Off you go!

                 It was a Monday when I lost my job at the hospice. Lost my job is an interesting term. Lost implies that I can look  for it and find it. Maybe it’s under a bush or in the closet.

                I didn’t just lose my job. I was terminated. Fired. Let go.

                Now everyone has a story when they are fired and I’m no different.  Two weeks before I was fired I was advised that I had to have a more definite schedule. Monday through Friday, instead of the flexible schedule I had working 34 hours per week. Then the "executive director" said that a 3% raise had been approved. Oh, and by the way, it would be okay to increase from 34 to 40 hours per week..."just let me know". 

                So I thought about it and decided to go to 40 hours a week. The director received verbal notice from me the following day and written a few days later. Interesting, though, he did not respond to my response!

                Until January 11, 2010. 8:30 a.m.

                “Are you ready to meet yet?” 

                "I didn’t know we were meeting,” I replied to the executive director.

                “Weren’t you notified by your supervisor?”

                “No. But I’m available,” and followed him to his office.

                Where the financial officer was waiting. No small talk. It only took a  moment for the director to launch into his spiel. Probably well rehearsed, four people “let go” last week alone.Long and short of it, they decided to “terminate things now” rather than “go forward” as previously discussed.  

                In prior conversations with the executive director and company owner I had expressed my desire to look for additional or different responsibilities within the hospice. Our case load has a large volume of advanced dementia patients and sometimes those interactions left me drained. And dissatisfied with the work.  I like a little more interaction throughout the day than this type of patient is able to do. None of my conversations with  management would have led me to think that honesty and desire to help the organization in others ways was a bad thing. 

                However, the executive director informed me, “The decision has been made to terminate now and not go forward.”

                Basically he said, “off you go”.  Turn in your ID badge, company issued cell phone and off you go.

                “Is there any severance pay?” I foolishly inquired.

                “Well, you will get an early payout,” he said.

                “Early payout?”

                “Yes. We will put your final check in the mail and you will receive it in three or four days. You won’t have to wait until Friday.”

                Apparently he didn’t think I would recognize this as “no”. No, there is no severance. Just like there was no warning or opportunity to change.

                Incidentally, the “early payout” wasn’t. The day before payday – being the last day the check could arrive early – I notified the company that I had not received it. The check arrived three business days later than the actual payday.

                "I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."  Psalm 121