Yesterday afternoon I was called into my manager’s office and informed that my employment was being terminated effective immediately. I was told that it was solely because the company needed to decrease the employee head count.
It’s not like I didn’t see this coming.
Until yesterday afternoon, I worked for a company that manufactured electronic inverters used to control industrial 3-phase A.C. motors. I worked in the service department. I was responsible for inspecting, troubleshooting, and repairing inverters that came back for warranty. About 18 months ago, we were acquired by a company in Finland. Initially I thought it was a good thing. I then soon realized that it probably wasn’t. For one thing, the new company didn’t believe in doing it’s own aftermarket service. At it’s facilities in Europe, all aftermarket service was outsourced to a third-party vendor.
It was soon announced that the new company would be building a new facility to replace the one we were currently in. The lease was going to expire soon and the new company decided that it would be better to just build a whole new facility. When the new facility was announced and the floor plans were revealed, I couldn’t help but notice that it lacked a service department. When I brought this fact up to management, I was told not to worry. I was told that the reason there was not a service department on the floor plan was because it had not yet been decided where exactly it would be placed.
There were other signs over the last twelve months that my services might no longer be needed. I updated my resume and hoped for the best. I figured that if I was to be let go, it would probably happen next month when the new facility was scheduled to open. If for no other reason, I figured they would at least keep me until everything had been moved over to the new building.
It’s not all bad. At least I’m eligible for unemployment insurance. In the past when I have looked for a new job, it was always a hassle finding time to go to interviews. That is no longer a problem.
I’ve also been meaning to organize my sock drawer.
Lee B.
/ September 16, 2009Sincere sympathies, Rick. Hopefully the job market is better in your area than upstate NY, these days. If there’s anything at all I can do, please ask.
Bentcorner
/ September 16, 2009@Lee B.: Thanks Lee. I should be OK.
Jesse Jace
/ September 16, 2009That’s rough. A number of my friends, both back home and in Japan, have run across similar misfortune recently. Hopefully something better will turn up. In the meantime, fire up that Xbox.
Cayusa
/ September 17, 2009Sorry to hear. It isn’t fun out here for those of us without jobs. At least you saw it coming and were able to be a bit prepared. My termination, about a year ago, came out of left field. The jobs just weren’t coming in and they had to cut the staff. Being in the construction industry, there just ain’t much being built and jobs weren’t coming in like they used to.
Hope you find something soon.
Cathy
/ September 18, 2009Maybe lots of us should start moving to Indo-Asian countries where all the call-center and other out-sourced jobs are. OK, yeah, they pay less, but the standard of living is a hell of a lot lower too. Gosh, you could save millions of rupees!!!