If I could vent a little - totally and completely NDR and long

Mark W

Well-known member
Some of you may recall a ways back, December 5, 2008 my working group was dissolved and all jobs eliminated. I survived and was offered a new position with the same company the day before I had my hunting violation court case resolved. Fast forward to March 30, 2017. I was on the tarmac in New Orleans coming back from a conference and a few meetings. Got a call saying there was an mandatory emergency group meeting for March 31 at 8:00 sharp. Having gone through this before there was only one reason this would occur.


Our group was small by the company standards and we assembled in a conference room. Boss was there and not saying much as he didn't know anything. In walks someone we have never met and as she is walking in she let's us all know the group is being dissolved and all jobs eliminated. She handed everyone their severance paperwork, answered a couple of questions and left the room. We were in shock - no one saw this coming. We now had the clock on us again and 45 days to find another position within the company, take the severance, or retire. Company was having another record year for sales and profitability and other groups were hiring so it shouldn't be too hard to land somewhere else.


Long story made short, myself and a couple of others found new positions within the company but others did not. This rant is about one of those who was forced into retirement - my boss. A better boss would be had to find in this day and age. He was both tough and fair and had a heart as big as they come. This is how he was treated after 40 years of service to this company.


The big boss never came down to tell us why were being eliminated. Our group was responsible for taking new to the world technologies and commercializing them to start new businesses for the company. A job we all enjoyed as it was quite challenging and cutting edge. Our next level boss who is the CTO and R&D VP, never had the courage to thank the group for all we had done nor explain the reason for our dismissal. It couldn't be performance as we had brought 3 programs through commercialization this year which is a pretty darn good hit rate. Considering only a small percentage of these types of programs get this far, it was a good year. Couldn't be blown budget as we were under it. Couldn't have been bad behavior or complaints s we never heard about it. So here we sat and wondered.


45 days came and went for my boss and he had no luck finding a new spot. I don't think he was trying all that hard as he was at the age where full retirement was real for him and he didn't have the energy to start over again. He mentioned more than once that after 40 years of service he wanted to go out on his own terms which wasn't going to happen.


His last day of employment was this past Friday. He had an employment lawyer look over the severance documentation and the lawyer requested some changes. Boss submitted this redlined document back to HR requesting more than once to meet to discuss. The severance documents are vague using words like "reasonable" loosely in areas where clear definition is required. He never heard back. He had to have this document signed ad delivered by that Friday and he didn't know quite what to do. Big boss was no where to be found and HR was gone as well.


While I was observing him clean out his office, I got very sad. This company has an award, highly coveted, for teams and individuals that develop products that sell so many dollars in a set period of time. It is a hard standard to hit. As I was walking by the garbage cans in front of his office, I noticed these award plaques in the dumpster. Something he was quite proud of tossed aside just like he was being tossed aside. I also notice his many patent plaques and awards in the dumpster as well. I thought of taking them out and seeing if in a month or so he would want them back but he made his decision and who was I to get in the way.


These awards were for big programs. Ever use a drive through? Notice the headset and communication system the fast food joint is using. There is an 85% chance it is a system made by my company. My boss was the Electrical Engineer who developed that suite of products. Ever walk in a store and hear piped in music? This too was a program invented by my boss. LED light bulbs - boss was the program manager for these as well. If you measure a persons success by dollars of product sold, he was significantly above average for others at the company.


Friday mid afternoon had come and he was ready to leave. As is normal, proper, and a sign of some respect, the big boss typically comes down to the person retiring, "checks him out", takes his employee badge and helps him carry that last box down to his car. A handshake or man's hug follows and the retiring person drives off to start the next chapter of his life. No one came down, no one called. The people he needed to see were nowhere to be found. When you get to this point, when you are finally ready to leave, you want to leave and not wait around not knowing what to do. As he was ready, I helped my boss carry the last bit of personal items to his car, gave him a big hug and said with tears in my eyes that he will be missed - greatly.


I got in the office today and got a text from the old boss. He left his signed severance, un redlined in his middle drawer and asked me to run it over the HR. I did so. I handed to our person, didn't say a word, turned around and walked away.


I am disappointed in myself for not having the courage to speak up for what is right, I am disappointed that I couldn't do more to help him. Mostly though I am disgusted by the actions, or inactions of the company I have spent 33 years with. Discarding good people without saying a word, not being respectful of what this person has done for the company, letting him go and costing a good man some of the dignity he held tight is not how people should be treated. Ever. Even the worst of us. I hope and pray no one has to go through what I witnessed first hand over the past few weeks.


Thanks for letting me vent and ramble on and on. The company lost a very good man over the weekend - not that they care.


Mark
 
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I'm sorry you had to deal with that Mark. It seems like the new model for business is for management to #$%& the little guy and get whatever they can for themselves. I have had a similar situation in the company I work for, we had a change in management a few years ago and things have steadily gone downhill since then. The attitudes of those in upper management never cease to amaze me. I know you might feel guilty about how your friend was treated but there really wasn't much you could do. On the bright side, maybe you're close to retirement and won't have to put up with that kind of stuff much longer?
 
