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  • #2257288

    Total “Class” acts.

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    by mickster269 ·

    Remember when some one left, with a complete sense of decorum, grace, and a bit of “je ne sais quoi” ?

    If it was because they were fired, they quit… or, other reasons made them leave your life?

    To me, the ultimate was when Johnny Cash died, NiN changed their home page to respect him.

    They had a black page as thier website. All that was written on it (in white letters), was Johnny Cash’s name, his date of birth, and his date of death.

    That, to me, was a class act.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAgZtVO9z88

    Reznor still occasionally refers to “Hurt” as “a song that isn’t mine anymore

    So, we’ve all left jobs, and have seen others. What’s your best memory of it?

    *edited due to gross misspellings, unclear sentances, and because I’m a goofball.

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    • #3213731

      I guess you could call it a job

      by mjd420nova ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I was a member of the first and original crew aboard a new destroyer in the U S NAVY in 1969. I was the last “plank owner” to leave the ship in 1974. As I left, the ships bell was stuck and I was announced “departing”. I thought that was very touching and it is a tradition for all original members.

    • #3231982

      Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

      by gadgetgirl ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      My “leaving” . . . .

      From the age of around eight, I got into dancing in a big way. The Ballroom type, that is. Specialised in Latin American, lots of modern ballroom, and just a little old time and sequence.

      From age 11, I started breaking legs and ankles with regular monotony. In one really bad stretch, I was only OUT of a plaster cast for a total of three consecutive weeks in a whole calendar year.

      At the age of 19, having had 9 breaks on the left leg, 11 on the right (oh, and throw in a broken right arm for good measure) I was told in no uncertain terms to give up dancing. For good.

      So, one Sunday, 19 November, in a large old hall in Wallsend, I had my “Last Waltz”.

      This is the dancers’ swan song – it is the last dance he/she dances as an (ex) competitor, and is usually with one of the judges. It is a display type of dance but also a chance to be alone on the floor one last time. It need not be a waltz; the retiring dancer chooses his/her favourite dance, and whatever that is, whether waltz, quickstep, jive, rumba etc. it is still called the Last Waltz.

      I was extremely fortunate in that my “Last Waltz” was with Alan Fletcher, the then current Latin World Champion, along with his wife, Hazel. Unfortunately, due to the damaged bones from which I was still recovering, I wasn’t allowed to do a Latin Jive with him (still bugs me) but I had a wonderful waltz, I am told…. couldn’t see a thing, I cried the whole way through…..

      Still have my silver “dancing shoe” necklace, still in its’ box, even after three burglaries….

      Still love dancing, still jive around the kitchen to my old dance tunes if they come on the radio, still wish I could have been a professional dancer. Still wonder if I could have been “someone”, I suppose.

      It wasn’t leaving a job, but it was leaving a profession. Now, how I got from that to doing Information Security….nah, you haven’t got the three weeks it would take to tell that one!!

      GG

      Edit: “watery eyes”

      • #3231963

        GG,

        by old guy ·

        In reply to Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

        You ARE someone and don’t ever think otherwise!

        Edited to add: It’s not what we do who makes us someone–we make what we do SOMETHING by who we are.

        • #3231955

          Yeah, what “The” Old Guy said

          by dmambo ·

          In reply to GG,

          GG, there are some people thousands of miles away whom you’ve never even met that think you’re pretty special. 😡

          (I’ll list them later if I can actually come up with any names)

          (that last line was a joke! 😉 )

        • #3231949

          thanks you two, I’m smiling again!

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to Yeah, what “The” Old Guy said

          it’s just been a rough couple of weeks, that’s all, and the reminder of my Last Waltz was very nearly the Last Straw!

          DangerMouse – start listing!!! :p

          (There are a few overseas that [b] I [/b] think are very special, too….! 😡 )

          Could list them here, but I didn’t put a Glow Alert notification on the header…..

          ]:)

          GG

        • #3232056

          DM you can start with my name, I figure Australia

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to Yeah, what “The” Old Guy said

          counts as far enough away.

        • #3231246

          I think you’re someone.

          by Anonymous ·

          In reply to Yeah, what “The” Old Guy said

          Just in case my opinion matters 😉

        • #3231092

          Hey, GG! Count New York in, too…

          by vanessaj ·

          In reply to Yeah, what “The” Old Guy said

          I think you’re pretty special! 🙂 I really enjoy reading your posts. Keep sharing!

          edited to add: I was able to change my name from vanessa@ to vanessaj, but I’m the same person that has been around for the last few years…me 😉 Now if it would just let me change my avatar…… 🙁

        • #3202244
          Avatar photo

          Vanessa

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Hey, GG! Count New York in, too…

          If you log out and then back in you should then be able to change your Avatar.

          Seems it’s something to do with the recent Server Migration that quite a lot of stuff is tired up with old Cookies and when you update then everything works again properly.

          Col

        • #3230813

          Nope…nothing…thanks, though for

          by vanessaj ·

          In reply to Vanessa

          giving it a try. I even deleted my cookies last week and then I WAS able to change/update my account info, but NOT my profile info. I’ts very discouraging. I may make a new profile and try it out on there. Do you know if I can transfer all my info from one profile to another? If not, do you know who would know? Thanks. 🙂

        • #3230760
          Avatar photo

          You can drop Doug a line

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Nope…nothing…thanks, though for

          he’s seems to be more at the technical end of TR his profile is here so you can drop him a PM from here http://tinyurl.com/ehz6s

          Changing your account will allow you to copy your information over but not the actual Site Rating as the new account will effectively be just that a New Account and you can not use the same E-Mail address for 2 accounts at TR so that should be kept in mind as well.

          Col

        • #3199716

          9K, thanks

          by vanessaj ·

          In reply to Nope…nothing…thanks, though for

          I did just that. I know he will help me out soon. 🙂

        • #3205534

          Col, thank you so much

          by vanessaj ·

          In reply to Nope…nothing…thanks, though for

          for the encouragement to contact Doug. He helped me figure it out…he said that there had to be something in the BIO section to allow you to update the profile page at all. He is sending the bug info to get that fixed and now I have the ability to change my avatar!!! Hurrayyyy! 😀 What a relief! Talk about frustrating…

          I owe it all to your encouragement – I had given up, really. Thanks a million (don’t ask a million WHAT).

      • #3231950

        GG..

        by maecuff ·

        In reply to Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

        Look at what you got to experience! Most people don’t have anything nearly that special in their lives at all..ever.

        I think you’re awesome..but that really won’t get you too far. 🙂

        Remember the old saying.. It’s better to have loved and lost than to continue living with the psycho for the rest of your life.. or something like that..

        • #3231945

          Mae, this could easily

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to GG..

          turn into a mutual appreciation society, cos I think you’re awesome too – I love your one-liners!!

          It was just bloody annoying at the time, as I had a fairly robust, good, career path lined up for me if I hadn’t have had all the breakages.

          As for your last line….. [i] too bloody close to the mark…..shoo! [/i] :p

          😀

          GG

        • #3231902

          When I next visit England…

          by x-marcap ·

          In reply to Mae, this could easily

          I’ll bring a copy of Fly Me to the Moon, by Frank and I’ll foxtrot you around a living room…

          My wife will kibbutz…Frame isn’t straight enough, box is perfectly square… etc.


          My wife thinks she can dance. I know I can dance. The Marines made me learn to dance the Tango for an Argentinian assignment. I fell in love with the latin dances and finally ballroom in general. I then became an Arthur Murray/Fred Astair visitor for years. My wife and I dance almost every week…

          Kelly would choke if someone would out Foxtrot her… My pleasures are simple you see.

      • #3231873

        GG

        by jellimonsta ·

        In reply to Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

        Each day I learn something new about you it makes me appreciate you all the more!! 😀

      • #3231795

        I’m sorry I made you sad…

        by mickster269 ·

        In reply to Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

        But look at all the people that made you happy after I made you sad!

        Everytime I hear “The Last Waltz” , I think of the “The Band” , and the movie /album by the same name. I betcha didn’t know that the director of that movie was none other than Martian Scorsese, did ya?

      • #3230111

        Maybe one day we’ll meet…

        by bad boys drive audi ·

        In reply to Dammit, Mick, you made me sad again…..

        I’m a fan of ballroom dancing, but have never tried it personally. Perhaps one day we’ll meet, and you can teach me ballroom, and I’ll return the favor with hip-hop.

        Maybe we can re-enact “Take the Lead”. 😉

        P.S. I’d certainly be interested in hearing how you made the transition to where you are now. Those are two completely different professions, and it’s curious how one could make the leap.

    • #3231953

      Mick

      by maecuff ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      My husband STILL can’t get through Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’ without getting all teary eyed.

      I’m going to have to think about ‘graceful’ exits..I’ve certainly seen the opposite a number of times..

    • #3231946

      Leaving a “job”

      by dmambo ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      When my mother left her last “job”, which was being mom to 5 grown kids, my sister’s granddaughters said that they needed to put her purse in her coffin because they never remembered seeing her without it. I thought it was a little weird until many old ladies that came to the wake saw it and remarked that even as a little girl, she always had a purse. That lead to a lot stories about mom as a kid, stories that I’ll always cherish.

      And if you ever needed a teabag or a ketchup packet or a paperclip or a safety pin when I was a kid, mom was sure to have one in her purse!!! The thing weighed about 15 pounds.

      Shifting back to the original post, Warren Zevon went out with a lot of class. His rendition of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was a classic and was done with the full knowledge that his time was at hand.

