Is my employer a dirty rotten scoundrel?

September 21, 2005 3:49 AM

At this very moment I am losing sleep over my work situation. My employer has repeatedly asked me to relocate to the home office. I've been putting this decision off for a few reasons until about a month ago. Then discussions were put on hold a couple weeks ago.

I was putting this decision off first because there were things I needed to accomplish/wrap up where I am now. Second because I wanted to see how a few things played out. Third because I didn't/don't want to spend the holidays in a new city with no friends or family.

The discussions were put on hold because we were nearing the completion of a deal which would have made it more sensible to have me in a second remote location because of the work that I do. This deal has essentially fallen through as of Monday afternoon.

At the end of last week I got wind that my employer was planning on laying off 2/3 of our local work force, leaving myself and 3.5 other employees. I don't think it was handled very well, but that's life. It did however make me angry.

The relocation was mentioned briefly, almost in passing on Monday. On Tuesday I got some decent pressure from my boss to discuss relocation details. When I hesitated she asked if I was still interested. We have a fairly open, honest relationship and I calmly told her that this week really wasn't the best time to discuss it as I was still a bit raw from seeing so many of my friends let go. She understood and asked when we should talk about it. I told her next week.

Tonight I found out from a very reputable source that the pressure for me to relocate is coming hard and heavy because the home office has decided that they want to close the local office and let go of the 3.5 other employees within the month. They are, of course, telling us all that we have nothing to worry about, etc. and even talking about finding us new, smaller office space.

It's a good job, with lots of opportunity, but it's a company that I have a love/hate relationship with because of the way this and a few other things are handled. I know that I will not be with this employer for the long haul, but it's certainly been a huge boost to my resume and could continue to be so for another year or two, assuming that I can stomach those years emotionally.

My question is: What now? If I relocate and they close the office as is rumored, I'll feel like they lied to me and of course to the people left behind. Do I pressure my boss to find out if this is the plan. I've previously been trusted with "top secret" information, so it's possible I could get it out of her. It's also possible that this is too sensitive and I'll be unsuccessful. Or do I just start looking for a new job and hope that there is a decent severance and I can find something in the next 30 days?

Other things that I should be thinking about, asking, considering? I've got a four day weekend coming up that I plan to devote to some serious critical thinking and would appreciate all comments, ideas, etc.

posted by anonymous to work & money (10 comments total)

Do you like your job? Like it enough to move? No? Then find a new one. I say look out for number one. You better believe that company isn't going to look out for you (or anyone else, apparently).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:27 AM on September 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

Refuse to relocate. If you're the only person in the office they want to keep, then they probably really want to keep you, and you're also probably good enough to find a different job. By relocating, you're doing your fellow workers a disservice and you're uprooting yourself when plainly you don't want to be uprooted.

That's my 2p worth.
posted by seanyboy at 4:28 AM on September 21, 2005

Also, if they're in the middle of a re-org, there's no trusting that you'll even have a job at the home office long enough to warrant a move. If you do decide to move, get a contract from them stipulating that they can not lay you off for X years.

Use the time now to check for other jobs in your area.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:35 AM on September 21, 2005

At the risk of sounding callous, of course your company is lying to you!

I really am shocked that there are people out there who don't believe that their employer (if a large corporation) is trying to screw them 24/7.

Sadly, I have no doubt that your company wants to lay you off. Think about it from their perspective. What does your local office bring to the table in terms of revenue versus expenditures. Don't forget the fringe rate at your location. In todays business environment, you need to take this a step further: not only is it important what you're doing today, but what about tomorrow? Is your current location a growth area? No? Why would they keep your location open if there are bigger and better markets elsewhere?

I'm sorry that my own painfully earned coldhearted beliefs are there, but I've seen this before.

I'd stick with ThePinkSuperHero. Look out for yourself. Screw the company. They certainly won't have any qualms about screwing you, believe me. Hopefully you have a nice job/skillset, and can score at another firm.

Although I believe the stories to only be apocryphal, I've heard that there are small to medium sized companies out there that actually care about their employees and treat them well. As I get older, I believe that these are fairlyland stories designed to keep cube dwellers dreaming, but there might actually be truth to some of them.

