(no subject)
So I promised an update on my job situation. Here it is. The current situation is as follows:
About two years ago the university I work for decided to reduce the size of the non faculty departments (Personnel / IT / Library / Facility Management / etc.) a third in size to deal with rising overhead due to rising student numbers and less government subsidies. This meant going from about 1500 fte (full time equivelant = 40 (wo)man hours) down to a 1000 or thereabouts. This wouldn't happen in one fell swoop, but stretched out over two years or so, one department at a time.
Since you need the Personnel department to make this happen, we would be the last department to be downsized. Of course this is no longer the case because of some of the reorganizations running off the rails in spectacular fashion, but we're just about the last one anyway. This didn't stop them from telling how much fte the different subsections of the department would need to lose. For the archive the reduction meant we would go from 2,8 down to 0,8. Obligatory Highlander reference: There can only be one. Meaning only one of me and my coworkers would remain.
That was two years ago. Since then there have been several meetings to give updates about the current state of affairs. Which boiled down to: we can't tell you anything whether you get to keep your job, here's some semi-useful information. About four months ago during one of those meetings the selection criteria for those who would be allowed to stay were discussed in general. For subsections with 30 or more people in them, this didn't really meant anything. But with there only being three of us, the picture was pretty clear. And I wasn't the one. Which was confirmed to me about three weeks ago when they officially announced I'd be surplus to requirement (dutch: boventallig) as of January first of 2015.
Now this doesn't mean I'm out of a job as of that date. There will be a reassignment period of 13 months in which I will be paid in full with benefits and be supported as I'm looking for another job. This includes the university having to make an effort finding me a suitable job either at the uni or somewhere else. If I don't find a job within that period I get transferred to an outplacement agency. This will will last another 12 months. The same conditions as at the uni apply, thought the definition of what will be considered a suitable job will be less strict. So you can see why I'm not worried as of yet. I have 28 months in which to find a job, without having to worry about my finances.
But there's more: about 4 years back the Personnel Department started a digitization project to get rid of as much as the paper in the work processes and the archive. I've been involved in various forms. Yes folks, I helped the uni get rid of my own job. And enjoyed doing so, because it was an interesting couple of years in which I finally started doing the work I was taught to do and capable of instead of the alphabetizing, hole punching and filing I'd been doing the eight years before that. Yes, that's a rather gross case of underachieving and slacking, but there you go. Turned out alright in the end. But I'm digressing.
One of the people I worked with during that period tipped me the Student Affairs was going to digitize their archives as well and gave me a name of somebody involved. After sitting on it for a while, the project at the Personnel Department was winding down but still interesting enough to keep me occupied, I mailed the person in question. Who then mailed me he wasn't the person I was looking for as he was no long involved in de student one, but did give me another name. I mailed this person the same day and didn't hear anything for three months. Four weeks ago, two days after my manager started inquiring whether or not the tip had come to anything, I finally hear back from person number two. Who refers me two person number three, who's actually in charge of the project.
I mail this person my resume on a Friday, not expecting much at this point. He mails me back the next Monday, telling me my resume looks interesting and asking whether or not it's OK he'll get back to me after Thursday because that's when his next project meeting is. I don't mind at all and mail him. Instead of having to wait I get a mail the next day, meeting had been rescheduled, asking me to come in on Wednesday for a get to know you meeting. This turns out to be a euphemism for a job interview, which I survive reasonably well even though I wasn't particularly well prepared.
Two more meetings follow. Head of Project wants to talk to my manager to get a better for whether or not I'm the person they're looking for and various technical bits as they basically want me to start the next day and I'm still gainfully employed by the Personnel Department. I get introduced to another person involved in the project by him, get left alone with her fifteen minutes into the meeting because of other engagements and am told I'll hear more on Friday. This was last Friday, my last workday before my vacation. I get the call and basically get a job offer.
So after three months of nothing and three weeks of basically everything at once the idea is as follows: I get to work for the Personnel Department 1,5 day in the week and three days a week for Student Affairs until the first of January. After that it'll be full time until the project is finished which should be start Q3 next year. This will postpone my reassignment period for as long as I will be working for the project. At least that's what the Head of Project said. I don't see why Personnel wouldn't agree with that as it won't cost anybody any money they wouldn't have spent otherwise, but the terms aren't certain as of yet.
Nor is it completely certain what I'll be doing. The one thing that is sure is that I'll be developing a business case for the digitization of (parts of) the Student Affairs central and faculty subsection archives with Head of Project. These archives are part paper, part email and part digital files from another DMS than the one we'll be using. Did I mention they want all of that ready to scan in about six months? As of yet I've got no real idea as to how feasible that is, as I'm not sure what the scope of the project really is, but it's going to be a fun challenge to figure out how much can be done in that period. And that is what I'll be doing until January.
If the business case gets the thumbs up, likely given the fact they've set aside a budget already, I'll be coordinating the project and getting the people from the different Student Affairs faculty subsections to get their archives in order in the way we came up with. For fun and giggles: these people will be told if they get to stay or will be downsized come January 2016. Yes the completion of the project will at least partially depend on people who know they will be out of job. Should be interesting.
So there you have it: a rather long update on my current status of employment. Interesting things are happening. At work, but first and foremost: four weeks vacation. Which will be spent working my butt of at an open air film festival in Amsterdam ( http://www.westival-amsterdam.com/ ) from tomorrow until Tuesday next week, followed by some days off at home and six days in London with my dad. I'm going to see The Throwing Muses and Tanya Donelly play and that kicks so much ass it hurts thinking about it. Can't wait!