    • #3231940

      I don’t know if you call this a class act or not, but

      by deadly ernest ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      one place I worked, I was on short term contract for a probationary period. It was extended, two weeks into the extension HR called me in for a meeting. They had received official notification that my boss was NOT going to confirm or extend my appointment, and her boss had approved the decision. At that time I was in the middle of getting everything ready for a 2 week information road trip around NSW sub-offices to start the next Monday, I was down to do most of the talking. they were given no reason for the decision.

      HR said in such cases it was standard policy to ask if I wanted to work out the time or leave immediately, either way I would be paid out the current contract. In short, work for 10 weeks or get 10 weeks pay without the costs of attending. I didn’t like the idea od hanging around knowing what was coming, so I chose to go. HR policy was ‘the quicker the better.’

      That was on the Tuesday, Wednesday I get papers to sign. Thursday I get notice to finish on Friday, be at HR by 4pm to sign out. We had flextime I was able to leave at 2.30 pm as my time was up.

      All day Wednesday and Thursday morning, neither my boss or her boss are seen anywhere. They appeared briefly Thursday afternoon and made a point of not seeing me. Friday they’re no where in sight. I write a debriefing paper on where everything I was doing stands and e-mail that to my boss.

      Lunchtime Friday, still no reason, no exit interview, no nothing. At 2.00 pm I say goodbye to all the other staff in the building, put my personal effects in my car, and head to HR. They get me to sign some papers, give me a big check. They still can’t tell me why (six months later I gave up asking them) and they tell me that my boss and her boss had been dodging their phone calls until they were physically pinned down Thursday afternoon by the HR manager. Seems that they didn’t expect me to leave and were now short on what to do next week. HR start to show me the door.

      Suddenly, shock, horror, shock, I asked them if they wanted my ID card, my security pass, the corporate credit card, and the key to the high security building I worked in. All of which should have been handled by my boss or her boss at the exit interview.

      Two weeks later, one of the other section supervisors in that area gives me a call to meet her for lunch. I arrive their to find all the staff, include a few from other offices, there for a farewell lunch for me – everyone except my boss and her boss that is. the lunch was put together by some of the junior staff i worked with, they were all sorry to see me go.

      I felt that the staff at the luncheon were a class act.

      • #3276727

        At your own risk

        by thumper1 ·

        In reply to I don’t know if you call this a class act or not, but

        I worked for a place (not IT) for 15 years, doing the purchasing, advertising and managing half if the store. Since I did all that, when I left, I gave them one month’s notice. Big mistake, the owners took it as a personal insult if anyone quit. The first two weeks I got the silent treatment. The next two weeks were filled with snide comments.
        I went to work in IT. Worked for a company for seven years, great job, great training, no raises. A local law firm made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, ($10,000.00 pr year raise) so I gave them two weeks notice. Still got a lot of flak but it was only half as much.
        Let your own personal sense of ethics be your guide, but do not expect treatment in kind from the place you are leaving. The amount of crap you are handed after you give your notice is tied into your worth to your former employer. The more valued you are, the more they are going to be upset when you tell them you are leaving.

        • #3209632

          Only if you work for jerks

          by maevinn ·

          In reply to At your own risk

          Professionals will acknowledge that everyone desires to move up and onward to new and better positions. If said positions are not available within the organization, that means people will be departing. A good manager will congratulate their employee, wish them the best, and write a nice letter of rec. Any manager who does NOT get that is an idiot, and this is likely going to be the least example of their ineptness.

        • #3212682

          Well said Mavyn

          by warnerit ·

          In reply to Only if you work for jerks

          I worked for one place my 1st 4 years out of college. The company was getting smaller due to continuous downsizing and while for a while that meant I had more opportunities, eventually I had gone as far as I could go there and it was time for me to move on to bigger and better things. The owners were very kind and understanding and wished me well. They had me back from time to time to do some consulting work for them.

          I worked at a large institution for 6 years before I left to hang out my own shingle. I noticed there that when people left the organization, no matter how good or poor of an employee they had been, they were used as future scapegoats for problems. It didn’t matter if the person had been gone for 2, 3, or more years and couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with the current problems, if they had once had anything remotely at all to do with the app or system involved in the current crisis, it was all somehow their fault.

          Even if the employer does not act classy toward you when you leave, I think it’s important to remain congenial and professional with them. I try to never burn a bridge. You never know when your path might cross with someone again and you might need a good word or referral from them, especially if you go self-employed. Everyone is a potential client.

        • #3199400

          The “KEY” word

          by thumper1 ·

          In reply to Only if you work for jerks

          The key word here is “Professionals.” As I learnde the hard way, the two previous companies I left were not owned or run by professionals.

      • #3199420

        Not so classy an act….

        by confused@state ·

        In reply to I don’t know if you call this a class act or not, but

        It looks like you were at least treated nicely by your co-workers. I resigned from a job in a middle of a large project. I was the PM. I was under the impression when you turn in notice they walk you out the door that day, so I had prepared myself in advance for two weeks prior to giving notice. The day I gave notice everyone was in shock and tried to talk me out of it. I was very flustered by the emotions I felt that day and asked if I could have the remaining two weeks as time off. I had my exit interview over the phone and mailed my stuff to my old boss. I was never contacted again to get together for a farewell lunch by anyone. I guess it’s a good thing I left, no one cared or even noticed I was gone.

    • #3231939

      It?s wasn?t really just leaving a job

      by ontheropes ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      and when it comes to leaving the public-eye I think that John Wayne handled it exceptionally well with his last movie ?The Shootist?.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shootist

      It’s still one of my favorite movies.

      edited because I need more coffee

      • #3231935

        NB! NB!!!

        by gadgetgirl ·

        In reply to It?s wasn?t really just leaving a job

        You a Duke fan, too?

        Got 87 of his movies on video, but have to get them transferred to DVD, as HOB has given away every video player in the house…..

        First time I saw that film, I sobbed my heart out. Especially when you recall he actually knew he was dying when he filmed the last of the takes.

        Gone but never forgotten

        GG

        • #3231926

          Well of course

          by ontheropes ·

          In reply to NB! NB!!!

          [b]I[/b] wouldn’t cry. Grown men don’t do that. :0 B-)
          The sunglasses are just to protect my eyes dontyaknow.

          You are right, never forgotten.

        • #3231921

          erm….

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to Well of course

          grown women aren’t supposed to cry at Westerns, either…

          at least not where I live!!!

          Favourite is still McLintock, though – hilarious! McQ was an oddball – set in London – where he played an American detective. I never quite got “settled” with that one….

          I could name numerous others, but I really don’t want to bore the entire board…!!! 😀

          GG

        • #3231920

          Who are you boring?

          by tig2 ·

          In reply to erm….

          Wings of Eagles and In Harm’s Way are my favourites. Of course, True Grit.

          Tell HOB that he has a new task. FIND A VCR!!!!!

        • #3231917

          Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to Who are you boring?

          and of course, Chisum…..

          Wahey! We have our own “Duke Crew” here!!!

          As for the VCR, no chance. He’d pay a fortune and not get what was required.

          I’d prefer them on DVD I think – I’ll probably invest in a DVD/VCR combi myself, then I have the added bonus of having to watch all the movies once they’ve been transferred to DVD to ensure that they’ve all copied correctly……

          Magnificent Showman. Daughters favourite…now, why did I think of that, followed closely by The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance???

          That was some sort of thought association!!!

          😀

          GG

        • #3231875

          I love

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, not for John Wayne, but for Jimmy Stewart. I love that guy. I recently watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and it occurred to me that Jimmy Stewart was very hot when he was young.

          Don’t shoot me, but John Wayne? Not a big fan. My husband loves him, but me, not so much. Although, I did like the movie with him and Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Rio Grande? Was that it? Or was it Rio Bravo?

        • #3231871

          It was Rio Bravo, Mae

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          loved the duet in the jailhouse in that one, with Dean Martin (for my rifle, pony and me)!

          I was brought up on JW films – sitting with Pa on a Sunday afternoon, after the family roast lunch, before being taken to grandparents for tea. Every Sunday afternoon, more often than not, there was a JW film on. It was a very special time for me, I didn’t get to spend much time with Pa during the week, as he was permanent night shift (for 33 years) so those few hours with just me, Pa and good ol’ John Wayne were very precious.

          Yeah, I like Jimmy Stewart, too! Great actor, with an extremely expressive face. Loved the “drunk” scene in one of his films (can’t recall which) but it had me in pleats of giggles!

          GG

        • #3231869

          Miracle On 34th Street

          by old guy ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          Jimmy Stewart was drunk in that one. He is one of the best too.

        • #3231838

          Quiet Man

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          I am not a big western fan, not even a huge John Wayne fan… but I think The Quiet Man is a great flick! 😀

        • #3232065
          Avatar photo

          GG you might find it better just to get the DVDs

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          If you can. I started transferring all my original Star Trek to DVD from VCR and they looked appalling well no worse that the VCR but not good either. The colours where all washed out and generally bad to look at compared to the DVDs when they came out which had been remastered and look brilliant in comparison to the Tapes that these things where originally supplied on.

          Needless to say instead of continuing transferring the Tapes to DVD I just went out and bought the DVDs as they worked out far cheaper and saved a lot of time as well.

