POST ONE-A On Saturday May 24 2014-Thoughts on my Goodwill of Orange County position eliminated by a 'Reduction In Force'.POST ONE 5-24-14, AND add'l comments and an 'epiphany' on 6-2-14

On Facebook I posted, "Well folks, it was fun, it was great, it was a great job, but I position has been eliminated and I am no longer working for Goodwill. Something about a 'Reduction In Force' (RIF) and restructuring. 

 I had wonderful times there, wonderful coworkers, and I'll never forget Goodwill or the fantastic people there."

Thank you Facebook bud Jan Kain for this and other wonderful thoughts within this blog! (I get a LOT of wonderful thoughts from her!)

You know, after being in one place more than 10 years, it's hard to wrap your mind around the concept that it's not 'your' office or 'your' department or 'your' coworkers and organization anymore. It's interesting to me that I feel if someone leaves in a bad way, like being fired or quitting because they can't stand it, they'll refer to their past company and people there as 'it' or 'them'. If one leaves in a good way, i.e. like I left, or leaving to seek other things like school or moving, you tend to slip into the mindset still as 'us' or 'we' and that way refer to your association with the company. For example, I texted an ex-coworker, about a contract that came in and that I would text the information to Ramon. I wrote, "Ok, it's on my, oopsie, the top shelf of my, oopsie again, the plastic files.". See what I mean? If I had left in a negative way, I wouldn't've been that way, helpful and all.

BTW, see below the 'near past' part for an 'epiphany' that I finally realized on 6-2-14.

So let's hit the future first...

PLANS!

I'll paraphrase and add to a Dr. Seuss book title for this part of the blog, "Oh The Places I'll Go, Oh The Things I'll Learn!"

Facebook bud Johney Harper asked me, "WOW, so what next??". It's a great question JH, I had given it thought occasionally, but now I'm getting down to (what else?) making lists and priorities.

1. File for unemployment. (Done, online) I hate to be a drain on the government, BUT the reality is that Bub and I gotta eat and have bills to pay.

2. File to be reinstated with the DOR. (Done, online) Purpose? I'm going to need some serious retraining and skills updating, and since I was a DOR consumer, I'd need help getting back into a mainstream of finding a job.

3. Keep the flow going, still have a 'work'-type schedule. One of my FB buds has kindly offered part of her office for me to bring my laptop, use the phone, just be in an 'office' atmosphere. This will be VERY very handy, just to keep my mindset for work going, look for employment, etc.

4. Get letters of recommendation. My sister Tori mentioned that I should write the letters then give them to people to sign. If they have the letter in front of them and it says the truth and all that is legally allowed to say per CA law, then how could they refuse?! and with or in the letters of recommendation have quotes from my past performance reviews. Tori, you're SO smart!!!

5. Check medical insurance coverages and make sure my providers and medication provider will be continuous. Get all current medical work done before my health insurance runs out.

6. OF COURSE look up classes and courses I can take! I have be careful about this, because the CA Employment Development Department is pretty strict on being available for full time employment, so my answer to them would be that my classes would be online and not necessarily time scheduled. But school, here I come!!!

      a. What classes? Well, I'd LOVE to finish school and at LEAST get an Associate's Degree! Probably in Business, Administrative Management. That's a title that can mean ANYTHING at all.

      b. I'd like to take some classes that have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with any of my jobs or current likes, just to keep my mind open, and how better to keep one's mind open than to take a class that is part of the curriculum but has little actual interest to me? It'd be a challenge, and I LIKE challenges, BUT anything automotive is OUT.

7. WRITE. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! I am a WRITER.

THE NEAR PAST i.e. leading up to the position being eliminated.

The actual day Friday May 23, 2014 of being laid off shaped up like this:

8:00 am  Came in, touched base with Maintenance about a coworker's power chair. Came into my office, asked my manager how he was doing, turned on my computer.

8:15 am My manager turned to me, and said "Please go with me to HR". I asked why, and he said again, "Please go with me to HR. Please". Of course, the unknown is what makes your heart freeze and your blood grow cold, so I quietly asked him again why. He answered in a VERY low voice, "Reduction in force. Your position's been eliminated". I really appreciated the head's up.

I automatically went into my Mr. Spock logical mode, wanting the transition from being my manager's right hand, uh, 'man' to being a non-entity in his professional life. He said, 'Lynne, I tried!" and I said I know, it was coming, and it's ok, I'll always be there for him whenever he needs anything or to blow off steam or wants to bounce stuff off. He said let's just walk over to HR as if we were just walking over to HR. I said isn't that what we're going to do? I always grab a pencil and paper, and this time I grabbed extra Kleenex too.

