2006 End of Year Review, Part 4
Part 4:
When I returned back to work the week after, I was expected to do all the work I would’ve done had I not taken time off. Seems sensible, right? Or maybe a bit cruel. There were two other designers, but they couldn’t houlder more than their small amounts in light of the circumstances. Of course, it didn’t help that they didn’t know half of the software we used, and had never been given time to learn. Maybe my boss thought I could just do everything.
Whatever the logic behind it, the result was the same: 5 weeks of the worst overtime I’ve ever faced.
But there was a kicker: I made a mistake about half-way into those 5 weeks. Something made it to production that shouldn’t have, never mind there was QC people and three layers of production staff above me. I received the full blame by my boss and an informal verbal warning. It had turned out my boss had been keeping track of every single mistake I had ever made during the past year, and after two other mistakes, she was using this as proof of a trend that I was getting sloppy.
That broke me down. I knew I had to find another job quickly.
I had already started looking all the way back when I was screwed out of a proper raise. I started looking around for a new job. But it turned out nearly all the CAD operators in the area were getting paid less than the receptionist at H&R Block. I think my boss must’ve known this, even while my colleagues were getting paid graphic designer wages for the same job.
In other words, I’m fairly certain now my boss was certain I was stuck. Perhaps she really did care about me as a friend, and was blinded by that affection into thinking that I would always support the department out of love and respect, no matter what.
When I came back from a trip to the north coast and the Tattooed Lady’s parent’s house, I received a call from a company in downtown City of Angels. They talked all the right talk, so I agreed to meet them for an interview.
There were several weird warning signs about this new company which I should’ve noticed right away, but I’d never experienced anything like this before. The man on the phone was too impatient to see me, trying to rush me in for an interview. The office was in a terribly dodgy part of town. The rest of the staff looked very haggard. He had trouble remembering things I had said to him a minute ago. He kept repeating the same things over and over in defense of himself.
At any rate, I showed up anyway, asked for the amount of money I wanted (my salary plus the amount I was owed in stock options, plus a little extra). After an interview and a quick test, he said the job was mine if I wanted it. I said I’d go away and think about it.
It was a hard decision because of all the warning signs, but I wanted to get away from my current company’s deteriorating situation quickly, so I accepted the next day. He said I’d have to meet his wife, but that would be a formality. I asked him if I should submit my notice. He said yes, so I did.
I presented it to my boss in a way to give her a chance to counter offer. After sitting on that for a half hour, my boss took me outside and flipped!
Over the next 20 minutes, I learned what it was like to be truly assaulted by a passive aggressive, manipulative woman. If people wonder why I’m so calloused and hardened to abuse at the hands of women, it’s because I’ve had to deal with it so much. But my hobbit boss gave it to me worse than I’d seen since my days under the thumb of the Priestess.
To sift out the string-pulling, she told me this was the most unprofessional thing I could ever have done, and that I should never do that again. What I should’ve done was beg for more money.
As it happens, I’m damned good at grovelling from decades of practice. So I calmed her down after a little work.
She asked me why I quit, but I never told her other than a vague ‘job stress’.
The next day was Saturday, but I was being asked to come in that day to work on the current project (in short: my company was given the chance to design a range for Cirque Du Soleil. But the upper management couldn’t get excited about any kind of jewellery that wasn’t related to sports, so they piled on their own work in front of this as greater priority. By the time we got around to this project, we had 4 days counting the weekend to produce our most ambitious fashion collection to date, based on a brief that would stagger John Hardy.
Of course, we didn’t get it, in spite of multiple trips to see their headquarters and a couple of their shows live. My seniority meant I was sent along to the shows with my boss and the sales manager, but like the other grunt designers, I had no input into my boss’ ‘0-hour creative vision’.)
But that Saturday, my boss let me go. It was a mutual parting.
The following Tuesday I had an orientation with the new company. Or so I thought. While I was on my way up, the guy I interviewed with told me I had to come in for another interview, and that I was by no means guaranteed the job. In fact I was under intense competition from another candidate.
After a weird interview, display of my work via PC (with this guy hovering over my shoulder bugging me for my references), and an honesty test, I went home. Later I received a call where he told me I didn’t have the job. I asked him why he offered it to me in the first place. But he clamed he never did!
That left me stranded. Now out of a job on both fronts, I called my hobbit boss and told her I would be available to work if she wanted me to. She called me back and told me she had already replaced me, but offered me a good reference and a 3 week notice instead of the normal two.
I don’t know if she ever replaced me, she probably didn’t, even if she found another designer. But it really doesn’t matter now. To save face she had to stand by her decision, and she couldn’t abide a traitor in her department. But I expected that anyway.
The next few weeks were a mad scramble to find a new job, while Sez supposedly looked for a new job with her brand new green card. (It came through!)
Of course, Sez was miserable with her situation, and so was I. It didn’t help we had a major roach infestation emerging at about that time. It became so bad I couldn’t turn away from my plate for 3 minutes without a roach standing on top of my food!
So we moved out into the Ogre Mage’s house.
Fortunately, I had been talking with a company in the UK that I had met long ago about working back over there. During this time I had a phone interview. It went well and I was offered the job after a test. Since I was already married to a British citizen, I didn’t even need a work visa.
I moved to the UK in August, awaiting my start of work on September 11th. (oh the timing.)