          Col

        • #3232046

          I have a rare piece of footage on Video tape of the Duke

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to Operation Pacific and Sands of Iwo Jima

          before he was the Duke. His very first screen test was of him on a horse, playing a guitar, and singing. At the time his agent was selling him as a singing cowboy called Singing Sandy – he changed agents, the new guy changed the name and he got a career.

        • #3231912

          My favorite,

          by old guy ·

          In reply to erm….

          The Quiet Man. It was everything a movie could be: funny, loving, touching, entertaining.

        • #3231901

          My fav also.

          by x-marcap ·

          In reply to My favorite,

          The fight scene was wonderful…

        • #3230810

          “Just a good stretch of the leg…”

          by vanessaj ·

          In reply to My favorite,

          or maybe that should be Tigger’s line… But I always smiled when she said that in the movie when Wayne would complain about the long walk.

        • #3230084

          Bore away

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to erm….

          Fighting Seabees, Green Berets, & True Grit

          What I like about all his movies are the comedy relief moments. His timing and delivery were always perfect. Kind of makes me wonder how much funnier [i]Hallelujah Trail[/i] could have been had the Duke been cast in the Burt Lancaster role…

        • #3231916

          a shame

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Well of course

          that most kids today with their “get in my face and entertain me NOW” lives will never know and appreciate these great classics.

          Soon as they see something is B&W and doesn’t have a car chase, they are off somewhere else. I don’t know how I got so lucky that to have boys that can see something like that and see it for what it is.

          Oh, I have friends lining up to borrow my BBC comedy DVD’s already, and I haven’t even finished them myself!

        • #3231839

          Have you tried “League of Gentlemen” yet?

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to a shame

          I’m really interested in how you get on with Tubbs, Pauline and the other totally weird characters.

          I can get you a date with Barbara…

        • #3231834

          not yet

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Have you tried “League of Gentlemen” yet?

          got one more night of Blackadder left first. should be done with all three by the end of next week! 😀

          So far, a big hit with everyone! thanks again and again and again and a……….

        • #3232049
          Avatar photo

          Danger Will Roberson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to not yet

          JD [b]DO NOT EVER CONSIDER[/b] getting the League of Gentlemen it will warp your mind in no uncertain terms. It is a [b]Recognised Metal Health Hazard[/b] and there is a warning on the cover telling you as much, if you don’t see a warning label it’s a [b]Pirate Copy[/b] flogged off by the BBC to avoid any [b]Legal Liability.[/b]

          Only people with a death wish willingly watch this series and they actually formed a Que up outside the BBC and demanded additional series from the BBC when the thing ended at the demand of the UK Government. It’s really dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

          By all means get copies of the [b]Carry On Films[/b] but avoid [b]The League of Gentleman[/b] at all costs it’s extremely dangerous. If you watch it you’ll end up like me and you don’t really want that do you? :^0

          All I have to say is [b]This is a Local Shop for Locals![/b] :p

          Col ]:)

        • #3276729

          Oh my! :0

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to not yet

          and here I thought Neil got them for me to be NICE! I didn’t realize it was a fiendish plot all along! :0

          If the shrink wrap is still on it, am I safe? ;\

        • #3276716

          I got them for you

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to not yet

          because they are unique and I thought you’d like something slightly off the wall. Adder and Dwarf are mainstream and the best but The League is NOT Benny Hill! I’m serious about you maybe watching an episode just to make sure that you’re OK with it for the boys as it’s quite dark. I thought long and hard before I added it to the list.

          ]:)

        • #3209569
          Avatar photo

          If you’re smart you’ll shoot the postman

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to not yet

          Or whoever attempts to deliver them. :p

          That’s safer!!! 🙂

          But if you actually hold them in your hot sweaty hand you’re lost for all time. I personally love the series but I freely admit that it’s made me insane well more insane that I was previously anyway. I love the charterers and the entire plot but it’s different and just watching one DVD will never do you’ll have to watch the entire series before you can decide and by then it’s way tooooooo late to get out. :0

          Neil’s forgetting that the charter of the woman in Little Britain that runs the Weight Watchers Club or whatever it is is directly based on Patty from [b]The League of Gentlemen[/b] who runs the unemployment class in the series. Got you there didn’t I Neil. :^0

          Personally I found the ending to be a major let down but maybe that’s just me so I’ll not say anything more that butcher [b]I’ll have a pound of your special![/b] 😀

          Col ]:)

        • #3209519

          Hey, Col

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to not yet

          I got him the whole of Season One, six mind-bogglingly nasty episodes. JD was kind enough to put himself out for me so I decide to teach him [b]not to do it again[/b]. 😀

        • #3209517

          Just one line

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to not yet

          BARBARA: I really should get my bikini line waxed.

          When you understand the true horror of that line, you will have arrived. ]:)

        • #3209510

          Thing One was walking around singing

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to not yet

          Black aaaaaadder black aaaaaaader……..

          oh the humanity…. 😀

          The bad thing is some of the gags are too rapid fire to absorb all at once! Your still laughing at the last one and miss half of the follow up!

          And as no one has ever accused me of being exactly “normal”, I do believe I shall say “damn the torpedos and full speed ahead”, dispite the considerate warnings that Col has extended! :^0

          The wax thought is scary though…. :0

        • #3209506

          put himself out?

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to not yet

          I don’t think so.

          Doing something to help out is never putting one self out! 😀 I was just glad to feel I could help make your mums trip all the better! (even if you DID snub Michigan…..)

    • #3231904

      The best Goodbye

      by tig2 ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      My partner had worked at the same place for 28 years- first job out of college and he was dedicated. About five years ago, the company split off the IT group and it became a subsiderary. The sub then became an independant. All the folks stayed at the parent, now as contractors. All these contractors were the people that designed and built the mission critical systems.

      Beginning of the year, the company decided to outsource all of their IT to India. So the contractors- who had started their careers working for the parent- were either going to find other jobs with the company they became or be laid off. My partner was eager to leave- hadn’t worked on anything challenging for a long time- and was just waiting to get out. The deadline for him to be out the door came… and went. He was being retained by the parent company as a SME.

      And the tension at our house went up a notch.

      The project he was working on got cancelled and I got an email telling me that his last day was in sight. Finally.

      After the flurry of “good-bye” letters that had gone around, he worried about what he was going to say. What he came up with was a history of the IT systems that the parent had used for the last 28 years and how they compared to what is available today. The list of recipients was over 200 names- people he had worked with for 28 years.

      His last day was a Friday. Casual day. His usual uniform for work was dress trousers and a crisp shirt. Except for Fridays when he would generally wear jeans. His last day on the job was no different- he wore jeans. And a shirt. A Hawaiian shirt. That said Aloha all over it.

      Aloha is a common greeting. It is also a farewell.

      There was much that he could have said, or for that matter done, after 28 years of faithful service. His choice was a quiet goodbye.

      That’s class.

    • #3231809

      My first experience

      by jck ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      with Corporate America proving that doing quality work didn’t mean a bit to them:

      I was working with a corporation. I had just finished a contract that management had blundered and lost because they were trying to get an increase of the per-hour fee for my services by 40%, rather than a more normal, nominal increase of say 4-10%.

      Then, I went and was writing software mods for them and the tech market began to crash. I was the second person cut from the company because I was the 2nd least senior person. The fact that my 5 months on contract made enough profits that I paid my salary and benefits, my project manager’s salary, the senior project consultant’s salary, and the office receptionist’s salary…for an entire year. And yes, they were charging out the butt for me, as well as having the customer pay for my travel expenses to and from the worksite.

      One day, I was taken to the conference room by the office director and told “We’re going to have to let you go. We don’t have any work for you.”, I knew he was lying. They had 2 new phases of software modification to do. They just were having to cut heads per corporate order.

      Then, the HR manager for the office came and talked to me and said “You know, you’re very calm about this. Aren’t you upset?”

      I told her (something to the effect of): “Yeah, I am Donna. But, being mad at anyone here because headquarters ordered the office to reduce staff to increase profits isn’t gonna make things better, and it won’t find me another job any faster.”

      She smiled. I could tell she appreciated the fact that I didn’t jump her a$$ for something she had no part in deciding.

      That’s how I try to live my life…and if I was going to go postal, I would have flown to Atlanta or Albany and shot someone there…not in my local office. 😀

      • #3231786

        You missed the key words

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to My first experience

        “for YOU”. ;\

        You have proven my point about any company that bases anything on senority instead of abiltiy, hense Unions are for people without abiltiy.

        Only been fired once in my life, and that was from a sweat shop that made cardboard boxes. Single hardest job I ever had. couldn’t keep up and was let go after three months. (mostly because I reporten an injury instead of “working through it”). Even though I was let go, the unemployment office still approved me because it turns out that the average turnover was about 75%, with most lasting about three weeks.

        • #3232105

          didn’t miss the point…

          by jck ·

          In reply to You missed the key words

          Just never had anyone quit in front of me…I’ve managed to keep all employees through my supervisory tenures 😀

          So…*for me*, mine was the only example of someone quitting with class that I have seen.

          BTW, I credit my father with teaching me to be that way. 😀

          As for Unions, they protect people too…like…a couple hundred electrical linemen and operations dispatchers in Florida who the power company I worked for would have just let go and rotated their staff from another state down and undermanned the grid if it was up to their profiteering executives.

          If it weren’t for the IBEW, profit would have gone up…and so would unemployment…and, the power grid would not have been as well maintained and monitored.

          So, unions do have another purpose than protecting the stupid and unable…they keep corporations in check whose sole responsibility is to return maximum profit to its shareholders…and would do so by being negligent and underhanded and irresponsible.

