a fond farewell

August 31st, 2018- my last day in Corporate America! Boy -oh-Boy did it teach me a thing or two…I always knew that I wanted to “get out,” but it was never the right time. Luckily, I did not have to find the right time, it found me. On August 21st I was one of 131 employees laid off. This was a complete surprise to me, as I was just awarded “sales executive of the quarter” a few weeks prior. I was informed that the publication that I directed was ending publication after 27 years. August 21st and the days following seemed surreal. Is this REALLY happening to me? Why me? Why now? What next?

SEVEN YEARS IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, TAUGHT ME SO MANY LESSONS…

Life will only change, when you become more committed to your dreams, than you are your comfort zone~

Reflections and Humor:

Who is corporate and why are they anonymous? “The customer is always right,” says corporate. But Corporate doesn’t have a name that I can talk to when the customer isn’t right. So who do you call outside of Human Resources when your commission is on the line and the customer is NOT right? The HR Hotline!? So now you can be in the hot seat for being a tattle tell.

“Get an attorney they say!” The going rate for a retainer fee is around $5k and good luck finding an attorney to represent you against “Corporate America.”

“Open door policy” is only for complainers and non team players. So why even have it? This policy may be free counseling so the managers can start planning for your replacement. Or perhaps they contact the IT department to “stalk” your email for reasons to fire you.

Mandatory morning meetings before your scheduled hours. Occasionally, Corporate has mandatory weekly morning meetings or employee brainstorming sessions after hours. But it is before or after your “scheduled” working hours, so shouldn’t this be voluntary? Perhaps the labor laws changed and you no longer get paid overtime.

“You have ample experience and you are a top performer,” says your boss…while he/she “awards” you with additional responsibilities because your “team member” quit or got fired.

“Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason. ”