When I returned back to work the week after, I was expected to do all the work I would’ve done had I not taken time off. Seems sensible, right? Or maybe a bit cruel. There were two other designers, but they couldn’t houlder more than their small amounts in light of the circumstances. Of course, it didn’t help that they didn’t know half of the software we used, and had never been given time to learn. Maybe my boss thought I could just do everything.
Whatever the logic behind it, the result was the same: 5 weeks of the worst overtime I’ve ever faced.
But there was a kicker: I made a mistake about half-way into those 5 weeks. Something made it to production that shouldn’t have, never mind there was QC people and three layers of production staff above me. I received the full blame by my boss and an informal verbal warning. It had turned out my boss had been keeping track of every single mistake I had ever made during the past year, and after two other mistakes, she was using this as proof of a trend that I was getting sloppy.
That broke me down. I knew I had to find another job quickly.
I had already started looking all the way back when I was screwed out of a proper raise. I started looking around for a new job. But it turned out nearly all the CAD operators in the area were getting paid less than the receptionist at H&R Block. I think my boss must’ve known this, even while my colleagues were getting paid graphic designer wages for the same job.
In other words, I’m fairly certain now my boss was certain I was stuck. Perhaps she really did care about me as a friend, and was blinded by that affection into thinking that I would always support the department out of love and respect, no matter what.
When I came back from a trip to the north coast and the Tattooed Lady’s parent’s house, I received a call from a company in downtown City of Angels. They talked all the right talk, so I agreed to meet them for an interview.
There were several weird warning signs about this new company which I should’ve noticed right away, but I’d never experienced anything like this before. The man on the phone was too impatient to see me, trying to rush me in for an interview. The office was in a terribly dodgy part of town. The rest of the staff looked very haggard. He had trouble remembering things I had said to him a minute ago. He kept repeating the same things over and over in defense of himself.
At any rate, I showed up anyway, asked for the amount of money I wanted (my salary plus the amount I was owed in stock options, plus a little extra). After an interview and a quick test, he said the job was mine if I wanted it. I said I’d go away and think about it.
It was a hard decision because of all the warning signs, but I wanted to get away from my current company’s deteriorating situation quickly, so I accepted the next day. He said I’d have to meet his wife, but that would be a formality. I asked him if I should submit my notice. He said yes, so I did.
I presented it to my boss in a way to give her a chance to counter offer. After sitting on that for a half hour, my boss took me outside and flipped!
Over the next 20 minutes, I learned what it was like to be truly assaulted by a passive aggressive, manipulative woman. If people wonder why I’m so calloused and hardened to abuse at the hands of women, it’s because I’ve had to deal with it so much. But my hobbit boss gave it to me worse than I’d seen since my days under the thumb of the Priestess.
To sift out the string-pulling, she told me this was the most unprofessional thing I could ever have done, and that I should never do that again. What I should’ve done was beg for more money.
As it happens, I’m damned good at grovelling from decades of practice. So I calmed her down after a little work.
She asked me why I quit, but I never told her other than a vague ‘job stress’.
The next day was Saturday, but I was being asked to come in that day to work on the current project (in short: my company was given the chance to design a range for Cirque Du Soleil. But the upper management couldn’t get excited about any kind of jewellery that wasn’t related to sports, so they piled on their own work in front of this as greater priority. By the time we got around to this project, we had 4 days counting the weekend to produce our most ambitious fashion collection to date, based on a brief that would stagger John Hardy.
Of course, we didn’t get it, in spite of multiple trips to see their headquarters and a couple of their shows live. My seniority meant I was sent along to the shows with my boss and the sales manager, but like the other grunt designers, I had no input into my boss’ ‘0-hour creative vision’.)
But that Saturday, my boss let me go. It was a mutual parting.
The following Tuesday I had an orientation with the new company. Or so I thought. While I was on my way up, the guy I interviewed with told me I had to come in for another interview, and that I was by no means guaranteed the job. In fact I was under intense competition from another candidate.
After a weird interview, display of my work via PC (with this guy hovering over my shoulder bugging me for my references), and an honesty test, I went home. Later I received a call where he told me I didn’t have the job. I asked him why he offered it to me in the first place. But he clamed he never did!
That left me stranded. Now out of a job on both fronts, I called my hobbit boss and told her I would be available to work if she wanted me to. She called me back and told me she had already replaced me, but offered me a good reference and a 3 week notice instead of the normal two.
I don’t know if she ever replaced me, she probably didn’t, even if she found another designer. But it really doesn’t matter now. To save face she had to stand by her decision, and she couldn’t abide a traitor in her department. But I expected that anyway.
The next few weeks were a mad scramble to find a new job, while Sez supposedly looked for a new job with her brand new green card. (It came through!)
Of course, Sez was miserable with her situation, and so was I. It didn’t help we had a major roach infestation emerging at about that time. It became so bad I couldn’t turn away from my plate for 3 minutes without a roach standing on top of my food!
So we moved out into the Ogre Mage’s house.
Fortunately, I had been talking with a company in the UK that I had met long ago about working back over there. During this time I had a phone interview. It went well and I was offered the job after a test. Since I was already married to a British citizen, I didn’t even need a work visa.
I moved to the UK in August, awaiting my start of work on September 11th. (oh the timing.)