The lay off that occurred on Friday was really a result of the confrontation that my supervisor and I had a month or so ago (I created a blog post about that), however, she claimed it was because they no longer needed me due to the decrease in the amount of business they had. If this was truly the case, they would have laid me off about 2 years ago when the decline first started. I have been at this particular job for 4 years and throughout the 4 years, I have endured a lot of unfairness either because I worked there the least amount of time (everyone else had worked there 10 years +) or because of the color of my skin (I was the only black person who worked in the office). Heck, it really could have been both. They say it's not good to allow feelings to pile up inside you because something will eventually trigger you to explode and in my case I had 4 years worth piled up inside me. However, I handled it very maturely and was very well mannered and respectful. There was no cursing, no threats, etc. I just simply voiced my opinion on many things. My supervisor made it seem like she was willing to make a compromise in order to ensure that I was treated fairly. What' was the compromise you may ask? When all of my work is done, I can set aside time for my college studies being that so many other employees work on personal things for many hours of the day, although there work is not even close to being completed. However, this compromise was just a curse in disguise that would lead to my final departure from that company. I had a feeling our confrontation was still in the back of her mind and she was still pissed that I no longer took out what they threw out at me. I could tell because her whole attitude changed towards me and she barely had 2 words to say to me. She doesn’t want to talk to me? Okay, that wasn't a big deal because that wasn't my preference anyways. The problem started when she started doing all of my work for me. I told others about this untypical act of hers and was told "Maybe she's trying to be nice, guess you finally got through to her." Nice??? In all of the 4 years, she has never did my work for me, even when I actually needed her help because I was overloaded with work and did not have enough time to complete it all. My prediction was that she was making it appear to the president of the company that I did not have anything to do there and they basically was just paying me to do nothing. What is the president probably thinking as she goes running in his office to tell him this, "Yes, she is so right. I'm trying to find ways to cut back expenses, so why not eliminate a small percentage of payroll costs?" My supervisor thoughts........"She really screwed herself by speaking up. Now that I convinced the owner to lay her off, she's really gonna hit rock bottom. Ha Ha Ha." When she came to my desk as I was studying and said she needed to talk to me, I already knew what she was gonna say. Handing me an envelope she said "We are gonna have to lay you off, the president is giving you a letter of recommendation and 2 weeks pay." I responded, "Okay, thanks.,” and packed up my stuff and left. First I broke down and cryed in my car and then I called my boyfriend to tell him the horrible news. Thankfully, he was very positive and encouraging, telling me everything was gonna be okay. Besides, I had been unhappy there for a very long time which caused me to feel like I was in a dump everyday. After he lifted my spirits (gosh, I love that man), I went straight down to the unemployment office to file for unemployment. What did I do in the meantime while waiting to see if I was approved? Move out of my apartment (will create another post about this), focus on the huge amount of school work I had to get caught up on, and job hunt. Fast forward to yesterday, I got a letter in the mail saying that I was eligible for unemployment. I will receive my first check next week and my checks will only be about $70 less than what I was getting at the job I was layed off from (including the little Stimulus package that Obama gives to people who has been layed off). Being that I moved out of my apartment, although I will be getting a $70 pay cut, I still won't be affected financially. And until I find another job, I will have time to just focus on school my senior year, which is what I wanted to do all along. Ecstatic is an understatement of how I feel. From the surface, it looked like things was at its worst, but really God was in heaven ensuring that everything would work together for my good, which is how it turned out. I am finally free from a job that I had grown to hate, I can focus on school so I could graduate in 7 more months, and on top of that I have money to pay all of my bills and save up a little. Thank you God. Oh and to the job that thought they were actually messing me up: you actually messed yourself up.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President Obama proposed a new program Tuesday that would reimburse homeowners for energy-efficient appliances and insulation, part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy. The administration didn't provide immediate details, but said it would work with Congress on crafting legislation. Steve Nadel, director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, who's advising on the bill, said a homeowner could receive up to $12,000 in rebates. The proposal is part of the President's larger spending plan, which also includes money for small businesses, renewable energy manufacturing, and infrastructure. Based on earlier bills, consumers might be eligible for a 50% rebate on both the price of the equipment and the installation, up to $12,000, said Nadel. So far, there is no income restriction on who is eligible. That would mean a household could spend as much as $24,000 on upgrades and get half back.