    • #3231808

      I experienced a non class act.

      by jtakiwi ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I had an employee put in his 2 day notice a week ago. He insisted it was three days (Wednesday, 4pm he emails me the notice that he wants Friday to be his last day,he calls that 3 days notice.) Anyway, I talked to him and he felt he had arranged his tasks as such that he would finish it all up Friday evening. He even “offered” to not attend a half day company training (he did go the day he resigned) that was scheduled for the next day if that would help me out. What is it with kids today? He said he researched it and the consensus out there in cyberspace is that 3 days notice is acceptable. To who? Not to the folks who employ you, that is for sure. Am I that old or is two (or more) weeks still the norm when resigning? Anyway, this guy worked here for 5 years, it is just frustrating to see someone throw away 5 years experience on a stupid decision. I know in phone calls from prospective employers I cannot tell them specifics, but the answer to the question; “Is he eligible for rehire?” Goes a long way towards describing the employee.

      • #3231804

        notice and being civil

        by jck ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        Legally: unless you require it contractually or law requires it where you live, he could tell you at the end of the day he was leaving.

        Respectfully: It’s really class to at least *try* to give 2 weeks notice. And, most people still follow that protocol.

        However since more and more business organizations seem to not care about giving any more notice in walking someone out at the end of the day, employees now are taking advantage of their legal right to do so as well.

        I can understand your being upset. However, be really careful as to how you answer that last question.

        If they say “Is he eligible for rehire?”, you might be best to answer “yes” if he broke no law or corporate policy which was a condition of his employment, and may be technically eligible for re-hire under your company policy. To say he is not when he is legally “eligible” can be construed as professionally damaging to him and detrimental to his professional future and puts your company in a possible legal situation for professionally defamatory remarks if he proves your communication caused him professional harm and loss of income.

        If they say “Is he someone you would re-hire?”, you could answer no. That is a choice you would make based on his professional qualification for the position *and* your personal opinion of his person and actions.

        But you’re right. That’s real crap. Every job I was at, I told them I was giving 2 weeks notice plus and that if they didn’t want me around that long that I would finish early as they needed.

        • #3231790

          I usually don’t see that

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to notice and being civil

          In most cases when someone puts in their notice, the company walks them out right then. I have seen this at quite a few places.

        • #3231788

          I’ve seen…

          by jck ·

          In reply to I usually don’t see that

          people walked out for:

          -Layoffs
          -Termination for breach of law/corp policy

          Never seen them walked out for giving 2 weeks notice. I have seen a manager go back to someone later and say that their final day would be sooner…but, never walked out then and there. Usually, a project has to be wrapped up they are working on.

          And, I’ve worked out of 4 states…OK, FL, GA and NY.

        • #3232092

          At my last company

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to I’ve seen…

          I saw people walked out on the spot after handing in their 2 week notice also (must be a mid west thing) 🙂
          I gave my last company 2 weeks notice and they twisted my arm for 3 weeks.

        • #3232074

          In the UK, if the position is ‘sensitive’

          by tony hopkinson ·

          In reply to At my last company

          Almost always for coders and admins, you generally get walked out, you still get paid your notice period. It’s called garden leave, as you get paid for mowing the lawn.

        • #3209652

          Must’ve been the particular person.

          by jcitron ·

          In reply to At my last company

          I’ve seen that too, but then it might of been a non-mutual consent – good riddance, here’s your hat, and hurry up out of here because we could never stand you in the first place!

          Yet… I’ve also seen people give their 2 week notice, and then come back to help out when asked.

          So, I suppose then it depends not just on the person, but also the company and circumstances that they are leaving.

        • #3212676

          Here too…

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to At my last company

          I’ve not experienced it first hand (yet, though we’ve not had one quit during my time here) but from what I understand, when a paralegal puts in their 2 week notice at this firm, they don’t expect them to stay more than 2 days. (Mostly they hire younger kids and pre-law students that will accept cheap pay I think.)

        • #3232033
          Avatar photo

          Yes this is something that started about 19 years ago

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to I usually don’t see that

          Once someone puts in their notice the [b]New Management Ideals[/b] seems to be [b]Get Rid of them NOW![/b] In every case that I’ve seen this happen it always involves the company firring the person on the spot and giving them a payout for not giving any notice of dismissal. To me this seems stupid but as it’s been explained to me the management doesn’t want that person doing any damage to the company while working out their time. This might be common in [b]Upper Management[/b] but from where I sit it’s [b]Unprofessional Conduct[/b] and I’ve never seen any of this with my staff. When I used to get handed notices from my staff I would just file them allow the person to work out their time and on the last day hand in the resignation generally late in the day when they had finished their work and then they where walked out the door with a check for a few weeks work that they where not doing. At the same time it had been arranged that we would all meet up at a local pub for a few drinks to say good by at the end of the day. I generally managed to work it out that as we where finishing the shift for the day the person who was leaving was walking out with us and I put the going away party on my Expense Account and arranged that they had a good time and let them know that they where appreciated. Of course if they wanted to leave sooner it wasn’t a problem but I did insist that they finish their current work before they left the scene.

          Management didn’t like my attitude and on every occasion in the last years that I was running a Department I used to work this way so I didn’t have bad feelings between my staff and me as it looked as if I was the one ordering them out the door.

          The last place that I resigned from was really funny as the Next guy up locally was the one overseeing me thrown out and it quickly became obvious to my staff what was happening so they all rushed to the nearest terminal and before I could be thrown out handed me their resignations which didn’t go down too well but effectively no matter what it was decided by Management to fire everyone at the same time. Great Idea for their Service Department and the next day when they didn’t have a single person to answer the phones or have anyone available to do the required work which had been organised things got really nasty. They called up all the staff that had handed in their notices and threatened them with legal action for quiting when in a fit of rage the company involved had fired them and given them all one months pay in lieu of notice. All of them where on the phone to me asking what their options where and as they had been sacked I told them not to worry but I did ring up the company and explain that we where willing to do the necessary work until replacement staff could be found. They weren’t interested and sweated it out for 3 days before realising just how much money we actually brought in and more importantly just how many people we sorted out from the less than perfect salespeople that they employed.

          The end result was that every one was asked quite nicely to come back to work and work out their time at an increased rate of pay and that Months Pay was just forgotten about. I already had another job to go to and was willing to stay till I could train my replacement so I returned and then got all the rest to come back. Most of them ended up staying put as the management soon realised that they couldn’t be replaced quite so easily as they thought they could. Sure they could get others with experience but not with our systems so they had a real mess until they relented and allowed me to actually do my job and attempt to train the outside replacement that they had brought in after 2 weeks I gave him free reign to do as he pleased and he totally messed up by not ordering the necessary parts so we effectively where sitting around doing nothing until some replacement parts could be shipped up overnight.

          Personally I don’t like this attitude by Management but it happens so I just live with it and I used to know that I always had what effectively amounted to a Bonus coming when I resigned.

          I noticed that this started happening about the same time as that [b]Greed Is Good[/b] crap was hitting management and staff where not to be valued but where really a liability who where a necessary evil.

          I don’t know if that’s changed at all recently but it’s the wrong thought process and I hate it because it’s just plain & simple stupid. But I always took advantage of it when one of my staff resigned to allow them to work out their time and then leave with a Bonus. What Management didn’t know didn’t hurt them and as long as my staff where happy I didn’t care.

          Col

        • #3232030

          This mindset is reflected in the name change

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Yes this is something that started about 19 years ago

          “Human RESOURCES”.

          And then the “you could be replaced by a trained monkey” became popular too. Told them to start stocking up on bananas….. ;\

        • #3232021
          Avatar photo

          I must be worse that you JD

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to This mindset is reflected in the name change

          When I was told that I suggested that the person from Upper Management who thought that the job that my techs did was so easy that maybe he should spend a few weeks doing it. The silly boy took up the challenge and I explained that the first week would be solely involved in training him for the job and then for the next few weeks he would be under the supervision of one of the techs not necessarily me because I had a lot of Paper Work that needed doing. The poor fool didn’t last out the second day but I’ll give him credit he did try and did finish the first day and finally gave up about half way through the second as it was way too hard for him. 😀

          He at least thought of us differently after that little incident and we got far better treatment that I ever thought we would get by him for the rest of the time that I was there after that. If I asked for my budget to be increased it was not only accepted without question but there was always another 25% added to my projection. It made life so easy after that, that it wasn’t funny.

          Pity that I couldn’t get any of the other people from Upper Management to do the same thing at other companies that I worked at. 🙁

          Col

        • #3212661

          Pretty please…?

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to Yes this is something that started about 19 years ago

          Can I come work for you Col…?

        • #3212467
          Avatar photo

          Not any openings at the moment. :p

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Pretty please…?

          I currently have 10 techs working here and one Orifice Manager who really does drive me nuts. 🙁

          After the last Audit by the Tax Man I’ve found that I have to be more involved in the business so I know what’s happening. After all beside what the Office Manager thinks I actually own the place and it’s my neck on the chopping block when something goes wrong. But I did like the last Audit cost me somewhere around 4.5 K to be told that there was a mistake and that I had overpaid the Tax Man 10 cents to much. My reply was I’ll not miss that 10 cents perhaps you had better keep it for your own needs and put it toward your costs in this fiasco. 😀

          Besides you’ll just be another one who constantly drops me in it with the wife by stealing her Favourite Classic Mercedes to drive around in a bit of Class and tell her that I arranged it all when I know absolutely nothing about it. :^0

          Col

        • #3231191

          *sob*

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to Not any openings at the moment. :p

          But, but… I hate driving! 😀

          Lol, and I hear that about office managers… Have one that bugs me every time she approves a purchase to “make sure” the purchase was approved. (Good lord, I swear she thinks I’m out to steal the company credit card, but throws nary a complaint when I use my own cc and get reimbursed… *exasperated* Office Managers!!)

