Anyone fired today?

Sokurah · December 2016

I was today.

Been there 10.5 years, but 2/3 of the company has just been sold off and the last 1/3 has to limit their spending, so a fulltime IT guy is too much. Bugger.

...and right before Christmas. It's a real classic, innit?

ivanb303 · December 2016

Sorry to hear that :( Know how it feels same thing happened to me nearly four years ago. It was a week before my bday and a month after my son's 1st bday ! Hang in there

MatGubbins · December 2016

That's a bad and bloody evil thing to do at anytime of year.
Make sure you can get your hands on everything before you leave, if it's too bulky then bung it into the postal system and have it delivered to another address.

joefish · December 2016

Bunch of aerosols. Take everything not nailed down and change the passwords on everything you leave behind!

def chris · December 2016

sorry to hear that. hope you find something else sharpish

puts the fact i was moaning the other day about having to work xmas eve (my birthday) and xmas day this year into perspective...

andrewvanbeck · December 2016

That sucks, what an absolutely horrible time of year for it as well. Hope you find something soon, or rather I hope they sorely regret letting you go and have to back pedal like the mindless twats I'm assuming they are.

See, this is why I don't comment code or document passwords or use industry standard software or correct people when they assume that it's done with magic.

rich_chandler · December 2016

Fired or made redundant?

Big difference financially.

thricenightly · December 2016

Sorry to hear that. The company I'm currently working for let 10 contractors go on Monday. I'm a contractor and I missed the cull, but 2 of the people I work with on a day to day basis got chopped. Of course, with contractors it's part of the deal, but a few days before Christmas is still a lousy time to do it.

On the bright side, January is the best time of year to find a new role in IT. It's when all the new budgets become available. So relax over Christmas, recharge, and just confidently assume you'll find something quite easily in the new year.

Sokurah · December 2016

rich_chandler wrote: »

Fired or made redundant?

Big difference financially.

Well, made redundant really. But it's still being fired. I'm getting paid until June 30th though, so that gives me 6 months to find something new.

I look at it this way - that's 6 months being paid to search for another job 7 hours a day. :D I probably wouldn't spend nearly that much time looking if I was home instead.

And if I find something I need to give 30 days notice.

Ralf · December 2016

I'm pretty sure that you'll find something. Good IT guys are always searched for.

And now you have 6 months to rest, spend more time with your close ones and.. write stuff for Spectrum :)

Good luck!

Ralf · December 2016

Ralf wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that you'll find something. Good IT guys are always searched for.

And now you have 6 months to rest, spend more time with your close ones and.. write stuff for Spectrum :)

Good luck!

EDIT: I didn't get it, do you have to come to work for these 6 months or not?

mik3d3nch · December 2016

I sympathize with your plight but it could be a lot worse, seems to me you got a pretty fair severance, at least you're not facing the holiday with empty pockets.

I'm retired and believe me that's no bunch of roses especially when our new fuhrer looks set to cut funds first chance he gets.

moggy · December 2016

Chin up Sokurah,like Ralf says good men will always get on.

Like mik3d3nch I too am retired but have had my fair share of being "let go" at this time of year.
Good luck with your endeavours Sokurah. :)

Sokurah · December 2016

Ralf wrote: »

EDIT: I didn't get it, do you have to come to work for these 6 months or not?

Yes. I'm not being let go because there's a lot of practical stuff that needs to be done in relation to the company being split up. Unless I find a new job soon - then I'll only have to work a month. ;)

colonel32 · December 2016

Ugh. My old company had been in a death spiral for a couple of years, and I was the second-last person remaining before I quit a few months ago. The final person just left last week. Pretty much everyone walked for their own reasons rather than being fired.

Hang on in there though!! I now have a new coding job that pays N times better and which I really love. Things often have a way of working out.

