Anyone else having a weird time at work?

[LingGrad2009]

Well, I gave notice to my boss today, so I'm out of the closet. The reaction was not at all what I expected. Apparently they just laid off a bunch of people and there's a hiring freeze, so the reaction was something like: [stunned silence, then] "You can't f--ing do this to me right now." When I say "just laid off" I mean he had done it just a couple minutes before. I have a sneaking suspicion if I'd let him know half an hour earlier, one of those people would have kept their job.

But anyway, instead of getting rid of me sooner, they're begging me to stay on to the last possible minute, and even asked me to work remotely part-time during the quarter. Until the hiring freeze is up, once I'm gone, there's no one but the incompetent freelancer. Well, not totally incompetent, but his skills have a narrow range, while the job calls for competence in many different areas. So now I have to figure out if I can stay on longer (probably yes) and if I can do the part-time thing once school's started (probably no). Weird time indeed.

[zourah]

My section sent a job offer to my replacement today... weird feeling, indeed.

[SconnieNation]

Well, I gave notice to my boss today, so I'm out of the closet. The reaction was not at all what I expected. Apparently they just laid off a bunch of people and there's a hiring freeze, so the reaction was something like: [stunned silence, then] "You can't f--ing do this to me right now." When I say "just laid off" I mean he had done it just a couple minutes before. I have a sneaking suspicion if I'd let him know half an hour earlier, one of those people would have kept their job.

But anyway, instead of getting rid of me sooner, they're begging me to stay on to the last possible minute, and even asked me to work remotely part-time during the quarter. Until the hiring freeze is up, once I'm gone, there's no one but the incompetent freelancer. Well, not totally incompetent, but his skills have a narrow range, while the job calls for competence in many different areas. So now I have to figure out if I can stay on longer (probably yes) and if I can do the part-time thing once school's started (probably no). Weird time indeed.

couldn't you get unemployment while in school? I though the Big O was just signing legislation stating that those returning to school to advance their careers could still collect unemployment benefits. I mean, it makes sense. Why would you penalize someone taking the initiative to advance or obtain new skills? I believe the line Obama said was something like "unemployment benefits shouldn't be just a safety net for a job taken away, but a a bridge to learning new marketable work skills" (or something VERY similar to that).

[LingGrad2009]

couldn't you get unemployment while in school? I though the Big O was just signing legislation stating that those returning to school to advance their careers could still collect unemployment benefits. I mean, it makes sense. Why would you penalize someone taking the initiative to advance or obtain new skills? I believe the line Obama said was something like "unemployment benefits shouldn't be just a safety net for a job taken away, but a a bridge to learning new marketable work skills" (or something VERY similar to that).

I doubt it, since at least in my case part of my funding includes 50% employment in some capacity (they haven't decided exactly what yet). I definitely support any effort to make continuing education as cheap and easy as possible, but a long-term commitment to grad school isn't really the same (in most cases) as a couple classes or certification program to pump up one's resume. However, I'll look in to it, and if they WANT to give me money for the first six months or so, I certainly won't turn it down : )

[skp]

One of my managers was one of my recommenders, and my time at this job was pretty rocky at times--it's the most challenging job I've ever had (a senior level designer/art director-type job for software user interface layouts), and it took me a long time to feel even remotely settled here, and my work really reflected that for my first year here. We did have several rounds of layoffs, but my bosses were understanding enough to not cut me off just because they knew I'd be leaving eventually. I'd kept it really quiet among everyone else, though, so as not to have the use it against me somehow, but my boss finally "outed me" at one of our meetings a couple of months back just to congratulate me on getting into a good school.

I'm down to my last 1.5 weeks now, though (the 22nd's my last day, to give myself ~10 days to vacate my apartment and prepare to move), and I think everyone kind of knows--I haven't made a formal pronouncement of when my last day is, but I'll be sending out an e-mail late next week or something.

Ling, that's really rough. Too bad it's not possible for your boss to re-hire one of the people who'd just been let go...it's certainly nobody's fault, though. But I hope you don't feel too bad about it!

[LingGrad2009]

Ling, that's really rough. Too bad it's not possible for your boss to re-hire one of the people who'd just been let go...it's certainly nobody's fault, though. But I hope you don't feel too bad about it!

Thanks. I don't feel guilty at all, but I did like both people. One of them had just been hired about six months ago. However, their department was really badly underperforming, so it's kinda their own fault.

[DanielsAE]

I up and left my job when I found out I was in and didn't tell a soul. I had the most master driven slave cubicle position that exists. No one respected my work and time, they would throw reports and projects at me that they could have easily done. I was 22 and everyone else was like 30 so these double standards were always present. One day..I just drove away and never came back. Wrote them an email that night though. Funny thing. Last two people with my position did the same thing. They inspired me.