Please excuse the bitterness,
KFJ
posted by kungfujoe at 4:37 AM on September 21, 2005

I concur, kungfujoe.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:56 AM on September 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

i agree with kungfujoe and ThePinkSuperhero but also want to add the following. Is it possible that the relocation is your bosses way of taking care of one of her favorites employees? Maybe her giving you the option of relocating to the other office is/was her way of telling you that "hey, a storm is coming and here's some shelter".

You move and you keep your job. You don't move and you might get layed off like the others who, as far as the company was concerned, were not important enough to hang on to.

Either way, getting a contract is a very good idea. If you're going to lose your job, better it happen at home than when you relocate.

Good luck.
posted by eatcake at 5:11 AM on September 21, 2005

First, there is no way they will ever give you any such a "no lay-offs allowed" contract stipulation. You could try but you will be laughed out the door.

Second, if you don't move, you'll certainly be let go with your coworkers.

Third, never ever trust HR in any company of any size. They are always there to serve the company, not you. They are there to mollify you and keep you quiet, or else to justify your firing when it is convenient for the company. They - the ones currently lying to your coworkers about the safety of their jobs - are doing their best to keep the workers from leaving until it is a better, more convenient time for the company. I don't think you can be in HR and have a soul, actually. Like kungfujoe, I am sorry that I had to learn this hard lesson repeatedly.

My feeling is that your boss likes you and is trying to save your job. If you do not go along with the relocation it is doubtful she has the authority to keep a "branch office" open just for you. That decision is certainly made at a higher level than hers.

Good luck, I hope my bitter predictions are wrong.
posted by Invoke at 9:20 AM on September 21, 2005

Is there any way you could work from home? Maybe offering that as a trial solution, even for just a few months, would let them save money by closing the remote office and let you keep your job for a while, while giving you time to look for something else and/or see how things go at the home office?
posted by occhiblu at 9:25 AM on September 21, 2005

One more note/mistake made by many.

Work is not your family. Regardless of what they say. Regardless of your senior buddy who says she will 'look out for you.'

The company acts in their own interests. Period. Never forget it, and you'll never be surprised. The moment anyone says to you that "I want it to be like a family" should raise your hackles.

They're not going to protect you via a contract into not firing (you can get it switched to 30+ days, but that'll be about the best you can do).
posted by filmgeek at 10:25 AM on September 21, 2005

I was in a very similar situation a year and a half ago. Layoffs had decimated the branch of the company I worked for, layoffs that I wasn't at all happy about, with only a few people remaining at the branch I was at. After several verbal offers to move to other branches, I was asked to move to the head office. They sent me an official offer letter with the offer to cover my relocation expenses and give me a raise. Despite my concerns about the management and the mishandling of things at the office I was at, as well as many sleepless nights, I took it.

The company came through on the basics. The few folks remaining at the branch office haven't been laid off. I got reimbursed for my relocation. I got the raise. When you look at the basics, the logistics of the relocation weren't bad at all.

But boy, was I unhappy. I was thinking that, perhaps, with access to the upper management at the head office, I'd be able to turn things around, or at least have some influence. It turns out that things were pretty intractibly screwed up, and that most of the people at the head office were unhappy with the decisions management was making. Even though I was considered too valuable to lay off, most of my planning and suggestions would reach roadblocks at some level of management, and I always had trouble with being very experienced (I had 10 years with the company) and the only person from a branch office employed at the head office. Layoffs started occurring even at the head office, but with all the wrong people (lower level people who weren't part of the problem), a change of ownership occurred, and everything ground to a halt. In conjunction with the problems at work, I was tremendously lonely, not having friends or family in the area, and while I made friends with a few new co-workers (who were easily as frustrated as I was), I spent most of my time away from the office on the phone back home and with other friends.

Your point is valid -- even if the relocation is a success, your emotional needs may very well not be met. Mine weren't. I gave my resignation two months ago and moved to be close to my girlfriend. I don't regret it.

My advice is to look for a new job around the people you want to be with. It may be hard -- save up some cash, because I've had trouble finding a new job -- but it's also a lot better than the feeling of hopelessness I had after relocating. If you're not completely in love with this job, it may be difficult to take.

I wish you much luck.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 1:34 PM on September 21, 2005