Ralf · December 2016

By the way, when I saw the title I thought that you are asking if anybody was shooting a gun today ;)

Sokurah · December 2016

Unfortunately not ...that would've been more fun. xD

dm_boozefreek · December 2016

Oh shite! Sorry Sokurah, I've been fired at Christmas before, Christ when I was unemployed in my early 20's I even got my dole stopped at Christmas. Apparently being upset about people dying is not a valid reason to not be actively seeking work (Got the decision overturned after Christmas but I was obviously still quite annoyed). Also I'm a pretty low ranking manager at my job, and the big wigs are brutal about saving money. They promoted somebody at a different location about 3 weeks ago, then demoted him last week, and sent him back to our place in the job position he started at 30 years ago. The reason he'd racked up 17 hours overtime, in less than 2 weeks, and apparently it didn't matter that half of his staff didn't show up in that time. So I live...well I wouldn't say in fear, but I've accepted in my mind the fact that the next time I get called into the office, especially if the district manager or bigwig suit wearing dickheads are in town that could be the end of me...

If you happen to have a locker at work, on the last day leave an orange, a loaf of bread (open the bag), a piece of beef, and a block of cheese in it. Then superglue the inner rim of the locker, and the outer rim of the door, when it's closed superglue the hinges from the outside, and then snap your key in the lock before you leave.

Apparently beef stinks longer than chicken or fish does, even if it is a less intense smell, don't open the cheese either get a really cheap block and just score the packaging 2 or 3 slits on either side will do.

Oh if you want to wreck their computers a little bit, chicken roll, about the size of a CD/DVD in the CD/DVD drives super glue on the tray before you close it. This doesn't work very well with vertical drives though, the meat falls out. For vertical drives although a little more time consuming I'd suggest scraping the heads of about 200 Strike anywhere matches, and dissolving them in a solvent. When it's done coat the read side of the disc in it, and let it dry, then put that in their drives, and superglue it shut.

If you do the last one though it may be a good idea to start running once you get outside the building...

Scottie_uk · December 2016

Sorry about the job situation. That's not nice. Work stresses me out far more than it should do, but that six months of free may is nice. That gives you time to look for something that's a good fit for you.

mel the bell · December 2016

Sokurah wrote: »

I was today.

Been there 10.5 years, but 2/3 of the company has just been sold off and the last 1/3 has to limit their spending, so a fulltime IT guy is too much. Bugger.

...and right before Christmas. It's a real classic, innit?

not good fella :(
sorry

polomint · December 2016

dm_boozefreek wrote: »

Oh shite! Sorry Sokurah, I've been fired at Christmas before, Christ when I was unemployed in my early 20's I even got my dole stopped at Christmas. Apparently being upset about people dying is not a valid reason to not be actively seeking work (Got the decision overturned after Christmas but I was obviously still quite annoyed). Also I'm a pretty low ranking manager at my job, and the big wigs are brutal about saving money. They promoted somebody at a different location about 3 weeks ago, then demoted him last week, and sent him back to our place in the job position he started at 30 years ago. The reason he'd racked up 17 hours overtime, in less than 2 weeks, and apparently it didn't matter that half of his staff didn't show up in that time. So I live...well I wouldn't say in fear, but I've accepted in my mind the fact that the next time I get called into the office, especially if the district manager or bigwig suit wearing dickheads are in town that could be the end of me...

If you happen to have a locker at work, on the last day leave an orange, a loaf of bread (open the bag), a piece of beef, and a block of cheese in it. Then superglue the inner rim of the locker, and the outer rim of the door, when it's closed superglue the hinges from the outside, and then snap your key in the lock before you leave.

Apparently beef stinks longer than chicken or fish does, even if it is a less intense smell, don't open the cheese either get a really cheap block and just score the packaging 2 or 3 slits on either side will do.

Oh if you want to wreck their computers a little bit, chicken roll, about the size of a CD/DVD in the CD/DVD drives super glue on the tray before you close it. This doesn't work very well with vertical drives though, the meat falls out. For vertical drives although a little more time consuming I'd suggest scraping the heads of about 200 Strike anywhere matches, and dissolving them in a solvent. When it's done coat the read side of the disc in it, and let it dry, then put that in their drives, and superglue it shut.

