Marketing Me! The Termination

You are sitting in your office one day when the boss/supervisor/HR person asks for a moment of your time. They wonder if you can join them in the conference room for a few minutes.

Alert! You are about to get canned/sacked/fired/laid off! Get ready!

Now, this may be something as simple as a warning, or perhaps the meeting is to clear up an issue in the company. Regardless, you will not be able to run away and deal with it after lunch. You need an action plan.

Before you do, scroll down and read the caveats at the end of this blog post. You have been warned!


First, pick up a notebook, pad or paper of some sort and a writing implement.

Lock your computer or workstation.

Take your purse or other personal affects if they are on your desk.

Follow the company representative to their designated meeting place.

Let them talk.

If it goes like this:

"Bob/Jane, I wanted to speak with you today about your performance/a recent development/your work. It seems that you have been lacking/distracted/not doing your job and there are going to be some changes. We have decided to let you go today and wanted to go over the terms of your separation".

At this point, you are probably thinking about your family, car payment, mortgage, kids college, etc. Stop!

You should only be thinking about the following things:

Who is talking to you? Is it only your boss or supervisor? Is anyone else in the room?
(If not, insist that another supervisor or manager be brought in as well as a representative from HR immediately.

Has the person speaking with you provided documentation regarding the termination?
(If not, ask for it. This means a statement which says your job is being terminated, the date and possibly the reason why as well as terms for your serverance).

After the appropriate people and items have been produced, here is my advice as to what to do next.

1) "If you do not want me, I do not want to be here".

If the company wants to get rid of you, then do you really want to fight to stay? Listen to what they have to say. Point out any inaccuracies if appropriate. Then make your statement "Clearly I am not needed here any longer. I do not want to stay where I am not wanted. So now all we have to discuss is my separation terms".

2) "Your offer is not acceptable".

Sometimes, a company will offer a great exit package. Typically, this happens during a mass layoff or cost savings move. A good package may include 3,4 or 6 months salary, retraining, resume and job search assistance, full extended health benefits beyond your last day of employment, bonuses, stock option payouts, and unused vacation time, take them and thank them.

However, if you get a bum deal, call it what it is. This could include a termination package of salary only for hours worked or two weeks pay. Unacceptable in any circumstances short of company bancruptcy.

I submit my suggestion:

"I have been here X amount of time during which I have never been formerly reprimanded. In addition, I have been a top performer and revenue generator for this company. Finally, as you know, my aged mother recently moved in my family. While I appreciate your offer, I feel it is not enough for the service and contribution I have made to this company. My couter offer is six weeks pay, all unused vacation and personal time, my company end of year bonus prorated upon time worked and medical insurance for three additional months after termination".

What is the worse that could happen? They say no? If anything they may negotiate from your vantage rather than start at theirs.

3) "No autographs today"

If your employer will not negotiate any of your requests, you MAY have one more ace up your sleeve. The employer, as part of the exit process, may ask you to sign a waiver absolving them of any future litigation or claims. Depending upon the company position, not signing that form could make their lives slightly miserable. After all, you have just left an unturned stone to deal with down the line. Remember, this is not a suggestion, just a possibility.

YOU MAY WANT TO offer to sign the document conditional upon their delivering some of your requests. It cannot hurt.

Caveats
- If you deserve to get fired, none of the above applies.
- If the company has documentation which backs their case, you will most likely get nothing.
- If you are broke and have bills due, that two week offer may be the best you can afford to take today. All bets are off.
- I am not an attorney and have no idea what the labor laws are like where live. Information here is my point of view, for entertainment purposes only and not meant to be legal advice. Consult a lawyer for more options.
- Terminations vary from location to location, check your local labor laws before applying this or any other unsolicited advice found on the internet.

Marketing Me! What to do if you have been laid off

Allegedly, this list came from the newspaper Washington Post, but I cannot find a record of it on their site. This was forwarded to be by The Career News, a newsletter I subscribe to.

I found this list a bit old fashioned and out of touch with modern reality.

Ask about severance pay. But don't bank on it. There is no federal law requiring an employer to let you take your half-empty notebooks with you, much less a couple weeks worth of pay.

My comments: Sure ask, it cannot hurt. Regarding notebooks and such, keep copies with you before the layoff happens.

Apply for unemployment benefits. This seems obvious, but young white-collar workers sometimes forget that such benefits apply to them.

My comments: I agree. Too many of us think unemployment is welfare. It is not. It is a system you and your employer have paid into. BUT - collecting benefits is a pain in the butt. The "gubermint" should make this an easier and online process.


Pare back discretionary spending, immediately. You want your savings to tide you over until you find the right job. Otherwise, you may have to take something awful just to stay afloat. It's rarely a good idea to let your bank balance completely drive major career decisions.


My comments: Common sense here. Also consider another form or two of income in the meantime. Working part time, contract work or consulting will help pay the bills and not be construed as replacement work.

Take a little time off. You may need a day or two to recalibrate, especially if the announcement came as a complete surprise. But don't let this drag on.

My comments: Wrong. Hit the ground running as soon as you are out the door at your old job. The early bird gets the worm. ALSO.. you should have had your network in place before this happened to cushion the blow. If not, get working on it now!


Perk up your resume. You will be handing it out plenty in the next few weeks or months, so take the time to make it perfect. If you need help, seek out a professional resume writer.

My comments: Wrong again! Don't spam the world with your resume. Bring it up to date but keep it ONLY for interviews and for select distribution. You know my opinion on professional resume writers. Better save your money and check out free online resources if you need help or guidance.

Distribute your resume. Once your resume is ready make sure you distribute it widely to job sites, personal contacts, employers and recruiters.

My comments: Why not make a thousand copies and throw them off the nearest office building onto a busy downtown intersection? Resume spam is no guarantee of a new job much less an interview.

Turn to your friends. Make sure you have a way to contact former co-workers and supervisors. You will need references, and a mass layoff can scatter your contacts to the wind.

My comments: This is called a network. You should have one in place now. Get busy before this situation occurs.

Don't burn any bridges. It's understandable that you will feel frustrated, even angry, but channel that anger in ways that won't damage your reputation with your former colleagues.

My comments: Rather, have a new position lined up and show these people what a mistake they made later.

Good luck!

Marketing Me! Layoff anouncements

Checked Google News for layoff information around the U.S. Here is what I found..

Micron announces a "headcount reduction".

The City of Tampa Bay eliminated a number of city jobs.

VOIP provider Sunrocket is allegedly planning a round of layoffs.

Banking and credit card company Capital One has announced 2000 layoffs this week.

And The San Jose Mercury News has a number of layoffs planned for employees.

Okay, so we have an established high tech company, a city, a start up, a financial company and a media outlet all announcing layoffs.

What is the point?

There are no safe jobs. I hear from job seekers frequently asking about industries with "safe and secure jobs" and "job security".

Answer: there are none. There are no "safe" jobs. Not anymore. And you know the reason why. Don't ask for "safe" jobs anymore because either they do not exist (as proven above) or they aren't worth the time to do.

Solution: Stop wanting work to be safe and start thinking about what your want to do. The golf pro who teaches part time at the municipal range is doing what he wants and is living his dream. There are no guarantees that he will have enough students willing to pay 60.00 an hour to improve their swing, but if he gets just enough, he will be making money just helping someone play golf - a game he loves anyway!

Think about what makes you happy and if there is a way you can make a living doing it. Once you get there, the real security begins as you start living your dream doing what you want.

Have a great weekend,