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-- i got fired

i got fired

actually it happened 2 months ago in feb.

shit sucks friends, first time in my career in IT over 15 years-ish.

the short story is I spoke up on behalf of the little guy (employees) to a director, who has the personality of her way or the highway, strap on the helmet and fall in line kind of leadership (which is another topic on its own) but essentially I was fielding complaints day in and day out with her policies for like 5 years. I let her have it at a company Christmas party saying we can do better and we should look at shaking things up in not so not-so-subtle way. my mistake I know and acknowledge, not the time or place and especially when you're ripped but that's how I operate - just a straight up what you see is what you get no bs kind of gentlemen

probably less than a month later I'm walking out the door with my shit in a garbage bag.

lettme tell yea I cried like a bitch on the way home, completely stunned and in shock. i figured I was a lynch pin being that I was one of 3 out of 15k that have that kind of access, which I thought made me irreplaceable. not to mention all the shit I thought I was doing to keep the lights on, fuck me right

nothing was more humbling and a learning experience for me than this. that as much as you want to bury your head in the sand, company politics exist and you need to be aware of it, and watch your mouth.

you're also just a cog in the machine, no matter how much company koolaid and "we cherish thy employee and will provide reacharounds for free!" kind of virtue signalling they throw your way

also the job market in Toronto for tech is complete ass and fucked. I'm lucky that my old employer took me back but god damn, its crazy.

thank you ta.com for listening to my rant, good day to you sirs

sorry. if they that's how they treat employee feedback, then the company's day's are numbered. that's a shit culture to work in.

i know this situation all too well....

I have been with my company for 20 years now. Honestly i should have been fired at least 5x over hahaha....but thats another story

I have been though 5 CEOs and 4 different HR teams in my 20 years. the HR teams keep promoting open door policy but i'm not sure they really mean it. I have voiced my concerns over several things in the past and i keep getting the eye rolled.

we just landed a new CEO last Feb and in his initial town hall, he emphasized abuot having everyone in the building. He preached collaboration. Fast forward a few months later and the new CEO holds small round table discussions. One of the points i brought was his desire to have everyone in the building, but in that time we seem a large number of remote hires. I called him out on it as to why and response was: "Well we are looking for the best person for the job". This doesn't sit well with everyone who was told they have to come into the office.

I also brought up the fact there was professional photographer one day doing head shots. Yet it was for a limited number of eomployees. I told HR that opening this up to all employees would have been a good thing for the compnay as well as morale boost. Yet they came with an excuse that they couldn't promote it fully because it was prepaid. I told em that it helps if they gave everyone the same oppurtiny.

I'm not trying to stir the pot or anything but overall i would just like to see everyone be treated the same. If you're going to promote team...then act like it

Do you get a severance package or "paid time off" when you're fired in Canada? With your years you'd have six months' notice here, during which you usually have no obligation to actually work. Mine's four months after ten years of serving these fucks and layoffs are right around the corner.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. What's next? Taking some time off? Immediately searching for a job? School?

quote:

Originally posted by JEO Do you get a severance package or "paid time off" when you're fired in Canada? With your years you'd have six months' notice here, during which you usually have no obligation to actually work. Mine's four months after ten years of serving these fucks and layoffs are right around the corner.

Generally, no. If you're fired, it's on you, and you'll have to go through a lot of hoops to prove otherwise. Good luck trying to claim any of the Employment Insurance you've been banking while you look for a new job too.

I've never seen myself as a 'cog in the machine'. I know full well that 'The Machine' grinds on with or without me, since it still operates when I go on vacation. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm not irreplaceable though, as I take on a lot of responsibilities few others do, or are willing to do. Given the amount of 'catch-up and corrective' work I end up doing when I return, not to mention how many "oh we missed you for this and that task" I get, I know I have some worth.

By that token, I don't see myself as a cog in the machine, but the high-grade grease that keeps the cogs running smoothly.

Put everything into working for a startup after uni and was promised all sorts of shit including IPO/stock options. I took the candy and busted my ass. It wouldn't be fair for me to say I didn't get anything out of it, but I eventually saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship before everyone else (after I returned from my trip to Berlin). People thought I was nuts and felt I betrayed them. Made the smart move in hindsight though. Pretty much everyone in the core group of us has left/got fired/been laid off since. It was a tough lesson, because even though I was older and had been through shit in life, I was still naive. Still am, really. The corporate/office world ain't for me, but I've created life on my own terms with my skills and experience. Left 10 years ago and have been freelancing since. No meetings, no bosses. It's been a beautiful thing to be able to do it with a kid. As he gets older, needs me less and AI evolves, I'm entering a crossroads in my life/career. I don't know what to do atm. Continue honing my skills, adapting to AI and using it to my advantage as I have thus far, or pivoting and doing something different. My mind has been rattling with that for a year or two now. The ideas are starting to emerge, but it's a bit scary and unsettling nonetheless. The good news is my clients aren't going anywhere because I'm so good at what I do. Fingers crossed.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Generally, no. If you're fired, it's on you, and you'll have to go through a lot of hoops to prove otherwise. Good luck trying to claim any of the Employment Insurance you've been banking while you look for a new job too.

