After many years of dedicated service, from being a full time graphic artist, pre-press tech, press operator, and manager of Finishing and Bindery - all for the same company - I find myself with a 3 page letter of resignation in my hand.
About a week ago, in a corporate office, far, far away, someone had decided my position was overpaid. And that a formidable 20+% percent pay cut was to be issued. I smiled both in shock, and amusement, as I read the letter sent - depicting the new salary, while re-listing all the same duties I do now.
The very next day I reached out to a company that we’ve been doing business with for sometime. They hired me on the spot.
I called the department head who composed the document stating my “new role and salary”. I told him “You should have fired me”. What company cuts the pay of an individual, and keeps them in the same location, with the same responsibilities? It’s a demoralization I didn’t think still existed in the modern world.
Had I been the malicious type, being so deeply rooted in the company, I could have caused some serious havoc. I chose to kick my boots up on my desk instead.
In any event, i’ll be hanging up my designer’s hat (at least as a full time gig). Maybe i’ll have a chance to get my freelance back into gear.
Wow! I don’t know whether this is a bad thing or an opportunity for something new. Sounds like you got out of a place that didn’t really appreciate you and immediately found a spot somewhere that apparently does, so congratulations.
Why the three-page resignation letter? If it were me, my resignation under those circumstances would likely have consisted of nothing more than an email saying, “I quit.”
I like to think it’s opportunity to make more money while not having bust my butt doing it. And you’re right, If they valued my service, we wouldn’t be having this talk. My direct report report was rather distraught, apparently they are by no means ready to replace me. They requested I stay longer than my 2 weeks notice. I declined.
3 pages because I wanted to make my opinion on the matter very clear. I wanted to voice my disappointment in a company that has long lineage, and history in the print industry. I also wanted to make note of some of the folks that I admired, and felt were extremely talented.
The person I trained in cutting and finishing actually cried.
What can ya do?
I feel congratulations are in order. Good for you for being proactive and getting a new position immediately. That speaks volumes about what your new company thinks of you.
In this day an age corporations can do anything … anything to their workers and you can eat it of get out. That is exactly what the working world has come to. It’s a damn shame. Workers are just a number and have no value what so ever to the Over Lords.
I completely understand why you wrote such a long resignation. But, having been in the position myself, It won’t matter. It did make me feel a little better. Not one person in charge ever acknowledged it. Nothing … after 18 years of dedicated service. If I had to do it all over … I would have just left. They would have been scrambling for quite some time to figure out all it was that I was no longer doing correctly LOL
Anyhoo…
I’m so happy you were able to transition so easily. Congratulations and here’s to a happier future for you
Wow, that sounds like a very ill-conceived management stance, to offer someone less to keep their current job.
You were nice to give them two weeks. I work in a Work-At-Will state, I would have been done immediately if there was already a future position acquired.
Don’t give em anything in that 3 page letter to hang around your neck.
Always best to keep such things short and sweet.
Best of luck. Sounds like you landed on your feet.
I would have loved to simply have not shown up the next day. However I’d like to demonstrate some good morals and ethics to the new company i’ll be working with. I thought to myself “it doesn’t look good for me to completely bail on my current employer” (as much as I would like to)
We’ll do it the right way. For once. I’ve always been a rule breaker and challenger of the status quo.
Maybe I really am getting to old. What happened? Lol.
eh, Maybe i’ll set fire to the place on my last day.
Actually, where I work, if you give your two weeks notice, they let you go on the spot. That Work-At-Will thing.
They don’t want you screwing around for those two weeks either.
But you’re right on showing good faith to your new employer.
Poor choice of joke. Considering the events and people that seem to take place and exist in today’s world.
But i’ll give them the two weeks. And maybe my Karma will be better for it.
Besides, there wasn’t any bad blood with my immediate staff. It would only be them who suffer should i decide to disappear.
LOL