          And that .10c too much was too funny. But why did YOU have to pay 4.5k to have an audit done? Gov’t wants it, THEY should pay for it! (I know, wishful thinking. But especially if it was THEIR mistake and YOU were right. And overpaying to boot!! Lol.)

        • #3202231
          Avatar photo

          OK which of the staff have you been talking to?

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Not any openings at the moment. :p

          I know that my soon to be dead son dropped me in it at the last Christmas Party that I threw and told them all about the VW Beetle that’s currently collecting dust in the garage so I’ve been getting less than gentle hints to put it back on the road. It eats V8’s for breakfast and only gets better after that. Well it did with the last engine that it had in it I don’t know what this one will do but it’s slightly modified but only a little. 😀

          The 4.5 K involved taking nearly a week off work as well as my Orifice Manager and Accountant to the Tax Office to attend the audit but it gets better apparently it costs the Tax Office close to 20 K to hold an Audit and 4.8K to cut a refund check. Talk about Bureaucracy gone mad Shss! 🙂

          My nephew is a Chief Investigator in the Tax Office in Cantberra and he never fills in a Tax return. He’s been taken to court several times now and keeps insisting that he choses to give his money to the badly run Department as it needs it far more than he does. The last time was the finial straw for the Tax Office because he apparently doesn’t show up and totally ignores the rulings. So they sent out a couple of Cops to escort him to the court and make sure he stayed put and then he hit the court with the actual numbers which the magistrate didn’t believe and the head of the Tax Office didn’t want to admit where right so he’s now got a Court Ruling that because he is on Pay As you go Tax he doesn’t have to put in a return ever again. Actually I think it all relates to filling in forms all day every day at work so he refuses to fill in any forms when he’s not required to by work. :^0

          Currently the Tax Office claims that you can expect an Audit every 3 – 4 years I certainly hope not as it’s way too expensive to me to waste all this time and effort for nothing but it makes the Tax Investigator and My Accountant look happy. 🙁

          Col

        • #3201992

          Could be worse….

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to Not any openings at the moment. :p

          You could OWE 4.5k in back taxes I guess…

          And why in the world are THEY happy with a $20k debt to cut a check for .10c! (I’m [i]just[/i] evil enough to have them do it to spite them… Lol.)

          Geeze, remind me not to start my own business. Lol.

          ~tearsong

        • #3201984
          Avatar photo

          Many years ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Not any openings at the moment. :p

          I received a Tax Refund of 5 Cents so I framed the check and let it hang on the wall for about 2 years. After that time I was rung by the Tax Department and asked to cash it as it was costing them several K per month to balance their books all because I hadn’t cashed this 5 cent refund.

          In Government work you don’t have to be [b]Totally Insane but it Sure as Hell Helps.[/b] 😀

          Col

        • #3276895

          Seen it happen once…

          by m. glenn ·

          In reply to I usually don’t see that

          A DBA had given 2 weeks notice. After two days of hearing her describe how much she was glad to be leaving and whate great benefits she would be getting, management decided it would be better for morale if she spent her final days at home…

        • #3209591

          I have seen also

          by jim_p ·

          In reply to notice and being civil

          The previous company I worked for, if you handed in your resignation, even if you gave them two weeks notice. That was it, the boss would literally kick you out the door and you were the worse person in the world.
          When I left, I didn’t even show up, I had my resignation given in by another person. He was a pretty wild boss when it came to resigning.

          Regards,
          Jim

      • #3231787

        two weeks notice

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        It all depends on the company and the work environment. If this is a place where you see people walked out at the end of the day with no warning of problems with the employee, that employer has no right to turn around and expect anything more from the employees.

        The employers have broken the social contract, and for the most part, do not have any right to expect anything more than they in turn give.

        The two weeks notice was back in a time when you got out of school, got a job, retired, and died. Now with layoffs the norm from downsizing or outsourcing, the employers are the ones that have brought on this change.

        The other side I have seen is the employer that demands you start the following week, rather than give your past employer the two weeks notice. People just don’t care anymore.

        No, I am not a spring chicken, so I don’t fit in with the “kids today”.

        • #3232053

          JD – there is a difference between being walked and being paid

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to two weeks notice

          Many places I know, walk someone as soon as the decision is made that their going, security reason. The person gives notice, they do an immediate hand over and walked, the boss fires them the same. In each case they get paid two weeks pay in lieu. In effect they get paid to NOT come to work for two weeks. This is a common practice.

          Many places have awards or laws that state they get two weeks notice or pay in lieu of notice.

        • #3232025
          Avatar photo

          Actually DE here it’s slightly different

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to JD – there is a difference between being walked and being paid

          It depends on how the business pays you. If you are on weekly pays you should get a fourth nights pay not to work the same if you are paid fourth nightly and then if you are paid monthly you get a months pay.

          This is typical of Management [b]Cutting off their Noses to Spite their Faces.[/b] What I really love about this action is that someone within the company is willing to hand out the persons phone number so what in my case has always been a Silent Phone Number gets given to every one of the dealers who continue to ring me for advice on how to solve their problems with the company that I’ve just left. If it’s a technical question then there are no problems that’s an easy answer but when it gets into Company Policy I just refer them to the proper person as I have no control of what happens in the companies affairs and can in no way short circuit the system.

          One of the places that I was shown the door I went and ran one of the dealers shops for what should have been 4 weeks but they just didn’t return so I was there for several months and in that time one of the opposition companies came up and told me what was going on the place that I had just left and offered me a job.

          Now this wasn’t the normal complaints that occur when someone leaves it actually was something quite bad that should have stayed inside the company so I rang the CEO who refused to take my calls to tell him what had happened. I did the right thing so there could be no complaints about my actions if he didn’t want to talk to me that’s his business and I really didn’t care too much.

          But what I did find funny was at a product launch about a year latter I was dragged away to one side with the CEO and some foreign people who where really the owners of the company involved and dragged over the coals for interfering with the companies business by constantly ringing the dealers and complaining. I just replied if you like I can bring in my phone bills and you will not see one long distance phone number to anyone connected with this business on any of them but Yes they do ring me and as I have a Silent Phone Number someone within your company must have given it out so stop blaming me for your problems. I then went on to tell the CEO here that by not taking my phone calls after I had left he had done severe damage to the company and I told him exactly what I had been told and by whom. This was to be announced latter during the 3 day product launch. With that finished up with the guy that replaced me was horrified to see the AU Service Manger and the technical Adviser form Overseas sitting at the bar buying me drinks. I don’t know what he had been told about me locally but the look on his face when my old boss told him that if he had any real problems I was the one to speak to as I would always help him out was priceless. When the other two had gone away for a short time and I was talking with my replacement I asked him why he was wearing another companies tie at this product launch. I didn’t make a big deal of it but I noticed the next day that he was no longer wearing a tie.

          Actually that place was hilarious when I left they didn’t have enough money to pay me out available so they had to rush a payment through directly into my bank account and I was paid for all the time until the payment as made along with the months pay in lieu of Notice as well as the last months pay and all the holiday pay that was owing a little over 8 months pay I got handed as well as the waiting time involved which owing to penalty rates came to almost another months pay.

          It really was a pity that I had to start work the following Monday as I could have had a nice holiday with all that money.

          Col

        • #3276984

          Actually Col, in most states and the federal laws

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to Actually DE here it’s slightly different

          State that “Unless there is a specific period stated in the award they are employed under, the period of notice for termination shall will be the equivalent of one pay period, or the equivalent pay in lieu of notice.” Since most people are under awards, and the majority of awards, state and federal, say “The period of notice for termination shall be two weeks or two weeks pay in lieu of notice.”

          It only gets tricky if you’re not under an award. And many people are under an award but don’t know it. They may be employed without being told of an award, but most industries have awards and they automatically apply, in most cases.

          See the sort of stuff you learn when you do a PROPER management course. Sadly the closest to a management course most modern managers get, is an accounting course on how to manipulate the Profit and Loss statement to make themselves look good. Read the good management manuals and they tell you outright that you need to look after staff as they’re what cause the business to make a profit.

        • #3232012

          “It all depends on the company and the work environment”

          by ontheropes ·

          In reply to two weeks notice

          It does.
          In the trucking industry you may reach a point where you no longer want to work for the company but you are 2000 miles away. It is a well known fact among drivers that abandoning equipment [b]for any reason[/b] is likely to be the last time they will [b]ever[/b] drive someone else?s truck.

          Having said that, when I had my own truck I learned of one driver who had had enough of being treated like [b]?meat in a seat?[/b] while he was in Oregon and the trucking company was in Missouri. He paid a lot of cash to have his truck shipped by train to Springfield, MO and paid a driver to pick it up there and return it to the terminal. B-) I thought that showed some class. The funniest part was that it was [b]my[/b] dispatchers Father. :0

        • #3276871

          No one has ever been walked out after giving notice

          by jtakiwi ·

          In reply to two weeks notice

          In fact, his old boss, a very good friend of mine from way back, put in his notice a couple of months ago and stayed on for 4 weeks after giving notice. So, not sure what motivated this guy to give 2 days. I did walk him out after one as there is no significant difference from a work standpoint of one or two days. So, I guess I made his argument for him by letting him go a day earlier than he desired. Such is life. I think I may put something in the employee handbook regarding resignations and suggest two weeks notice (heck, maybe three) and if we are given requested notice, we won’t walk you out, or if we do, we’ll pay the difference anyway.

