DW Not Having a Good Friday

[ExFlyBoy5]

As some of you know, I am retired but my DW has continued to w*rk. BOO!!!

Anyway, she is in the residential leasing management world and her company was recently purchased by a pretty big conglomerate (and it was also owned previously by an even larger conglomerate) and of course, there are [-]growing pains[/-] significant changes with the transition.

One of the changes is how agents are paid in regards to renting out a home. Most of these agents are 1099 "employees" but the gravy train has been good...so they do the rentals as a their full time vocation. The change hasn't been good for them and depending on the market, they could be looking at a 50% cut in pay. My DW was tasked with passing this on to the agents...and as you might guess, many aren't happy.

To add insult to injury, she was just told that she needs to identify 6 agents and terminate them. While it seems a little "easier" since they aren't actual employees, my wife is not very happy since she has known these folks for years and call many of them friends. She isn't sure how she is going to do this, but they have made it clear that it has to be done by next Wednesday.

Her BS meter is starting to peg out...perhaps she is finally getting to the end and will FINALLY join me in retirement!

 

[pacergal]

Hopefully so, retirement is great!
Sorry she is having a bad work day.

 

[Gumby]

Sorry to hear that. It is dispiriting to be put in her position.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Hopefully so, retirement is great!

Yes, yes it is. Nonetheless, I have been a terrible salesman for it...but I am not sure why. Her j*b and the increased stress may finally do what I have been trying to do for years!

 

[W2R]

Sorry to hear that. It is dispiriting to be put in her position.

+1

Honestly if I were in her situation I'd be tempted to look for another job - - or retire, if that is feasible at this time. I would identify/terminate nobody who is doing a good job.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

+1

Honestly if I were in her situation I'd be tempted to look for another job - - or retire, if that is feasible at this time. I would identify/terminate nobody who is doing a good job.

She is actually thinking of pulling the plug as this may be the straw that broke the camel's back. She has a meeting this afternoon with her boss and she plans on letting him know that she shouldn't be the one to make the decision and won't be the one. It would be easier to can folks that suck, but she has only come up with two folks whose performance hasn't been extraordinary. Hopefully she sticks to her guns, but we'll see.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

She has a meeting this afternoon with her boss and she plans on letting him know that she shouldn't be the one to make the decision and won't be the one.

Maybe the boss might fire her. Then she could finally join you. Or hire you as her attorney when she sues the company!

 

[ls99]

A classic case of using one to do the hatchet job, the terminating the hatchet wielder.

 

[albireo13]

Maybe she should politely refuse to select and terminate employees. She may get flack, and/or get fired. It may force the issue about retirement.
At least she wont' be saddled with the stress, and possible guilt, of having people let go in these hard times.

 

[anothercog]

My company made a huge acquisition recently and is now about to outsource several hundred jobs. Several senior managers have jumped ship rather than deal with the shakeups and terminating employees. I'd like to think that if I were faced with this situation and I was financially ready, I would terminate myself before others.

 

[Dtail]

That is megacorp for you. When I got a new boss in one job, after 3 weeks he wanted me to replace my 4 main managers. I got out of there 3 months later.

 

[ivinsfan]

Hold on, was today Friday

 

[Helen]

Perhaps she should retire instead of fire. That might be one less employee they would have to let go.

 

[RetireeRobert]

To add insult to injury, she was just told that she needs to identify 6 agents and terminate them. .....
Her BS meter is starting to peg out...perhaps she is finally getting to the end and will FINALLY join me in retirement!

Well, if you really want her to join you in retirement, convince her to retire now.
That way, she can just NOT fire anybody, but leave it to whoever is issuing that edict.

Two problems solved at once, yours and hers!

 

[Rambler]

I think if I was ready financially (or within a few months) I’d probably just retire. That said, if she isn’t ready, it seems that she doesn’t have to fire anyone anyway...she has to hire some of those 1099s who aren’t employees, and not hire others. While I never had to do this, nor did I ever order it done, I have seen it done many, many times. My BIL, for example, has been laid off 4 times and offered the chance to interview for the job he had. Essentially, his companies laid off “everyone” in a specific role, then re-hired the new number that they wanted.

I realize this is not fun, but 1099s actually know that they are self employed. If they have to accept a 50% pay cut, I’d be surprised if any of them stayed anyway. Her new bosses may find that they just bought a business that no longer exists because no one is willing to do what they want them to do for the price they are willing to pay.

 

[Koolau]

I had to terminate two folks during my last two years at Megacorp. These were not close calls. One story is for the ages, but I'll not tell it. Still, I liked both of these people and it was probably the most disagreeable thing I did during my c*reer.