Mark, I am so sad to hear that story. It happens even in the so called 'secure government jobs". Reminds me of the time I was laid off just days before Christmas one year. Pretty harsh especially when there was no reason it couldn't have waited til after the holiday. I don't think I will ever forgive that person for that one. Keep your head up and eyes open we make our own good luck. Shiny side up. T
 
Many of today's employers expect loyalty from their workers.....
Yet they have no clue how to return it.
True loyalty works both ways.
 
Mark - Speaking from a different perspective (number of working years so to say), I read this story and it doesn't surprise me AT ALL. I've got roughly 12yrs experience in commercial manufacturing and gment contracting and what you speak of is standard in all 3 organizations I worked for, starting in the heavy layoff yrs of our latest recession. Overall, I think it's the norm now and folks who started working earlier than I got to see some of the "good ol days" earlier in their career of employees getting recognition for a job well done (i.e. plaques for achievements), gold watches in retirement, farewell/retirement lunches, christmas bonus, etc. It's a shame indeed but I'm afraid a large part of the work force now doesn't even have the perspective of what you just wrote and sad to say, they are the future management and leaders of our country so I don't anticipate those days ever returning...

now with all that said, each company has its own culture and I could be way off base on yours with observations from the companies I have worked for to date. Thanks for writing this, it will help me have a more sensitive radar and at least make me more aware of letting folks know I appreciate the work they have done for our organization.
 
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I know so little about the corporate world, just reading your post increased what I know measurably. Tough to hear, I know I'm not cut out for it in so many ways.
 
I know so little about the corporate world, just reading your post increased what I know measurably. Tough to hear, I know I'm not cut out for it in so many ways.

I hear that.....^^^
I am an English teacher, 6th grade. But I bought a bar three years ago. The learning curve was steep but the contrast between private / public sector is intense. I come back to work to school and hear what these people complain about and laugh....
 
That is a truely sad story but all to often it is the norm now days even more so in the oil and gas industry I work in.

My dad went throw the same thing three years ago, worked like a dog all his life for a drilling company and when work slowed down they laid him off and then forced him to take retirement because no company would hire him due to his age.

Just hung him out to dry after years of making them hundreds of millions of dollars.

It's a sad to see how company's treat employees now days.

I'm not even going to get started on how my company tryed to do me when they got me hurt last year.
 
Mark,
I can totally relate to the turn of events which you describe. Unfortunately this is happening everywhere. It makes me sad as well and I wonder what kind of world my kids and grandkids will live thru. HR here at where I work has a new favorite slogan; "it was just a business decision." My condolences to your former boss and my hopes that you can finish out your career with no further hiccups.
 
Mark~

Thanks for sharing this story. It sounds like at least some of your company's leaders skipped the Business Ethics training. Too many believe that "It's a business decision." means that morality is irrelevant. They have forgotten - or never knew - that every business (or government or academia) - is, at heart, a human endeavor. Humans always need to treat each other with respect.

I'll bet your former boss would enjoy a nice, private lunch with you in a couple of months. And, I'll bet he would enjoy talking about anything but the old job.

All the best,

SJS

 
It sure sounds like that is becoming the new reality. Anytime you hear a business decision is being made someone down the food chain is being eaten. My company is employee owned but business decisions are still made. Full-time was dropped from 39 hrs/week to 33 hrs/week. It reduces the amount of overtime accrued by hourly employees. Better bottom line for company. It sucks for a single income family like mine.
Tom
 
Mark

I feel certain if your boss read your post he would be thankful for your empathy. I'm not surprised by the way they chose to terminate your boss and his workers (stranger delivers quick decisive blow). What is sad is the lack of appreciation extended to him in his final days for the years of service. To me if you want to create a corporate culture of hostility and resentment towards upper management that is exactly how you go about it. Companies are in business to make a profit and if someone's job results in more red ink than black I accept the position is subject to elimination. But in doing so an employer owes the employee treatment proportionate to their career contributions.

Eric
 
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Mark, this seems to be the new way of doing restructuring in the corporate world. Bring in a specialist and keep the actual leadership out of it. I have been witnessing similar practices where I work and have paid very close attention. On a recent morning in the midst of a very rough week I told my wife that in a perfect world that would be my day! No such luck but I do know that when the time comes I likely won't see it headed my way.

The most important part in this story is that you treated the fellow with dignity and respect. There isn't much you can do about the rest.
 
Mark (and Eric Patterson),
I am glad that we have the kind of forum where a brother hunter can share this kind of experience. Draining. Disappointing. Makes you wonder about the greatness of America. No. It makes you wonder about the greatness of the human race.

Not very great.

May the Lord bless you and those who lost their jobs with work or a new purpose other than work.

Larry
 
Mark,

I'm sorry your colleague was treated in that manner. You are educated and have had a long career with 3M with many opportunities and I'm glad you were fortunate to have been retained. I've seen it more and more over the past decade and last year experienced it for myself. Today's hiring managers aren't in there 50's and 60's rather they are in their 30's and 40's and would rather not interview candidates that have had experiences and opportunities they have not yet had or candidates they feel could be an employment threat. I hope you get he opportunity to retire on your terms. Since you've seen this within your company become proactive and prepare. I did not and now feel the effects. I apologize for adding my rant on top of yours.
 
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