Just got laid off...

So after 7 years of working with the same manager and 2 businesses he's employed me through he decides to let me go this morning. I've made the guy a ton of money over the years. He knows my family and I know his. I mean the guy came to visit me in the hospital when my kids were born. I've gone fishing and hunting with the guy. We even used to get together at each others houses for family dinners and bbq's. I really thought we were friends. I didn't even get as much as an apology. Ive known it was coming for a couple weeks now but I guess it really just hit me.
Here's the kicker; since I've known I was getting fired my attendance hasn't been exactly perfect. So now HR is trying to justify my termination by saying its due to my poor attendance over the past couple of days. Funny how i knew i was getting let go one day this week two weeks ago. So now I'm told since I was fired and not laid off I'm no longer eligible to collect unemployment benefits. Is that possible if I already knew I was getting let go due to company cut backs?

 

I don't agree with the little stunt they're trying to pull. But I also don't agree with the attitude of having less than stellar time bc you knew and that that somehow has no repercussions. It's hard working with folks that become friends. You have to not let business influence. Business is business. It doesn't mean you're not friends. Keeping you employed simply bc you are friends, without business justification, is a hand-out. Is that really what you want? Good luck though. Totally sucks. Hope something new comes your way quickly.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset that I was let go. Ive had to fire employees that I considered to be driends. What bothers me is that he has known he had to do this for several weeks now. A heads up would have been appreciated. At least give me the opportunity to look for somethibg else before I'm canned. He could have told me there was nothing he could do about it and the decision was made above him. I could have respected him for that. But nnowing i have two little girls to feed and rent to pay without so much as a heads up bugs me.
And yes i should not have missed work but honestly ive been so bothered by this I really didnt care to go in. I spent the past few days doing side work and trying to find something to do next to pay my bills.

 

Agreeing with Pereds words of wisdom,when it all boils down,companies will use an open oppertunity to get out of paying anything,it's the nature of business.And allthough i feel what they are doing is wrong,it was equally wrong to slack in job preformance,i do see your point,but you gave them ammo to use against you.However,I do hope you can find something acceptable in a timely manner.Best of luck to you!

 

If you knew you were getting laid off, and had less than stellar attendance, why didn't you use that time off to try and find a job...?

 

That's exactly what I did.
"I spent the past few days doing side work and trying to find something to do next to pay my bills."

 

+1

I also agree w/ peredhil. I have trouble sympathizing for you because you slacked off and pretty much asked them to fire you by doing so. they were probably just waiting for a non-sueable reason to let you go and you gave it to them.

 

Wow Jim, I believe this is just a sign of things to come....when you think "friends" will stick with you through thick & thin. I agree with perid in a sense but what ever happened to trust & open communication?
Keep your head up buddy. You seem like a likable person & we pray you get "picked up" by a better employer.

Good Luck.

 

Depending on the states laws, you might be out of luck. Wrongful termination is always a way to try and get benefits but seeing that Florida is an at-will state, you might be SOL. Try as hard as you can anyways to get those benefits anyways. I'm sorry to hear about that man.

How bad was your attendance? Being there for 7 years and missing a day or two without notice isn't exactly a reason to terminate somebody and you could file court action if they don't retract it. Employees have so many benefits through state regulations most companies don't adhere because they aren't aware. Check it out, it's worth it!

 

That sucks man, sorry to hear that.
I am a little confused here but that is nothing new for me. In you first post you mentioned you knew for weeks it was coming, and then in your second post you are upset because you had no heads up? When I got laid off nearly 2 years ago I had absolutely no notice, job performance and attendance was not an issue, I got the UEI and all the extensions. All I can say is best of luck, its tough right now. I have been looking for a good job for nearly 2 years. Start taking a look at your lifestyle and see what things are needed and what the extras are. We had to sell off the car we had payments on, move into a much smaller house, cut back on going out to dinner, and entertainment, and other things like that. At first its hard but once you take a look at the big picture we were wasting so much money on stupid things instead of saving it. I feel we learned a good lesson about saving. The problem with finding a job right now is besides the lack of good jobs is companies want you to have years of experience and education before they will hire you because they dont want to train anyone but then they want to pay you the princely sum of $9.00 per hour. What really gets me is they act like people can live on that. I make more on unemployent.
Sorry got off track. Once again sorry to hear about your losing your job, I know the feeling. Time to tighten the belt and only pick up the essentials for the tank.