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View Full Version : Worst Day of Work EVER! (Semi-long)


Talk2BigSteve
08-17-2005, 07:32 PM
I got a call yesterday to come into the president's office at work on my day off. I stopped by there before I went to go get my textbooks at college. He told me to I needed to get a rental car because he had an assignment for me to do today at the other Dispatch Center in Florida. He told me that he is the only one who knows what his plans are and they need to say that way until I get to Florida and call him.

So I leave at about 5 this morning and drive to Florida. Where I went was about 4.5 - 5 hours from here. I get there and I call on the company cell and tell him I am on site, He says to get someone to get the box out of the trunk and go into the back office and open the box and read the few pages of instructions alone.

I was not prepared for what I was about to do. I took about 15 minutes to calm myself and tell myself I can do this. I then go out and introduce myself and tell them that I and from Headquarters and I will be meeting with them all shortly.

I then call all the employees that are working through temp agencies. We used 3 in this office, Working Solutions, Manpower and Adecco. I told them that they all need to report back to their temp agencies for reassignment to a new job that their services were appreciated but no longer needed here. I told them not to say anything to the other employees because this decision has no bearing on thier employment.(This was a lie, but I did not want to let the cat out of the bag.)

After they had all left without saying anything.

I then told all the employees that were left to log out of the computers and log off the phones.

I was not going to call them back one at a time I was going to tell them all at the same time.

I told them that the office in Meridian has expanded and that this call center will be closed effective immediately. They would be paid for today, and each had a severance package that varied based on thier pay rate and longivity. I told them that I know this is a shock but it had to be done based on productivity and quality issues.

I was called every name in the book by some and some just left silent and crying. I did not respond I just stood there and took it.

When they had said what they had to say and left I call back the president and he said for me to wait on site that he had trucks at a local motel waiting for his call.

Within 20 minutes 12 people showed up to dismantled the cubicles and computers and phone system I gave the man in charge a key to the office and I got in the car and drove home.

Total Temps with nothing = 37
Total Employees with Severence Packages = 49
Total People I let go today = 86.

What a Day /images/graemlins/frown.gif

Big Steve /images/graemlins/cool.gif

bugstud
08-17-2005, 07:33 PM
burn

Patrick del Poker Grande
08-17-2005, 07:35 PM
That sucks.

Yeti
08-17-2005, 07:38 PM
Shitty. Sounds like you handled it the best you could.

James Boston
08-17-2005, 07:46 PM
Man that sucks. I can't imagine having to fire someone, at least not someone who hasn't done something so wrong that firing is a no-brainer. Who knows, it might be could for you. That's a harsh reality of the professional world, and I would think anyone, who aspires to get to the top, will have to deal with this at some point.

touchfaith
08-17-2005, 07:53 PM
Been there, done similar. I hate being managments pawn, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Sounds like you did a good job from the limited information available.

Iplayragstoo
08-17-2005, 08:00 PM
The question is - afterwards, did he go back to the other office, and rip his boss a fcking new one for trapping him like that without any warnings. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Talk2BigSteve
08-17-2005, 08:05 PM
[ QUOTE ]
The question is - afterwards, did he go back to the other office, and rip his boss a fcking new one for trapping him like that without any warnings. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I just got a promotion recently to the head of Quality. I knew that the other office sucked. I thought that was what I was there for. Not to [censored] can everyone in the [censored] building. I am really pissed but I will be at work at 7AM. I am just not sure if venting my anger is worth more to me than $24 an hour(my pay rate).

Big Steve /images/graemlins/cool.gif

billyjex
08-17-2005, 08:07 PM
that really does suck.

i guess at least you didn't lose your job..

MrTrik
08-17-2005, 08:13 PM
Back a while ago I ended up on what my company referred to as the 'fast track'. This meant a string of various assignments of differing kinds. The idea was that I was being groomed into partnership.

My 3rd assignment sucked like your day did. My company simultaneously bought two other firms with presence in a bunch of cities we weren't in yet. There was overlap.

I got sent on the road to shut down offices. I had to look people in the eye that I'd never met before and tell them they are a victim of circumstance and it was costing them their job. I think the total people when I finished was about 400 or so. That was the worst two weeks of my work life and I'd probably consider resigning if asked to do it again. I know it sucks Steve.

Iplayragstoo
08-17-2005, 08:41 PM
I understand you cannot unload on the cock you call a boss, but there are very effect ways of telling him he [censored] you bad.

MrMon
08-17-2005, 09:02 PM
[ QUOTE ]

Total Temps with nothing = 37
Total Employees with Severence Packages = 49
Total People I let go today = 86.


[/ QUOTE ]

Nice how your boss was a coward and got you to be the hatchet man.

Now for the bad news. WARN Act threshold is 50 employees. You fired 49. If anyone else who was an employee was fired in the last 90 days, that can be added to the 49 to take you over the 50 threshold. (Note: I'm assuming your company is at least 100 employees.)

Be prepared for lawsuits. You're not liable, but you might be a witness.

ThaSaltCracka
08-17-2005, 09:05 PM
I have been on the other end of being laid off, it sucks, but I know I didn't feel any ill will to the messenger, but I did to the decision maker. Consider yourself lucky Steve, and be ready, Managers do stuff like that all the time.

ThaSaltCracka
08-17-2005, 09:06 PM
They were all temp workers, ie not employed by Steve's company.

fnord_too
08-17-2005, 09:09 PM
[ QUOTE ]
They were all temp workers, ie not employed by Steve's company.

[/ QUOTE ]

49 were employees, the rest were temps.

Zurvan
08-17-2005, 09:38 PM
A few years back, I worked at a call centre. We were a contractor to a major coroporation for tech support. We were trying to get a big contract for a new product line, so they increased staff by 30%. When we didn't get the contract, they called about 50 people out to the smoking section in the middle of a shift, and told them they were fired, asked for their badges & sent them home.

They were told they could call & make an appointment to pick up their jackets/personal belongings later. I quit the next week.

degenerategambler
08-17-2005, 10:21 PM
cash your paycheck quickly(if you don't have direct deposit) for the next few months. Something stinks worse than sending a twenty four dollar an hour employee to TCB. Nothing personal, but someone is trying to keep somethig very quiet. Are you a publicly traded corp? Sounds like a cash flow problem.

Easy E
08-17-2005, 10:37 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Nice how your boss was a coward and got you to be the hatchet man

[/ QUOTE ]

My feelings exactly, the coward.

Jimbo
08-17-2005, 10:43 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Total Temps with nothing = 37
Total Employees with Severence Packages = 49
Total People I let go today = 86.


[/ QUOTE ]

Nice how your boss was a coward and got you to be the hatchet man.

Now for the bad news. WARN Act threshold is 50 employees. You fired 49. If anyone else who was an employee was fired in the last 90 days, that can be added to the 49 to take you over the 50 threshold. (Note: I'm assuming your company is at least 100 employees.)



Be prepared for lawsuits. You're not liable, but you might be a witness.

[/ QUOTE ]

From WARN:

"Job losses within any 90-day period will count together toward WARN threshold levels, unless the employer demonstrates that the employment losses during the 90-day period are the result of separate and distinct actions and causes.

fluxrad
08-17-2005, 10:44 PM
Meh. You think firing someone is hard. Try being one of the 89.