8:30 am We go into the Senior Director of HR's office, sit down at the round table, and he begins by telling us that this is his job, but this is the hardest thing he's ever had to do since he's been at Goodwill. I can understand this, since I knew him BEFORE he came to Goodwill. He mentioned about the RIF (Reduction In Force), said that there is restructuring going on, and my position is being eliminated and the duties broken up and given to others.

I said I understood, we went through all the paperwork, it was checked off as a layoff/RIF and so was assured that my claim for unemployment would be uncontested. I was given my final check, information on medical benefits, my retirement, life insurance, etc.

You know how I know it was hard for him? Now you know usually the perception of HR people is that they aren't people per se, they're without feeling who exist for the good of the organization, and that Human Resources', ISN'T. Are we clear?

His glasses were fogging up.

Huh, I wonder if sometimes hangmen in the old days ever felt that way, emo and sorry for those they've been mandated to execute? Or currently in prisons?

He mentioned about a 'say farewell to Lynne' luncheon or something, and I said, "Oh, is HR paying? Hey, you mentioned it!". They both chuckled at that, and the Senior HR Director said that my manager's dept and HR could split it. I told my manager that when his pcard expenses came time, to call me and I'd show him how to split it out. (NOTE: 6-2-14  It ain't gonna happen. There's no way. And I don't know if I really want it. See my blog post 9 for 6-2-14 for more.) They laughed again. As I mentioned, I was trying to make it easy for all of us by being in my Mr. Spock mind but by pointing out things that were quasi-humorous.

We talked about my retirement and I mentioned tax-wise about BTW people who are over 59 1/2 and being able to take out the money and not have a penalty, and he said he didn't know that!

Lots of other stuff came up, paperwork stuff, and then we all talked about my personal things in my office. I said we could get it out within an hour or two, and he said ok, otherwise I'd have to come in afterhours and get it. I said it's ok, what I have would be just a couple of boxes since we had to clean everything out last year for the new carpet.

I had been making notes on my pad of paper all this time, i.e. 'Call the retirement rep'; 'Find out about medical insurance'; 'Call Joseph Lovretovich' (who is Barry's and my Employment Law lawyer);

The Senior HR Director took my badge, my manager said he would get my key and I said I'd get my personal items, so officially at appx 9:30 am, I was no longer an employee. Actually as of the beginning of the business day I was no longer an employee, but at least when I came in, my badge worked. (If it didn't work, I would've been suspicious as HELL!!!)

He hugged me twice, which told me he was genuinely sorry for doing this, he's just under orders, and I understood. I think it was both the hardest and easiest 'let someone go' job he'd ever done.

9:30 am As soon as we got back to the office I checked my computer and my password had already been deleted. It was ok, I didn't have much on my computer that was mine. I had actually done a lot of cleaning up back in late March and had been watching what I put on that PC since then. I had ALSO done a lot of 'housecleaning' of most of my important personal things and put it into a box under my desk, 'just in case', so a lot of this was already done. This worked out well because since the 'end' came so quickly and without notice, I was able to still look through more things like books and in other places, because when you're let go, I don't care how much you knew it was coming or how 'Mr. Spock-ish' you are, you still have a modicum of numbness. It's a protective coping mechanism for emotions and allows you to at least SOMEWHAT function.

I started putting stuff together and going to other offices to say goodbye to people. I knew I had to be 'escorted' by someone since otherwise it would look bad for my boss to let me wander around without him knowing.

First thing I did though was call Barry and tell him, so he could digest it before I got home. He, as everyone else I talked to, thought I was kidding. I won't tell you his thoughts, but they SURE weren't good regarding the org.

I got some stuff together, then first stopped by IT. They were CRUSHED. I spent some time in there, then went to Marketing and Communications, said goodbye there. Hugged a few people in the hallway from Finance and Sales.

Got some more of my things together especially my food, went into my department's office and said goodbye to the person in there. I texted the other staff to let them know, since they were on vacation.

One of our IT help desk administrators came by and was so shocked I was leaving, and I gave him all my food. I loved my IT guys. I wanna be one now.