Good news was that our "system" involved HR and management up 4 levels (that I knew of) so it was more like I was the executioner rather than the Judge and Jury. One quick one to the heart and then let HR go over all the "parting gifts" to the dearly departed (severance, pension, vacation reconciliation, blah, blah, blah - my retirement should have been so good!)

I sympathise. There are just some things that can ruin even a Friday. YMMV

 

[Bamaman]

We all go through different Chapters in Life. It looks as if your wife may be getting toward the end of one chapter, and may be ready to go on the next.

I have never liked companies that have 1099 "subcontractors", especially if they have to keep specific hours and have company personnel dictating to them how to do their jobs. There's a fine line to where they're really company employees but not getting FICA and Social Security taxes paid on them.

Let me just say this might be a good time for your wife to avoid the distasteful job of getting rid of friends, especially if they do a decent job. And if she swings it right, she may be able to get unemployment benefits for many months.

 

[ivinsfan]

Just wondering how you feel about being pulled into her work angst? My DH 71 continues to farm even though we both agree it's not for the money and it ties up a bunch of nice weather days in Spring and Fall. I do listen when things go wrong, but have a pretty low tolerance for more then about 5 minutes worth.

I'll usually do an eyebrow raise and say remember this when you think about farming next year.

 

[MarieIG]

I would be LIVID; and torn between resigning and engineering my own firing.

 

[Aerides]

In her case, I would give a list of one - my own name.

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

A classic case of using one to do the hatchet job, the terminating the hatchet wielder.

Exactly! In 1997 I was given the remainders of two Director's jobs with a rather modest bump in pay. My outgoing manager advised me that we'd all be gotten rid of eventually, but we'd get a package if we stuck around while the magazine was absorbed into a bigger publishing company. 6 months later, as layoffs were imminent, I asked the parent co. to let me give these folks fair warning- which they did. Everyone stayed to their termination date once I'd relayed the bad news to those who would be terminated before me and told them once they left I'd be laid off as well. We were all given free reign to look for work while we were already working.

It was no time to look for publishing work in in Houston, as we'd lost the Post as the Hou. Chronicle bought them. They had already laid off almost everyone. I hated telling the news to people who were not just colleagues, but friends.

That is megacorp for you. When I got a new boss in one job, after 3 weeks he wanted me to replace my 4 main managers. I got out of there 3 months later.

Sadly, when w*rking for a megacorp, you have to expect that. I wanted my megacorp to be my last j*b, and it was. When my job looked shaky, I took early retirement rather than wait around for a package. Hands down, it was the best decision I've ever made.

I have never liked companies that have 1099 "subcontractors", especially if they have to keep specific hours and have company personnel dictating to them how to do their jobs. There's a fine line to where they're really company employees but not getting FICA and Social Security taxes paid on them.

I had that experience as well. I was a temp for almost year at the megacorp. I'd been promised a job offer in 6 months, providing I performed well (and I had). My manager finally (duh) figured out that I was interviewing for real jobs. When our director asked me why, I reminded him of our initial conversation and his broken promise. I worked in commercial credit, and credit people expect every promise to be fulfilled. This person had only ever worked for various megacorps, and had never been even under threat of no insurance. I explained that having no benes was not my idea of a real j*b, nor was it likely anyone else would.

2 days later, I had a permanent offer.

In her case, I would give a list of one - my own name.

Perfect response!

 

[ransil]

She should have her name on the list as #1, then once she fires herself she won't have to ax the others. File for unemployment for the win.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Well, Friday came and went and DW didn't have to fire anyone. Instead, her boss wants to just "let it ride" with the new compensation package that the agents don't know about yet. He assumes that with the drastic cuts, some will leave on their own. So DW is happy she didn't have to can anyone, but I am not happy in that she continues her employment. Oh well...

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Sounds like a scene from Office Space.......

Dom Portwood: So, uh, Milton has been let go?
Bob Slydell: Well, just a second there, professor. We, uh, we fixed the glitch. So he won’t be receiving a paycheck anymore, so it’ll just work itself out naturally.
Bob Porter: We always like to avoid confrontation whenever possible. Problem is solved from your end.

 

[Dtail]

Well, Friday came and went and DW didn't have to fire anyone. Instead, her boss wants to just "let it ride" with the new compensation package that the agents don't know about yet. He assumes that with the drastic cuts, some will leave on their own. So DW is happy she didn't have to can anyone, but I am not happy in that she continues her employment. Oh well...

Better than nothing but not quite there yet.