thoughts for the day
from suburban goddess on chron.com. in these very uncertain and kinda scary times, it is strangely refreshing to read an account of someone losing their job and actually taking ownership as to why they lost the job in the first place.
the last words are words to live by and should be drilled into the heads of all employed people, regardless of age:
"...don’t assume that when you’re good at your job that you’re safe. Don’t assume because a co-worker or boss is nice to you that they are your friend. Don’t freelance on company time, no matter how safe you think it may be. Business is business, ...Come in, work, keep your head down and your mouth shut, go home.
And don’t ever, ever take anything for granted, because once you get comfortable with something, God has a way of yanking the rug from beneath you to keep you moving forward."
Confessions Of A "Daylighter" aka I Am Now Unemployed
Posted by KristieMac at 12/17/2008 7:45 AM CST
I woke up this morning with a sick feeling. Actually, that’s not true; I never went to sleep last night, because the last thing I heard at work yesterday was that I was terminated.
It’s a strange feeling to wake up with no sense of purpose. No reason to get up early, yet I did anyway. Thankfully, I didn’t have Alex last night, so she didn’t have to witness the mini-breakdown.
I keep playing things over and over in my head; what could I have done differently? I wish my boss would have given me some warning, some hint at his unhappiness of my performance. I know I risk a lot by telling the truth here, but I never expected it to be used against me as ammunition for my termination. I stopped talking about my company over 2 years ago, except for the occasional sarcastic remark on Plurk when I was having a bad day.
The truth is, I was a “daylighter.” It’s more common than you think; working two jobs during the same hours. People everywhere in corporations are doing it; with the standard of living constantly increasing and the quality of life constantly deteriorating, hard times call for drastic measures. So in an effort to make a more comfortable life for me and my daughter, I’ve now made it worse. The thing that bothers me the most, though, is that I always made sure all my work was done for my day job before I did stuff for my freelance. It was something I took great pride in; I am an exceptional multi-tasker. Quite often, I would have an automated process running in the background while I worked on pictures. Could I have been multi-tasking with my day job stuff? Absolutely. Now I wish I had… but there’s nothing I can do about what’s past. I take full responsibility for my actions. My boss did what he had to do, and I should have used better judgement.
Honestly, when I became a single mom, there was a small degree of panic. I have to keep a roof over my kid's head, and make sure she's got everything she needs. I don't indulge in life luxuries; I drive a modest car and we don't have cable. We don't eat out a lot and designer labels do not exist in my home. It was tough scraping by on what I made, and the only alternative was to take on a second job... but spending even MORE time away from my daughter just wasn't an option. So I turned to "daylighting."
And now, one week before Christmas, I am unemployed.
I’ve learned a valuable lesson in this; don’t assume that when you’re good at your job that you’re safe. Don’t assume because a co-worker or boss is nice to you that they are your friend. Don’t freelance on company time, no matter how safe you think it may be. Business is business, and that's all it will be in my life from this point forward. Come in, work, keep your head down and your mouth shut, go home.
And don’t ever, ever take anything for granted, because once you get comfortable with something, God has a way of yanking the rug from beneath you to keep you moving forward.
the last words are words to live by and should be drilled into the heads of all employed people, regardless of age:
"...don’t assume that when you’re good at your job that you’re safe. Don’t assume because a co-worker or boss is nice to you that they are your friend. Don’t freelance on company time, no matter how safe you think it may be. Business is business, ...Come in, work, keep your head down and your mouth shut, go home.
And don’t ever, ever take anything for granted, because once you get comfortable with something, God has a way of yanking the rug from beneath you to keep you moving forward."
Confessions Of A "Daylighter" aka I Am Now Unemployed
Posted by KristieMac at 12/17/2008 7:45 AM CST
I woke up this morning with a sick feeling. Actually, that’s not true; I never went to sleep last night, because the last thing I heard at work yesterday was that I was terminated.
It’s a strange feeling to wake up with no sense of purpose. No reason to get up early, yet I did anyway. Thankfully, I didn’t have Alex last night, so she didn’t have to witness the mini-breakdown.
I keep playing things over and over in my head; what could I have done differently? I wish my boss would have given me some warning, some hint at his unhappiness of my performance. I know I risk a lot by telling the truth here, but I never expected it to be used against me as ammunition for my termination. I stopped talking about my company over 2 years ago, except for the occasional sarcastic remark on Plurk when I was having a bad day.
The truth is, I was a “daylighter.” It’s more common than you think; working two jobs during the same hours. People everywhere in corporations are doing it; with the standard of living constantly increasing and the quality of life constantly deteriorating, hard times call for drastic measures. So in an effort to make a more comfortable life for me and my daughter, I’ve now made it worse. The thing that bothers me the most, though, is that I always made sure all my work was done for my day job before I did stuff for my freelance. It was something I took great pride in; I am an exceptional multi-tasker. Quite often, I would have an automated process running in the background while I worked on pictures. Could I have been multi-tasking with my day job stuff? Absolutely. Now I wish I had… but there’s nothing I can do about what’s past. I take full responsibility for my actions. My boss did what he had to do, and I should have used better judgement.
Honestly, when I became a single mom, there was a small degree of panic. I have to keep a roof over my kid's head, and make sure she's got everything she needs. I don't indulge in life luxuries; I drive a modest car and we don't have cable. We don't eat out a lot and designer labels do not exist in my home. It was tough scraping by on what I made, and the only alternative was to take on a second job... but spending even MORE time away from my daughter just wasn't an option. So I turned to "daylighting."
And now, one week before Christmas, I am unemployed.
I’ve learned a valuable lesson in this; don’t assume that when you’re good at your job that you’re safe. Don’t assume because a co-worker or boss is nice to you that they are your friend. Don’t freelance on company time, no matter how safe you think it may be. Business is business, and that's all it will be in my life from this point forward. Come in, work, keep your head down and your mouth shut, go home.
And don’t ever, ever take anything for granted, because once you get comfortable with something, God has a way of yanking the rug from beneath you to keep you moving forward.