{{{Nora}}}

I'm glad it wasn't layoff and out the door. As awkward as it is working here right now, I really need the time to marshall my jobhunting resources. Of course, I'm having a hard time putting aside time for that during the workday when I still have to answer the phone, user email and deal with the front door. I'm going to try to be a little less dutiful. It's hard.

March 31 is my last day. If I land another job before then, I'll take some of my vacation time. Otherwise, I'll need to save it and cash it out for survival purposes.

I hope the pain lets up, Nora. I had a UTI so badly I was bleeding once and all I wanted to do was sit on the toilet all day so that I could let the PC muscles rest and not burn.

I gues I don't understand, from their POV, why they just didn't give you 6 weeks severance, and get you away from systems that you could totally mess up if you wanted to, and eff up customer relations, if you wanted to, and not really focus on stuff. I guess they just want to squeeze as much labor out of you as possible, despite the potential liability?

But, yes, it's easier to get soemthing else lined up if you're currently employed, I think. So I can see the shiny side of that particular situation for you.

I'm not sure why they went about it this way. This publisher has a history as a small business before it was sold to a big corporate publisher. Some of the people here date from that founding period and some of the corporate culture still reflects that. Maybe the people in charge locally didn't want to convey the distrust that chucking someone all in one day does. I know I'd be a lot angrier about the layoff if I had been escorted out of the building that very day. I'd feel I was being treated like a criminal.

When I was laid off - they kept us on for a month to test the latest product. If they had paid any attention to the release dates of other products they would have known that a) the first week of testing means the product is so broken that no testing happens and b) despite the always optimistic talk of one month it was always between 6 and 8 weeks to product readiness. They did offer to let us stay - but for no more $$ incentive. so we all left. The job - durring a testing cycle - interfered with anyone's ablity to look for work.

Go get yourselves some Paczki. That's all I have to say.

Not enough Polish people in LA, dammit. I miss Paczkis.

When I was laid off, my boss had forgotten that I was leaving early that day to go to the airport to go on vacation for 2 weeks. I had to come back after my vacation to get all my stuff.

the second editor said “No! What are they going to do about customer service now?”

Maybe the editor meant that you are wonderful and irreplaceable?

I'm just trying to play against my standard (bitter and cynical) type.

Perhaps she did. But both were demonstrating some very bad manners by inviting one laid off worker to a lavish lunch right in front of another laid off worker. They should have gone to his cube and asked him discreetly.

Shit, my mom taught me those manners by kindergarten.