If you do the last one though it may be a good idea to start running once you get outside the building...

oooo, more ideas for me to try out :D All my normal ideas usual involve killing, maiming, and blowing things up, :)

Cheers boozy, :)

zx1 · December 2016

Not good at any time of the year but chin up - i'm sure you'll find something soon. Companies are always looking for IT guys.
A guy in my team is on the verge of beig fired, he's currently suspended (with pay) for being really rude to a customer, in fact borderline agressive. It looks like he'll be fired next week. He's a wee arsehole and no one likes him as he has no people skills and has argued with everyone (including me) at some point but it's bad for it to happen at Christmas, kind of feel sorry for the guy but it's amazing he's lasted this long as he has been rude to lots of customers, some refuse to talk to him now.

grey key · December 2016

Sorry to hear that, I am sure you will get something soon though, hopefully !

grey key · December 2016

dm_boozefreek wrote: »

Oh shite! Sorry Sokurah

If you happen to have a locker at work, on the last day leave an orange, a loaf of bread (open the bag), a piece of beef, and a block of cheese in it. Then superglue the inner rim of the locker, and the outer rim of the door, when it's closed superglue the hinges from the outside, and then snap your key in the lock before you leave.

Apparently beef stinks longer than chicken or fish does, even if it is a less intense smell, don't open the cheese either get a really cheap block and just score the packaging 2 or 3 slits on either side will do.

Oh if you want to wreck their computers a little bit, chicken roll, about the size of a CD/DVD in the CD/DVD drives super glue on the tray before you close it. This doesn't work very well with vertical drives though, the meat falls out. For vertical drives although a little more time consuming I'd suggest scraping the heads of about 200 Strike anywhere matches, and dissolving them in a solvent. When it's done coat the read side of the disc in it, and let it dry, then put that in their drives, and superglue it shut.

If you do the last one though it may be a good idea to start running once you get outside the building...

If your employers are reading WOS they will be terrified of sacking you Boozy, they would promote you and double your salary ! Have you ever tried any of your methods, or would you rather not say ?
:))

I once left a BIG piece of mouldy cheese and a kipper in a hotel I had stayed in where the manager made even Basil Fawlty look like a saint, I placed it behind a loose board in the cupboard, the smell was already unbearable when I put it there !

When I left I complained that the room was quite smelly and the manager said that perhaps I should have taken advantage of the bath I had paid for, so I forgot to tell him that I had accidentally burned a ring on the coffe table in the lounge by putting a piping hot coffee pot on it, I also forgot to remind him that I had racked up quite a large bill on coffee & phonecalls as well !

polomint · December 2016

grey key wrote: »

Have you ever tried any of your methods, or would you rather not say ?
:))

Boozy: Say nothing but "No Comment"... Trust me, it's for the best, ;)

dm_boozefreek · December 2016

I have tried 2 of my 3 suggestions in real life, I'll leave it up to your imagination as to which ones they were :))

grey key · December 2016

:))

Luny · December 2016

Sorry to hear that Sokurah. Good luck on the hunting. What game are you in by the way?
Will we see you more on this site now then? ;)

Sokurah · December 2016

Luny wrote: »

Sorry to hear that Sokurah. Good luck on the hunting. What game are you in by the way?
Will we see you more on this site now then? ;)

My job these past 10 years has been an IT Manager/Supporter job (sole IT guy supporting about 80 users).

I do visit WOS many many times over a day - I just don't post a lot. Don't expect that'll change.
...no sense in upping my game when the management aren't. ;)

Not going to try any of Boozy's suggestions though. I still want to make sure I leave here with a good recommendation.
...they're not getting me the full 37 hours a week for the remaining period though. ;)

fog · December 2016

hope you sort something out. Someone at work was talking about leaving a job 1 day... getting 1 the next without much effort. someone I work with was made redundant, then came back after 3 months. different contract etc.

maybe they are doing it for the contract or pension reasons like a lot of employers are ?

it's happened loads with software houses, the makers / founders of notation software in London got bought out and they lost their jobs.. then then outsourced coding abroad as it was cheaper. luckily a rival hired them, and I have no time for the other company.

perhaps try contracting etc ? a friend does that, but that's a lot more involved and you normally get an accountant etc.

a friend had a company car, years ago and had to return it when leaving... I don't think there was much of the gearbox or clutch by the time he'd dropped it back.

my dad was made redundant 2 times IRC.. he did 3 jobs on the same road in London, just different companies. all within 5-10 minutes of each other.

andrewvanbeck · December 2016

I always picture my last day at work just like that scene from Batman, where the Joker dressed as a nurse, clicks the remote control and blows the place to bits. It's about all that keeps me going :) - I guess locker meat is a less dangerous way to say what you mean :)

Anyone fired today?

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