I moved on.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:28 am    Post subject: the dismantling of my department at work Reply with quote

Well, the transition of my department's work to the new department is going very slowly and they are naturally falling behind, so I'm still doing the same job I've been doing for 10 years, and at times I've also had to be the help desk for the new people when they need to call someone for help. Nothing like training your replacements. Most of my team have abandoned ship and moved on to other positions in the past couple months. Only a few of them went to a position that would be any better than the default job they are sending the rest of us to at some point. There are only a few women and myself left.

I haven't just gone out and grabbed the first available position because in doing so: you have to accept whatever the new pay is if less than what you make now, you have to work whatever work schedule they want you to, you lose your currently approved future time off dates, and you are stuck in the new position for at least a year before you can apply for a different one. The original deal they stated for taking the temporary default position is that I keep the same pay, schedule, approved time off, and I am not stuck there for a year. And I get to keep working from home. So I have time to wait for the right opportunity. There is a department that I want the most, but they aren't currently hiring. They may not until the Spring.

This week my manager announced that she is transitioning to a new team by the end of this month, so I think they will transfer me (and whoever else is left) to a new team in the new job then, and I finally leave my current one good. Since the other men on my team have already left for new positions, I'm literally the last man standing.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:22 pm    Post subject: today, the actual end of the era Reply with quote

So today my manager told me that I can stop taking on new cases and start transitioning to my new job. I had to do a lot of wrap-ups, put out some fires and set-up new processes so they can cut the cord for me. I got my work load down to a couple president's office issues. I put in a lot more time off requests because I have more time-off accumulated than I thought (that won't carry over to next year). I started some online trainings for my new position and talked on the phone to my new manager. So I am in the twilight zone now.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10286
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 4:59 pm    Post subject: a new beginning Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
...So I have time to wait for the right opportunity. There is a department that I want the most, but they aren't currently hiring. They may not until the Spring...

Back in July 2020, the Medicare department I wanted to get into had a position open I could have applied for if I had known my department (that I co-created in 2010) was being eliminated. But that position closed right before they announced my department was ending, so I had missed out. They would have loved to have gotten me due to my expertise in Medicare. So I began checking the job postings twice a week and asked a friend in that department to let me know when they are hiring. They haven't hired since 2020...

I have been in the default position they gave me in 2020, which is not too hard but also not too rewarding. There were no company raises for anyone in 2021 (restructuring year) but I did get a raise in January and another in April of this year. They never made me get a new work schedule but that protection was about to end as a schedule bid is coming up where time in position is more valued than time with the company, so I likely would have had to change to a crappy schedule. Basically, management had never thought I wouldn't have moved on from the default position by 2022.

In May, my friend in the department I had wanted to get into told me that not only were they not hiring any time soon, but they had recently had to actually let someone go from the department due to a loss of clients which that team handles. Hindsight is 20/20, but I realized that I never should have held out for that department.

In June, I applied for another department, Quality Review and Audit. There were about 60 applicants for three positions. I began a series of written and verbal interviews.

Last week one of my former team members from my 2010-20 job told me that the department that had taken over our work (which she now works in) had actually created a sub-department within it that was doing the same exact job I had been doing for ten years, but at higher pay. She said they were now hiring for that position. She said I should apply and I would be a shoo-in. I had already completed the final interview on the other job I had applied for but hadn't heard anything yet, so I did submit the application. But there are less people to do all the same work we had before so I know this position would be stressful because they would be cracking the whip for quantity over quality, something I really struggle with. And it would be the same pay as the Quality Review and Audit position. So this was only a plan b.

This week, I was finally offered the Quality position I had applied for in June, and I accepted the offer. I start on Monday, and my third raise this year will go into effect. This department has a higher pay ceiling than any prior position I had been in, so there is more room to go up. Now I get to grade employees of many various departments (Medicare and not Medicare-related) on the quality of their work. I'm really looking forward to the next phase of my vocational life.

I haven't truly enjoyed my work in two years. As I prepared for the new job I'm about to start, a bit of depression returned about the loss of the department I co-created in 2010, which I guess I still haven't gotten over. I noticed that with the company's two-year email retention policy, my saved emails from that job are being auto-purged from the system. In a few months they'll all be gone. I did save a few things to remember the job and the people I worked with better, but so much is already permanently lost.

However, I am looking forward to declining the interview for the "plan b" position where I would have just been doing my old job as a re-newbie with more tenured coworkers who didn't even work for the company when I co-created the process they are doing.

Cool
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> The Rancor Pit Users/Forums Info All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


v2.0