        • #3276742

          What was in the handbook at one place

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to No one has ever been walked out after giving notice

          was that if you did not give two weeks notice, any unused vacation days would not be paid out. I don’t know if this would have held up in court or not, but it was in the union contract.

          A lawyer for the company is the one to ask for what can be used for carrots and sticks in this situation.

          That guy asked for 2 days because he was a twit. If your not treated poorly, there should be a very good reason for this.

          And I didn’t imply that your company does this, but I have personally seen it in the past.

          One place it was common for at 3pm on your last day of probation, to be walked out. 30 minutes short of getting through probation and being admitted into the union. Standard company policy, they would not give you a reason, so it was hard to fight legally and the union couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything because you weren’t a member yet. About 70% of new hires had this happen.

          I actually saw someone get laid off just before his probation ended. He was called back, but had to start his probation all over, as well as seniority. This happened TWICE to the poor guy, before he finally got the job.

        • #3230098

          Don’t know where you work, but…

          by mt pilgrim ·

          In reply to No one has ever been walked out after giving notice

          Having been in this industry for more years than I like to count (the PC is 25 today…), I can tell you that not only have I been walked out of “corporate America” on a couple of occasions, but have also been instructed to walk out employees who have given notice…

        • #3231519

          This is a little bit of gray area this era.

          by systems magician ·

          In reply to two weeks notice

          True, employers can walk you out the door anytime they please as I have seen many times. But it is the individual who is in control when quitting
          and it is not courtesy to the company but the other individuals working with you, who may be affected by your departure. A one week notice seems to be reasonable. It should be enough for knowledge transfer and other exit procedures.

          If it is the other way around, I think you do not owe them any knowledge transfer. Just follow the exit procedure and if they try to pick your brains before you leave, you can always say
          that is what disaster recovery procedures are for.
          Now is the best time to test it.

          Bottom line, always leave on a positive note because you will never know where you can run into the people you worked with.

      • #3231785

        Almost a polar opposite

        by maevinn ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        November 1 2005: I notify my employer that I will be leaving March 10 2006. He’d known for more than a year that my spouse was likely to be moved to another base; we got the orders to move in mid-October.

        December 2005: Boss sits down with me and asks if I’ll be willing to contract for 18 months of support on an as-needed, not to exceed 15 hours a week basis, and to confirm my willingness to train my replacement for up to 2 weeks prior to my departure.

        February 2006: They finally decide to announce the vacancy.

        March 1: They interview and select the replacement. We schedule training for 4 hours a day for 4 days, during my last week. Boss asks me to write up the contract for support, tells me to pay myself what I think is fair.

        March 6: Replacement trains for 4 hours in the afternoon, and we invite her and her spouse to an evening get-together with most of the Division, free food and beer.

        March 8: The replacement is offered more money to stay at her old position, and ditches out. She’d known since Tuesday morning, we didn’t find out until 30 minutes before she was supposed to show up for her 3rd day of training.

        March 9: I’m put on contract to work full time remotely until they can re-advertise, interview, and hire a replacement, with plans for a paid return to train.

        March 10: What should have been my last day with little to do turns into a hectic day of packing up everything I would need to work from 1200 miles away.

        March 20 – June 12: I work remotely from my house (well, from a camper for 6 weeks of that), roughly 40 hours a week. Get a job offer locally on a position I’d applied for in March. Start working 40 hours locally and 25-30 remotely each week.

        I fly back this weekend to spend next week training my replacement. Finally. When the secretary took the paperwork on purchasing my plane ticket up to the Department boss for approval, he storms in to my bosses office and demands to know what foolishness is being pulled, buying a ticket for a former employee. My boss calmly explains that I’ve been working for them the entire time, and am just coming back to train…Like it was some secret that the Department was never told about.

        • #3232083

          Wow…

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to Almost a polar opposite

          How many rings did that circus have? 😀

        • #3276747

          :D

          by maevinn ·

          In reply to Wow…

          Mountain lions and tiger trout and Grizzly bears, oh my!

          Yep, full blown 3 ring. Loved the people, but really wish there had been some better structure.

      • #3232075

        Tough

        by tony hopkinson ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        If he could get away contract wise with a two day notice period that’s your companies fault.
        Why wasn’t he contractually obilgated for a longer notice period, so your firm could get rid of him straight off and save the salary.

        Serves them right.

        There is nothing more annoying than some one who literally doesn’t give a rats rear end for you , expecting loyalty, respect amd professionalism in return.

        Don’t give it, you don’t get it.

        How many poor gits have been chucked on to welfare, because there’s no notice period in the contract, works the opposite way, all of a sudden it’s the emnployees shortcomming, yeah right.

        My notice period is a month, one place it was two months, it’s a statement of value, none = don’t

        • #3232071

          Three month’s notice

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to Tough

          is what I signed up for here. It means that I’ll have real difficulty getting another job – “When can you start? ” “Oh, is Christmas OK?”. still, at my age I’m happy that they have to give ne three, too!

          Neil 😀

        • #3232022

          Must confess

          by tony hopkinson ·

          In reply to Three month’s notice

          Caused me a problem or two as well, big advantage when I got made reduntant though, extra months money .

          Three months means they value the position you occupy. They must value you up to press as well, otheriwse they would have given you the notice pay and got to some one in they could.

          I know it’s different in the US, but no notice period means they might not need you tomorrow. I could live with that, but I’d want to be earning enough to build up a nest egg to tide me over, when I refused to kiss ass to keep my job.

        • #3232018
          Avatar photo

          Actually Tony here in AU things are not much better

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Must confess

          Our Federal Government has introduced new IR Laws and they are a Total Joke I can fire any of my staff without notice and I don’t need to pay them when I fire them other than existing payments due. I can also basically lay off people who are working Full time if I don’t have the work and call them in as required how & when I like. I don’t need to pay them penalty rates for working weekends & Public Holidays or just about any other Award rate that was previously in existence. I can renegotiate their Individual Work Contracts to a lower pay rate without penalties and even call them in for 1 hour per day work if I wanted to. Currently some of the bigger companies are firring their staff and then allowing them to become reemployed on a Contract Rate on the Employers Terms which generally means less pay less protection if anything goes wrong and so on.

          Personally I think that it stinks and is something that I would never consider with my staff except maybe the Office Manager as she drives me nuts by constantly telling me that I’m stealing from the company that I own. I’m a nuisance to her until she messes up and I’m then required to straighten out the mess but I’m sure that she would be quite happy if I didn’t ever do any work and left her to run the place as she thinks that she owns the place. She actually hit one of my staff with a Work Contract and he rang me asking why I had gone back on my word when I told them all that the new IR Laws would have no affect on them and I wouldn’t apply any of the Draconian conditions that I was allowed to under the new Laws. Needless to say I had to put her in her place again! But I feel sorry for the average working person who can be dismissed without waring.

          I’m only sorry that these laws don’t apply to Politician’s but as someone pointed out to me that they don’t actually work so IR Laws can not apply to them. 😀

          But being perverse I would love to walk into Parliament and hand every one of them their [b]Pink Slip[/b] and tell them to get out now your personal effects will be forwarded on at a latter date. :^0

          Col

        • #3276985

          Hey HAL, the current changes were expected after all

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to Actually Tony here in AU things are not much better

          the changes that made running a business hard by the various state govts. I don’t know about Q’ld but in NSW the Unfair Dismissal Laws and changes to Casual and Part-time employees made small business almost impossible to run.

          Since the UDL came in I have seen business forced to reemploy people sacked for stealing from the till – the UDL Review people said that since the boss had never told them they couldn’t steal from the business it was wrong to sack them for doing so. Talk about trying to scrwe up business.

          Now if you employ someone as a temp for more than 12 months at a full-time rate, they are automatically a full-timme permanent employee, doesn’t apply if they are a contractor. Any wonder why the use of contractors has increased and the hire of long term temps has dropped. They’re now applying the same changes to part-time and casual staff. Also you are now supposed to offer any new permanent positions to part-time and casual staff who have been employed for more than 6 months before going outside. And they wonder why the average employment period in these categories is dropping to 6 months or below.

          I know of many businesses where all their non permanent full-time staff are on 6 month contracts, left hang a month and the offered another 6 month contract. Simply to get around these stupid laws.

          Re Parliament House, I’d like to take a group from Kings Cross and have them do to the parliamentarian exactly what those buggers are doing to us – sadly it’s not likely to happen to those pain in the a$$es.

          Hey, Col, on another front you sound like a nice guy to work for, what sort of staff are you looking for and what do pay rates do you offer?

      • #3209453

        Eligible for rehire.

        by bassplayer and drummer ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        After two years on a job, I gave 3 weeks notice, said all positive things about the company and gave constructive critism for the things I didn’t like about it or felt needed improvement. I gave my reason as “feeling the need to move on and explore other opportunities.”