I guess OP's case goes under "just cause" for immediate termination or something for there to not be a notice period. It seems similar to here, where gross misconduct grants the employer the right to fire without a notice period.

10-15 years in the same company must be where you get complacent enough to act yourself out of the company, thinking you're invulnerable and set for life. I've really struggled to keep myself in check during our latest "change negotiations". I don't know a good English term for it, but it's a period of negotiations between the employer and employees after the employer has announced there's a need for "production-related changes" (usually meaning lay-offs). This is our fifth time in the past four years, and people are very tired of it. Usually a time of immense stress, but people also party a lot more during this time, so it often ends up turning into this bittersweet celebration of your coworkers and life in general. You basically don't work during this time since everything you write during work is your employer's IP. You'd rather save it for your own projects or the next company you work at.

And all because three Jews decided to buy the company that bought us some time ago. This is largely why I'm an antisemite now.

quote:

Originally posted by r5a just a straight up what you see is what you get no bs kind of gentlemen

Cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by JEO I don't know a good English term for it, but it's a period of negotiations between the employer and employees after the employer has announced there's a need for "production-related changes" (usually meaning lay-offs).

Ah yeah, is that when The Bobs come in?

quote:

Originally posted by Silky Johnson Ah yeah, is that when The Bobs come in?

I wish! I'm afraid there's usually a preset order for who's going to be let go in the next one, so people largely see these almost two month long periods of negotiation as a charade. A pair of Bobs would make the process a lot more entertaining though.

thanks all...

quote:

Originally posted by 72hrpartyanimal I'm sorry to hear about your situation. What's next? Taking some time off? Immediately searching for a job? School?

i immediately started searching, but i should have taken some time to myself, i blew a few good opportunities that friends had hooked me up with because i simply hadn't given myself time to process or deal with things and come at it from a better place. i was too resentful and angry to see how i was coming off really.

my old employer took me back so I'm there now but i took a huge paycut (about 20% less) and just going to stay here and figure out the next moves.

quote:

Originally posted by JEO Do you get a severance package or "paid time off" when you're fired in Canada? With your years you'd have six months' notice here, during which you usually have no obligation to actually work. Mine's four months after ten years of serving these fucks and layoffs are right around the corner.

in this case i did, generally the rule of thumb is one week of pay for every year of service, I'm not sure if its a law or not tbh but for me they gave me 4 weeks of pay, a severance payout and my unused vacation paid out (which was a lot because i never took vacation)

i also applied for unemployment insurance from the govt which i got, but to honest it wasn't much..

quote:

Originally posted by Scoops i know this situation all too well....

that's a shitty story, speaks like classic corpo "we care about the people!" with 0 follow-through.

quote:

Originally posted by Spacey Orange sorry. if they that's how they treat employee feedback, then the company's day's are numbered. that's a shit culture to work in.

thanks man, i think so too, we'll see. i have a little solace that i have contacts and friends still there with almost everyone and it sounds honestly horrible right now...

quote:

Originally posted by OrangestO Put everything into working for a startup after uni and was promised all sorts of shit including IPO/stock options. I took the candy and busted my ass. It wouldn't be fair for me to say I didn't get anything out of it, but I eventually saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship before everyone else (after I returned from my trip to Berlin). People thought I was nuts and felt I betrayed them. Made the smart move in hindsight though. Pretty much everyone in the core group of us has left/got fired/been laid off since. It was a tough lesson, because even though I was older and had been through shit in life, I was still naive. Still am, really. The corporate/office world ain't for me, but I've created life on my own terms with my skills and experience. Left 10 years ago and have been freelancing since. No meetings, no bosses. It's been a beautiful thing to be able to do it with a kid. As he gets older, needs me less and AI evolves, I'm entering a crossroads in my life/career. I don't know what to do atm. Continue honing my skills, adapting to AI and using it to my advantage as I have thus far, or pivoting and doing something different. My mind has been rattling with that for a year or two now. The ideas are starting to emerge, but it's a bit scary and unsettling nonetheless. The good news is my clients aren't going anywhere because I'm so good at what I do. Fingers crossed.

AI is just a force multiplier, its another tool. it won't replace anyone yet but if you don't use it you're for sure at a disadvantage than those that do, its about learning how to use it so you can work better/faster/smarter. stuff like throwing a bunch of docs at it and saying compare these for me, give me summary notes or study questions and having it do that in seconds is unreal.

what do you do for consulting? it sounds like you've made yourself quite a nice life, and that you've been able to support a family means you're doing quite well, happy for you man that's the dream, not working for anyone but yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by r5a what do you do for consulting? it sounds like you've made yourself quite a nice life, and that you've been able to support a family means you're doing quite well, happy for you man that's the dream, not working for anyone but yourself.

Consulting? Lol

I'm a writer



And editor



Project manager to make it all sound better

Thought I'd be an investigative journalist or war correspondent and here I am doing dumb shit online in my 'jamas and slippers.

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