About two years ago the university I work for decided to reduce the size of the non faculty departments (Personnel / IT / Library / Facility Management / etc.) a third in size to deal with rising overhead due to rising student numbers and less government subsidies. This meant going from about 1500 fte (full time equivelant = 40 (wo)man hours) down to a 1000 or thereabouts. This wouldn't happen in one fell swoop, but stretched out over two years or so, one department at a time.
Since you need the Personnel department to make this happen, we would be the last department to be downsized. Of course this is no longer the case because of some of the reorganizations running off the rails in spectacular fashion, but we're just about the last one anyway. This didn't stop them from telling how much fte the different subsections of the department would need to lose. For the archive the reduction meant we would go from 2,8 down to 0,8. Obligatory Highlander reference: There can only be one. Meaning only one of me and my coworkers would remain.
That was two years ago. Since then there have been several meetings to give updates about the current state of affairs. Which boiled down to: we can't tell you anything whether you get to keep your job, here's some semi-useful information. About four months ago during one of those meetings the selection criteria for those who would be allowed to stay were discussed in general. For subsections with 30 or more people in them, this didn't really meant anything. But with there only being three of us, the picture was pretty clear. And I wasn't the one. Which was confirmed to me about three weeks ago when they officially announced I'd be surplus to requirement (dutch: boventallig) as of January first of 2015.
Now this doesn't mean I'm out of a job as of that date. There will be a reassignment period of 13 months in which I will be paid in full with benefits and be supported as I'm looking for another job. This includes the university having to make an effort finding me a suitable job either at the uni or somewhere else. If I don't find a job within that period I get transferred to an outplacement agency. This will will last another 12 months. The same conditions as at the uni apply, thought the definition of what will be considered a suitable job will be less strict. So you can see why I'm not worried as of yet. I have 28 months in which to find a job, without having to worry about my finances.
But there's more: about 4 years back the Personnel Department started a digitization project to get rid of as much as the paper in the work processes and the archive. I've been involved in various forms. Yes folks, I helped the uni get rid of my own job. And enjoyed doing so, because it was an interesting couple of years in which I finally started doing the work I was taught to do and capable of instead of the alphabetizing, hole punching and filing I'd been doing the eight years before that. Yes, that's a rather gross case of underachieving and slacking, but there you go. Turned out alright in the end. But I'm digressing.
One of the people I worked with during that period tipped me the Student Affairs was going to digitize their archives as well and gave me a name of somebody involved. After sitting on it for a while, the project at the Personnel Department was winding down but still interesting enough to keep me occupied, I mailed the person in question. Who then mailed me he wasn't the person I was looking for as he was no long involved in de student one, but did give me another name. I mailed this person the same day and didn't hear anything for three months. Four weeks ago, two days after my manager started inquiring whether or not the tip had come to anything, I finally hear back from person number two. Who refers me two person number three, who's actually in charge of the project.
I mail this person my resume on a Friday, not expecting much at this point. He mails me back the next Monday, telling me my resume looks interesting and asking whether or not it's OK he'll get back to me after Thursday because that's when his next project meeting is. I don't mind at all and mail him. Instead of having to wait I get a mail the next day, meeting had been rescheduled, asking me to come in on Wednesday for a get to know you meeting. This turns out to be a euphemism for a job interview, which I survive reasonably well even though I wasn't particularly well prepared.
Two more meetings follow. Head of Project wants to talk to my manager to get a better for whether or not I'm the person they're looking for and various technical bits as they basically want me to start the next day and I'm still gainfully employed by the Personnel Department. I get introduced to another person involved in the project by him, get left alone with her fifteen minutes into the meeting because of other engagements and am told I'll hear more on Friday. This was last Friday, my last workday before my vacation. I get the call and basically get a job offer.
So after three months of nothing and three weeks of basically everything at once the idea is as follows: I get to work for the Personnel Department 1,5 day in the week and three days a week for Student Affairs until the first of January. After that it'll be full time until the project is finished which should be start Q3 next year. This will postpone my reassignment period for as long as I will be working for the project. At least that's what the Head of Project said. I don't see why Personnel wouldn't agree with that as it won't cost anybody any money they wouldn't have spent otherwise, but the terms aren't certain as of yet.
Nor is it completely certain what I'll be doing. The one thing that is sure is that I'll be developing a business case for the digitization of (parts of) the Student Affairs central and faculty subsection archives with Head of Project. These archives are part paper, part email and part digital files from another DMS than the one we'll be using. Did I mention they want all of that ready to scan in about six months? As of yet I've got no real idea as to how feasible that is, as I'm not sure what the scope of the project really is, but it's going to be a fun challenge to figure out how much can be done in that period. And that is what I'll be doing until January.
If the business case gets the thumbs up, likely given the fact they've set aside a budget already, I'll be coordinating the project and getting the people from the different Student Affairs faculty subsections to get their archives in order in the way we came up with. For fun and giggles: these people will be told if they get to stay or will be downsized come January 2016. Yes the completion of the project will at least partially depend on people who know they will be out of job. Should be interesting.
So there you have it: a rather long update on my current status of employment. Interesting things are happening. At work, but first and foremost: four weeks vacation. Which will be spent working my butt of at an open air film festival in Amsterdam ( http://www.westival-amsterdam.com/ ) from tomorrow until Tuesday next week, followed by some days off at home and six days in London with my dad. I'm going to see The Throwing Muses and Tanya Donelly play and that kicks so much ass it hurts thinking about it. Can't wait!