        Well, it was a good thing I left on very good terms because 2 months into my new job I hated it, and wanted out, and FAST! So I called my old boss at home during a holiday weekend and asked for my old job back. The following day, back in the office, he ran it by his boss who responded with “get him in here!” So I gave 2 weeks notice to my new job to go back to my old one, and I gave them the option to cut my loose early if they wished (which they did). I went back to my old job and picked up right where I left off, and was welcomed with open arms.

        Unfortunately, that company has since gone out of business, but I still keep in touch with my old boss and some other coworkers and managers who, even 10 years later, will still give me a good reference.

        Never burn your bridges!

      • #3230083

        The law is part of it

        by nicknielsen ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        The major part of the problem here, I think, is that Alabama, like most other southern states, has an “at will” labor law. Employees can be hired or fired and no reason is required other than the “good of the company.” Today’s kids see this as justification for overnight or 2-day notice.

        Two weeks notice should still be standard, but you will only get it from employees over 40, if then.

        Edit: clarify

        • #3230077

          Age?

          by mt pilgrim ·

          In reply to The law is part of it

          Age should not be a factor here in these types of situations. I’m past your “magical” number of 40 and it has depended upon the attitude of the company. Period. I’m not justifying the attitude of the “kids” in the industry, but trying to make the point that the “rules” some/most of us old guys have engendered over the course of our careers no longer seem to apply across the board. Having begun my career in the southern tier of states I am well-versed in the “at-will” labor syndrome and so are employers. More than once have I been treated to the visit from the MIS and been told that “due to cutbacks, etc.” no more job. It also seems as though the bean counters for these companies just don’t understand the concept of maintaining at least some of the more experienced players when they can get two “kids” to do the job for less than the cost of your salary. These don’t endear me to continue any of the courtesy standards I used to embrace. Again, it truly depends on the situation.

        • #3231529

          No, age should not be a factor

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to Age?

          But when it comes to workplace courtesies, it usually is.

        • #3231171

          I’m 25…

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to No, age should not be a factor

          and offended, quite frankly. I’m almost half your “magic” number (though most people peg me for 16) and have always given 2 weeks notice (minimum) at [b]any[/b] job I’ve ever quit, from cashier to receptionist to data entry. Always. Only once has an employer told me to walk early, but it was his decision.

          (I’ve not had to quit my real IT job yet, but you can bet they’ll get how many weeks again minimum?)

          Also, in my “social circle”, we are almost all under 30, yet none of us have thought any differently. I’ve seen people 50+ quit with 2 days notice. Stereotypes will always get you into trouble.

          I wish people would stop classifying all “kids” or “oldies” as a certain way. Sure, you might be right 25 squeaky-wheel % of the time, but the other 75% of us (older or younger) that quietly do as we’re supposed to get hurt by it.

          If management had been known to fire people without any sort of severence (if that is legal?) without giving a d@mn, and telling them to leave that day, EOF, for no reason (IE, not anything the employee themselves did) – I might be persuaded to break this rule when my time came. But I have a feeling that many here would agree with this thinking.

          If you want your employees to give you 2 weeks, you’d best give them at least the same.

          ~tearsong

          Edit: typo

        • #3231114

          D*mn stereotypes :_|

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to I’m 25…

          You are, of course, correct. Exercising prejudices and perpetuating stereotypes can get you in trouble, and usually leads to incorrect decisions. I think I’ve managed to work around most of mine, but every once in a while one jumps up and barks (bad dog!).

          The only prejudice I still have trouble with is body piercings. It’s awful hard sometimes to get past multiple lip rings to the person behind them.

          Of all my bad habits, my prejudices, alcohol and nicotine are the only three still legal in public. Please allow me to indulge in peace. ;\

          Edit: clarify

        • #3202177

          Prejudices

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to D*mn stereotypes :_|

          You are (last I checked, though this is changing it seems) allowed to have them as they are forms of “free speech” – as long as you’re not turning down a potential hire, firing a person without severence, or otherwise being prejudiced or discriminatory toward and adversly affecting the person, simply because of their age. That, actually, isn’t legal. :p

          Of course, I too, have 2 cartillage rings in my right ear and 1 eyebrow ring, I just don’t wear them any time other than the weekend. lol.

          Edit: Because I have to edit ALL my posts….

        • #3202065

          That’s a shame…

          by mt pilgrim ·

          In reply to I’m 25…

          Evidently, you and your “circle” are NOT the norm, at least as far as I have experienced. More often than not, we “older” types have had to come behind the “younger” ones and clean up the mess that is, again, typically left behind. Wait until you have lost that teenage appearance and have some years of experience upon which to reflect. Chances are better than aneven bet that you will develop the same attitude your post belittles.

        • #3199436

          Unfortunately,

          by noyoki ·

          In reply to That’s a shame…

          The only part that is not the “norm” about my attitude is I have always said “well Bill is an idiot kid” and “John is a decent adult”. I’ve never said “kids are all stupid”, and “adults are all intelligent with good work ethics”.

          Granted, I was raised that this race is going to rape you, and that race are all wife beaters. Does that mean I hold that as true? No, of course not. I may say “Bill” beats his wife, but not “all blacks beat their wives”.

          I don’t know if that makes any sense, perhaps I’m just psycho, but I don’t see things in generalities and stereotypes. Each individual is who they are, not their race, age-group, gender, etc.

          Else I’d just be a lazy little white girl, wearing the stereotypical low-cut tops and mini-skirts that barely cover, snapping gum with mouth open and expecting guys to fawn at my feet, while mommy and daddy pay for everything. 🙂 Surely I’d not be into Tech! And I’d NEVER have done blue-collar (electrical) work! Nor would I have a care in the world for my employer, or co-workers, and/or the results of my job.

          Perhaps, in that regard, my circle is a bit eccentric. We aren’t all punk kids, though most of us are in IT, but we aren’t so pessimistic that we view the entire world through the same pair of blue-tinted glasses. (Different views for different people.) And as I said, [i]most[/i] of the group is below 30, but there are a couple people that could be my [i]PARENT’S[/i] age!

          Just because 1 or 500 kids have messed you up, doesn’t mean that the other inifinte number of the rest of us are going to do so too…

          Edited: because I am too used to using <'s with HTML for italicizing something. 🙁

        • #3230072

          Most people see these things as being a two way street

          by deadly ernest ·

          In reply to The law is part of it

          If it’s good enough for the company to give you little or no reason, then they can’t complain about getting the same in return. I don’t agree with that thinking, but I can’t argue with it either.

        • #3202232

          That’s exactly it

          by tony hopkinson ·

          In reply to Most people see these things as being a two way street

          If the company can terminate your employment with no notice, for say simply commercial reasons, then whatever you were doing and you yourself have no commercial value to them.
          Now, there might be circumstances where this could become true, or plans to make it true, but if it was true when you started why the hell did they waste money employing you in the first place ?

      • #3199390

        Another way of putting it

        by thumper1 ·

        In reply to I experienced a non class act.

        A guy I worked for had a novel way of getting his point across. If he didn’t want to give the guy a recommendation about a former employee without risking his neck, he would say
        “The only thing I can tell you is: Nobody would be better for the job” with emphasis on “Nobody”

    • #3276816

      Difficult to be Classy at a Less than Classy Company

      by kato akita ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I left my last company a few months ago. I had spent almost two years on an ERP implementation – from system selection to configuration, implementation and go-live. The majority of the team worked 80 – 100 hours per week for the last year of the project. Support from management and the business was less than enthusiatic. Cost overruns and delays turned the project from bad to worse.

      I had as much as I could take. Three months after go live I gave a month’s notice. I figured this would give enough time to do knowledge transfer, tie up loose ends and train a replacement. Seems as though there was no need to transfer knowledge as no one was interested in learning. There was no replacement and the loose ends just unravelled even more. I just said my goodbyes and thanked them for a great opportunity.

      They handed out bonuses the week I was leaving. I didn’t even get one – all of $1,500 for two years work. Glad I’m out of the implementation game.

      Oh, and I have to agree about NIN and Johnny Cash. That’s the most honest sounding song I’ve ever heard.

      • #3231590

        Bonus, or lack thereof

        by too old for it ·

        In reply to Difficult to be Classy at a Less than Classy Company

        One place I was at, everyone else got annual bonus, and I got the axe after straightening out their Windows-to-UNIX server implementation.

        “We are a UNIX shop, but we need a Windows guy” and “we are a family-run company” are two phrases that cause me to mentally move on during an interview.

    • #3276781

      US Navy Officers Protocal for Leaving a Command

      by knoble ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      The officers in the US Navy employ the following when transferring from one post to another.

      Leave a tight ship.
      Don’t look back.

    • #3276756

      End of Discussion “Get the $%^ out of my office”

      by robo_dev ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      After being salesman of the month for a computer broker, I was one the dozen or so ‘troublemakers’ who complained about having their salaries eliminated (going to straight commission). After polite but tense ‘exit interview’ with Company Owner, the conversation went south and ended with ‘Get the $%$$ out of my office’ (rhymes with the thing that quacks). Since this guy was 6’4″, about 300lbs, and kept a loaded .357 magnum in his desk drawer, I took his suggestion to heart. (He was later indicted under the RICO act). Spent the afternoon at the driving range whacking the tar out of every golf ball I could.

    • #3209547

      Craig Ferguson, Saying goodbye to his dad.

      by mickster269 ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      What can you say…

      http://www.craig-ferguson.net/wake.wmv

      This is whole show that night… But he says goodbye to his dad.

      It’s long… but very touching.

      His Father left on the best way.