I was still in my Mr. Spock mode, but I felt more regretful at how my coworkers would take it. I was a big part of their lives, as they were mine . We spent more time together than we did at our homes, and now a person in the business 'home' was suddenly gone. I could understand how they would feel; not only sad but also scared and mistrustful of the organization, because if this could happen to LYNNE, Lynne who helped everyone, had a 'can do' attitude and never turned anyone down who needed any sort of assistance, that feeling of "Lynne's gone, so how secure is MY job?" would manifest itself. I felt I was doing good, doing things right I thought,  as others did of me.

10:30 am The Senior Director of HR called my boss and asked him if I was almost done, and my boss said 1/2 hour to an hour max. (hmm, now I'M being a tad paranoia, but after having my nose rubbed in it a few times, I feel I'm justified in thinking that I was on camera and that HR was being informed that I was doing too much 'saying goodbye' and not enough packing.)

11:00 am  I was done packing, we got a cart and my manager and one of the IT guys walked down with me, and Cindy came up behind us. I took her hand walking towards my car. We put everything into it, I said goodbye, then called Barry and told him I was coming home.
NOTE: I thought I should go through the employee entrance, but my boss said no, we can go through the front door. I guess they really trusted me, and I didn't break that trust. Not ONE ITEM was Goodwill's. NOT ONE. I made SURE.

It really felt almost like a funeral, and I guess in part it could be considered like a funeral, the death of a position and the person who was in it now gone. *See my post 5-25-14 POST 1-A for my thoughts on this topic.

UPDATE-An 'epiphany' on 6-2-2014 about the week M-Th prior to my departure on 5-23-14. My boss, one of the supervisors under him, and the VP of IT KNEW. My boss and that supervisor in fact KNEW since that Monday 5-19-14, I feel.

I was thinking too much about Bub and kinda being a little 'distracted' and preoccupied, instead of my usual radar being up and noticing a few things about how my boss, one of the supervisors under him and the VP of IT were acting towards me:

1. When I texted my boss re: going to the Dr. with Barry, he texted me back and asked me to come in to work on the brochure. That is the VERY FIRST TIME HE'S EVER ASKED ME TO COME IN AFTER I HAD A MEDICAL APPT. 

2. He was also gone a lot on Wednesday and almost ALL DAY Thursday. I think he didn't want to go through seeing me at my desk, knowing what he had to do Friday morning.

3. His supervisor for whom I do the initial authorization processing for was asking me about the pictures and videos from the health 'first Friday' day. She kept bugging me about it, asking me that if I did complete it at home, could I bring a CD with copies of it over to her house? (she lives not far from me in Brea and we've known each other since she started working there) 

       a) She was ALSO really antsy on Thursday, making sure I could do some of the videos and put them on the shared drive, and finish all the authorizations I had to process on my desk. She kept on coming in every 30 minutes or so to check on what I was doing and my desk. 

3. The VP of IT came in to my office late that Thursday night when I was there (like appx 6:30 pm) to look out my office window (which looks over the donations dropoff parking lot area to 'check on something in the parking lot'. Now, he NEVER stays that late. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. 

After going home and sorting through my stuff, I talked to a couple of coworkers ('scuse me, EX-coworkers) who clued me in on a few more things:

• Another ex-coworker was let go about 1/2 hour before me;
• The 'safety meeting' we were supposed to have was cancelled. I think that no one had the heart to face everyone else and tell them what 'restructuring' had happened.

That afternoon and over the weekend I realized that you can tell by the sound of people's voices if they want you to keep in contact or not. You really can. If they sound like they're on the computer and just answering you with noncommittal grunts or some other verbal noises, that's a clue.

If they continue to say that they and you need to keep in touch, go out, etc, then you KNOW they truly want to. BUT, YOU will have to be the one to keep up the contact, because with past coworkers, it's 'out of sight, out of mind'. YOU  have to be proactive in maintaining your relationships. If you want to, of course. And there's always the sneaky underhanded way of maintaining the relationship with a past coworker just to find out more stuff that's going on! Personally, that's a total waste of energy, IMHO.
Interestingly, I got my final check and before going to lunch with my FB bud Daniece, I went in to put it into the bank and draw some money out of it. Apparently it was a manual check and it hadn't been put into the Wells Fargo system yet, so no money could come out of it and the funds wouldn't be available until the next day. Wells Fargo tried to call anyone at the Corporate Office, but it being the Friday before a Monday holiday, no one was there. Wry humor! If I had been an ex-employee who really NEEDED the money, I would've been in a WORLD of HURT!!!

There will be more to come about my  job at Goodwill, the ups, downs, laughter and tears (MUCH more laughter than tears, I can tell you!), but that'll be in other posts.