No good deed goes unpunished. Don't let it change you. Hang on to your high standards even if others around you have no standards at all.
I think part of me is in a fog. Still I find myself thinking that I want to try for something better rather than something about equal to what I had before. I'm also mindful that for thirteen years I also had it pretty good. While there were ups and downs over those years (even times when I looked around at other possibilities) I didn't hate where I worked. I generally got along with the vast majority of those I worked with over the years. For the greater part I had good managers that I liked and respected even if I didn't always agree with them. I was treated with respect and trust both of which I earned. I'm a bit worried that that will be difficult to find again. I've been working (in various jobs and roles) since I was 18. I made mistakes along the way (because in your late teens and twenties you really know shit about a lot of things) and learned from them without too much calamity. As the years passed I tried to apply what I learned to strike a balance between being better all around while not sacrificing my individuality. I also tried to learn from my successes as well as mistakes. Looking back at my best times (overall) working. 1981-1987 - Random House of Canada. At the time the Canadian distribution centre for Random House publishing. I had really good managers and a lot of great coworkers. During my twenties I did itch for something different and what I felt was better, but there was a lot of laughter during those years and a shared sense of effort. I didn't feel like just another cog. The company (at the time) could also be quite generous particularly around the holidays. Sadly I think that kind of company generosity is pretty much extinct for quite some time. It was bittersweet when I did leave because while I was excited to move on to something new I did feel like a part of me got left behind with a lot of those people. 1987-1991 - Ready Honda. The second oldest Honda dealership in Canada. I got myself hired as a sales rep and had some good teachers to learn the ropes. I quickly learned that good sales behaviour wasn't about talking someone into something they didn't really want but rather really listening and trying to find your customer the right solution for his/her needs. I learned sales wasn't a win-or-lose issue but either a win-win or lose-lose one. If you could help the customer then you both won because you each got what you wanted. If the customer left empty handed then you both lost because neither of you got what you wanted. Working at Ready taught me a lot about genuine self-confidence and a lot about human behaviour. I did well until the recession of the early '90s hit. When times get hard cars are one of the first things folks put off buying. 2000-2013 - Future Shop. FS rescued me from the despair of working at McDonald's (in many ways perhaps the darkest time of my life). I was hired as an overnight shipper/receiver. Very quickly I found myself treated with respect and responsibility and trust. A lot of lessons from over the years came into play. I had long learned how to listen and how to disagree with respect. Now in my forties I was finding my opinion actually meant something and could be valued. I found myself key to making my workplace a success. As the company evolved I also found myself in a new and unfamiliar role of role model to others around me. I became a knowledgeable go-to person. I also found I had a knack for communicating with younger people, partly because of some of my interests I suppose but also perhaps because I hadn't forgotten what it was like to be young and full of enthusiasm. And over the years I had developed a knack for making people laugh and helping them put things in perspective. I have long thought of myself as a loner and yet in many ways I could be a people person for those around me. Perhaps it's partly because I genuinely don't bullshit people when they want to talk. I try to get them to look at it as it really is rather than just saying what they want to hear. I dunno. I want to take what I've learned over all those years and go for something better than just the same but different as before. Maybe even something that involves some of my personal interests and abilities. I have to figure out how to do it.
While everyone dismissed from a job will almost inevitably end up taking it personally, the reality is that in most cases it probably wasn't personal, especially if you weren't the only one to lose your job. Last time I was laid off from a job people I had trained got to keep theirs, which was really upsetting. In some ways longevity at a company works against you...if they can hire a newbie to do the same work as you at half the price, why should they keep you? Ironically two weeks after they dismissed me their workload spiked and I was hired back indefinitely. I very much wanted to tell them to shove it, but realistically that would have been a poor choice. I stayed with that company for about a year until I found work elsewhere, then dumped them like a hot potato. I think everyone I worked with knew I was looking to go elsewhere...really, once you've been laid-off from a place it would be crazy to assume you wouldn't be the first to go the next time around. Crazily enough, the workload dropped the day after I interviewed for what became my new job, but this time around management opted to eliminate several overhead positions instead, so my job was safe for the whole several days I continued to work it.
I remember waaaay back (around 1990?, give or take), not-yet-Hubby and I were going to various job forums for aerospace workers. Just to see what was out there, seeing as we both had "secure" jobs. Our co-workers knew and asked us to let them know what we saw. "Just in case." Anyway, naturally, there weren't any we would've qualified for, so it was quick and we went back to our car. In the parking lot, we saw a man, looked in his early/mid 50s. Oh, he looked so lost! We almost stopped to see if he was okay, but he seemed to find his car. We imagined that, after decades of putting in good work, he likely had been given notice. Mind you, until then, aerospace was close to a lifelong job--mostly. That image stayed with both of us and was a convincing argument for not-yet-Hubby to go back to school for pharmacy.
Yep! I've been on disability a while, but I'm finally feeling well enough to try working part-time, and I can't wait! I don't like not feeling productive. Realistically, I'm probably going to end up doing volunteer work instead of paid, but I did find one paid position to apply for the other day.
Rare, maybe, but not extinct. The company I work for now is very generous, both in terms of personal attention and financial compensation. The job I have is not managerial like my last one, so I don't make as much money (my choice, because I didn't want to be on the clock 24/7 anymore), but I get everything from frequent free lunches to a large annual bonus. I hope you find something as good for yourself.