      You’ll have to excuse me for just this one moment. I never got to say goodbye to my Dad.

    • #3230373

      Johnny Carson

      by too old for it ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      Retired. Stayed off the news, off Springer, and out of the limelight.

      A real class act.

    • #3230291

      onwars and upwards

      by oz_media ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I have had so many different ‘avenues of income’ I couldn’t list them if I sat down for an hour and tried to work them all out. Jobs come and go, careers come and go. You can’t really PLAN either because you just never know what tomorrow will bring.

      Roll with the punches, grin and bear it, any job I have left, been let go from or just give up on has been an integral part of building the person I am today. Stepping stones, changes of path whatever you may call it, we just move on to something else that interetst us.

      • #3230246

        Hey Oz is that a typo in the title or a real comment

        by deadly ernest ·

        In reply to onwars and upwards

        on your work history “Onwars and upwards’ has work been such a war for you?

    • #3230146

      Leave the same way you worked – That’s class

      by rick_from_bc ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I was let go by a company that down-sized. You know its
      coming when HQ calls to “check that we have all your passwords
      correct.” And its confirmed when your remote boss doesn’t seem
      to be available for a telephone chat.

      When the day came that my local boss was to let me know I was
      finished, at 9 a.m. he entered my office and said he was
      supposed to walk me out. But he was also leaving that day, and
      asked if I could stay for his ‘going away’ party? Then, he
      graciously added me to the party’s guest-of-honor list.

      I worked the day out, gathered my things, and left. I knew that I
      worked for a class act, and I also knew that I was treated fairly
      by him because of my attitude towards my job for the previous
      two years.

      (I did get paid for the standard notice period, plus a month’s
      bonus for time on the job.)

    • #3230142

      Just grin and walk out the door…

      by mt pilgrim ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      Most of the time it is because you have been doing your “job” to the utmost degree that you are “let go” in the vernacular. The older you get, the more prevalent this can become. In this last situation that came up a couple of months ago I looked at my former boss and told him with the biggest smile I could muster that HE was starting the competition. I have setup my own consulting firm and repair facility and am beating the pants off of him. Remember the old Klingon proverb that states: “Revenge is a dish that is best served cold…”

      My two cents…

      • #3202207

        Actually that’s Shakespeare

        by tony hopkinson ·

        In reply to Just grin and walk out the door…

        Hamlet, but I get your point.

        Don’t know whether he coined it or not, suspect it’s been around along time

        Fairly sure Star Trek wasn’t running then, and I can’t remember an episode where they went far enough back in time to bump in to him.

        Actually that would be a damn good plot line wouldn’t it. Bill meets Warf. Course Picard might have a problem, a Klingon would have fitted in better than a frenchman around that time.

        LOL

    • #3230125

      My experiences

      by happyheathen ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      (1) Just out of college I began working for a major international firm with people I respected and enjoyed working with. After a couple of years, I gave 4 weeks notice due to a family illness, but was slowly talked into staying for 7 weeks (which I did so to help out as much as possible). I gave an honest exit interview which included some criticism of the current director, but also included a review of positive characteristics.

      2-months later a former colleague told me his was terminated after he came in and walked to door without an exit interview. No other reason than he was being let go.

      2. I worked for a national firm with a Manager who was a great mentor, but was replaced several years later at retirement by a micro-manager. After numerous problems, I resolved it was best to leave and pursue my career elsewhere. On my last day, I was given a luncheon by staff members in appreciation for my sevice, but the new manager didn’t attend even though he knew about it. I took it as a slap on the face, but also as confirmation that my intuition on his managment style was correct. I sent emails and contacted people personally to thank them for their support and wish them well.

      My value was later reconfirmed when this new Manager told Department Heads that a problem which had developed would take a while to resolve. A DH at the meeting said that this wouldn’t be happening if I was still there.

      3. I worked for 2 more national firms with colleagues and management that I enjoyed working with and respected. Since I worked in a remote area with limited long-term work available, my Managers informed me that I would probably be downsized if I couldn’t relocate. I couldn’t, but was told that if circumstances changed, I would be welcome to return after relocating. As part of my exit, I informed my colleagues via email of my departure and told them that it was a mutual decision since I couldn’t relocate. I wished them continued success in their lives and careers.

      4. I left a position after 1-week when I realized it was a bad fit for me. I apologized to my Manager, but said that I thought it would be best if I left so they would not have to continue training me since I would probably not be staying. She concurred and there was an amicable split.

      My rules of thumb:
      a. Be professional
      b. Be honest, but tactful
      c. Don’t burn bridges and be respectful
      d. Be sure to treat them (the company and its people) the way you want to be treated.

    • #3231613

      Quiet, yet clearly heard

      by sctang73 ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      A consultant (also close friend) I know of serviced many companies. He wasn’t flashy in any sense of the word, just hard working, polite and honest. That in itself was reward enough for most.

      Sadly, his body could not keep up with his work schedule. He closed up shop and ended up working for one of his largest clients.

      His departure was gradual, not sudden despite his inconsistent health. His clients and his employees were all informed of the situation from start to finish, and no one was left feeling left out. Heck, the guy even went as far as to make sure all of his employees had received other offers before completely shutting down. He spent the last several weeks handling everything with his wife.

      As for his clients, they were all referred to a couple of his colleagues. The switchover was also gradual, spanning a couple of weeks to help phase the “new guy” in. To my knowledge, the clients are satisfied w/ their referrals.

      Last but not least, this guy sent a thank you gift to all of his major clients, especially the ones who stuck by him from day one. It wasn’t anything extravagant – just his style – but the attached note seemed to hit a bullseye w/ everyone. It said:

      “Company XYZ would like to thank all of our clients for your loyalty, patronage and friendship these past # of years. While we prepare to close our doors for the final time, we want to let our clients know that our doors were never closed to them. Thank you and all the best.”

      This guy has taken my respect for him to another level. I sincerely hope his new job allows him to grow old and retire peacefully.

      • #3231238

        It is good to know…

        by Anonymous ·

        In reply to Quiet, yet clearly heard

        That there are people of that caliber in the world. I can only imagine what the world would be like if more of us had that kind of moral character.

        Thanks for sharing that story.

    • #3212455

      My story

      by mickster269 ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I was once a General Manager of a US Restaruant chain. I had spent 6 years, traipsing across the country for them.

      I had settled into a District, boutght a house, ets. I was on the “fast track” to District, and eventually Regional Manager. I was a “Fireman”. I went into problem stores, and turned them around in 6 months. 60 hours a week was common, 80 hour weeks were not unheard of. I had a good record, positive reviews, yada, yada, yada.

      We get a new District Manager. He’s wanting to make his imprint on our District, and further his goals. He’s heard of my rep, and appreciates it. He decides to transfer me to a store that had a history of declining sales. The last 4 GM’s had been fired from that store. He wanted me to turn it around.

      Well, it was like being put in charge of the Alamo. It was a no-win situation. Cut to the quick- I couldn’t turn it around. He called me, to “talk”.

      Now, when you get called on your day off, to “chat”, you know it’s not going to go well. I was sacked. And , to make it especially wonderfull, it was a month after my wife left me. Karma bit me in the as that day.

      BUT… The Vice President called me at home later that day- apologizing, talking about politics, etc. And then he did this for me-

      He offered to fully vest my retirement and 401K programs. He asked me to stay on for another month, at full pay, as an Advisor.

      I took him up on the offer. For the next 4 weeks, I came in to help the new manager, to cook, even to wash dishes. I worked without question for the 4 weeks.

      After the month was over, I got a call from the CEO of the company. He thanked me for the work I gave, the way I handled myself, etc.

      I was gracious, and pleasant. When he asked if they could have done anything different, I replied…

      ‘You coulda fired my District Manager instead’. After about 5 seconds of static… I heard him start to laugh.. long and hard.

      All I know, is after my firing, 6 of the 7 GM’s in our district were fired.

      The district dropped from # 2 in the country to # 47.

      I wonder what the CEO thinks now.

      • #3231299

        The Best Revenge

        by knoble ·

        In reply to My story

        It has been said, “To live well is the best revenge. I think you have had your revenge.

        Thanks for a good story.

    • #3231314

      How To Leave a Job….

      by lbelle ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      After working a temp to perm job for a few months, I realized that I was being underutilized, although I volunteered for extra work and I was able to make some changes that reduced monthly expenses, I was bored. After speaking to the CFO & CEO I realized that there was no mobility for me and I had to leave. I said my goodbyes and got the usual farewell & good luck pats on the back as I walked out the door. The first Monday after I left I paid for a fruit platter to be delivered to my old job with a note of thanks for the goodtimes.

    • #3199378

      Heart ATTACK!!!

      by sysadmin/babysitter ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      A real “LIVE” Heart ATTACK!!!
      They will alway say “he gave his/her all….”

    • #3229687

      Classy Employers

      by breadtrk ·

      In reply to Total “Class” acts.

      I work in local govt at the helpdesk. I started here as a lowly maintenance man for the jails. After about 5 years I started having problems with my health, finally diagnosed with a debilitating bone disease. After my 6 operation and getting both knees replaced at the same time, I felt it was only fair to resign since I was hired to do maintenance and I couldn’t do it any more. This is a mid sized city government mind you. They would not accept my resignation, they reinstated a night position on the helpdesk that had been closed for 2 years, had an elevator installed so that I could get to the office without as much pain and even had the bathroom redone with grab bars.

      That, my friends is class.

      That, my friends is class.

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