Laid Off

[Diesel]

Gotta love how corporate America works.

Old company gets bought by new company. New company assures old company that their employees will be taken care of.

Apparently, "taken care of" means laying off 200+ workers 5 days before Christmas, because that's precisely what happened to me.

I got a call on Wednesday, one of my days off, and told there is a mandatory meeting on Thursday morning, also one of my days off, at 8:30AM. I tell them that I'm supposed to be at the closing of my house at 9:45. They move the meeting to 8AM.

About an hour later, I call one of my coworkers to find out what the meeting is about. No one there has heard anything about a meeting in the morning, which can't be good news that I'm the only one being called in for a meeting.

When I got in, what happened was very cut-throat, but what's sadly typical in corporate America nowadays.
I got called into the meeting in our conference room with my boss, and someone from the new company. They explain that, due to the merging of the two companies, there will be some redundancy in some of the positions, and my position is one of those where there's redundancy, so my position's been eliminated, effective immediately.
They both sat there explaining that this wasn't because of my performance, and thanked me for my professionalism.
He hands me an envelope with my severance package, and I had to surrender my ID badge, pager, and laptop on the spot. I also had to give them a list of all personal items that I had in the NOC, since I would not be allowed back in to retreive my things. My boss went inside to grab my coat and other personal items, and then instructed me that I had to leave the building.

Real nice treatment for someone who has:
[list=1]
Worked there 1.5 years
Never hesitated to cover shifts, even when they resulted in my working a shift 20-25 hours in length
Always followed procedures to the letter
Always showed up promptly
Always stayed late to cover when people came in late, especially the person who still thinks his shift starts a half-hour later than it actually does.
[/list=1]

All this, on the same day as the closing of my house, and 5 days before Christmas.

Nice how that worked out, wasn't it?
:mad:

[lobo]

Dan ! I am very sorry!

It was so painful to read You story.

Dan! I hope, that You will get new job as soon as possible!
:(

[mthrlangl]

I'm in the same boat, Dan. Due to a slow down in the oil industry, my boss has decided that there's not enough to keep me busy, so bye-bye Lacy. No matter that I'm a single mom about to go back to school..or that he has *plenty* of money to keep me on board, should he so choose. Good luck finding a new job, hon..be glad you have marketable skills. It looks like it's back to retail for me.

[lobo]

And You MTH!

Sorry. Hope, You will find good job too!
:bawl:

[jourgenson]

I'm so sorry to hear about your layoffs. It is horrible that they have done this right before Christmas. I suppose right after would suck too, though.

Dan> They wouldn't even let you go grab your coat?

[Alyth]

EWWW!! I'm so sorry to hear this from both of you!! I know what it's like too. This job knew they were going to lay me off before they let me go on christmas break. They didn't bother to tell me I was fired till I called to ask when I was expected back in. I could have remained on vacation longer had I known. CHICKENS!!! HAHA well that was a horrible job in sales and cashiering anyway. It was also about three years ago. :rolleyes:

But back to Dan and Mth. That really does suck. :mad:

Dan> I know how much time you put into that job and they should have concidered that. ...AT LEAST give you the trust in return to go retrieve your belongings SHEESH! You do have very good skills, and I'm sure you can find a job that will treat you better. One that won't put up with people tardiness that you gotta put your night on hold for. Good Luck!!

Mth> I don't really know what it is that you did, but I'm sure that you will find another job you will be happy in...besides retail. It doesn't sound like you want retail. Are you going back to school for a trade or college? That sounds very cool and a great plan! :) Oh and I hope you don't mind but I did see the pictures of your baby Jason. VERY CUTE!!!! :D

[mthrlangl]

I'm going back to college to major in biology, eventually marine biology/cryptozoology. Currently, I'm a receptionist, and I sure as hell don't want to do that for the rest of my life. (Not that it's a bad job - it's just not for me.)

[Prox]

Ahhh, man that really sucks. I cant believe they wouldnt even let you go and get your personal belongings out of the office. They could have at least given you a little time to get things togeather, and mabe say adios to your coworkers. Stupid corprate America. You, suspecting the bad news like you were, should have quickly backed up the laptop incase you were wrong, and then Formatted the thing before going to the meeting . . . its not that I believe in revenge, but it sure is sweet, errr I mean it would have been kinda funny for them to get a blank computer back. Anyway that totaly sucks, and I hope you find a better job really quick like.

[WaterB]

man.. i read the title of the thread and though "oh no"..

i'm really sorry about you two being laid off.. it really really sucks.

[Stonelaughter]

Guys -

This sucks. I've been "On the list" twice, and narrowly escaped by the skin of my teeth.

You have my thoughts with you all the way - may your search for new work be short and productive.

[Diesel]

Originally posted by jourgenson
They wouldn't even let you go grab your coat?

Nope. My (former) boss went and got it for me and brought it back into the conference room.

Originally posted by Prox
You, suspecting the bad news like you were, should have quickly backed up the laptop incase you were wrong, and then Formatted the thing before going to the meeting . . . its not that I believe in revenge, but it sure is sweet, errr I mean it would have been kinda funny for them to get a blank computer back.

Since it was my day off, I didn't bring my laptop into the office just for the meeting, so I still have it.
Of course, my thinking went a step further than yours did. Along the same lines, I plan on returning the laptop with a blank hard drive, but not via formatting.
Even if I don't go that route, I still plan on taking my time in removing all of my personal data from the laptop before wiping it clean.

The nice surprise was that I got a few calls from my former coworkers today as they found out, telling me how they were sorry, and how screwed up it is. It's not really much of a consolation, but it's nice to know that my skills and abilities were respected by my peers.

[meezercat]

Awww, man that sucks. If anyone knows what it's like to be in that boat, it's me, having been laid off twice during 2000.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you...

[MO]

This just blows.
Dan I just passed your (old) house yesterday and thought of you. I'm sorry you were treated so poorly after all you've done for them. Regards to you and Dana.

Mthr-sorry about the job-best of luck. You are a strong woman so I'm not worried. Well, at least the timing is now just when school is starting...I guess the retail will be flexible around your classes, too... thank god you have a place to live, friends and a cute little boy who at least is nourished and happy.

These are trying times :(

[jadedskies]

Ugh, that just sucks, Dan. Hope you can find something soon.

[spidergoolash]

dan> reading your post freaked me out. you just bought a house, for christ's sake :(

this is something i worry about a lot; getting laid off. argh. can't even talk about it.

and poor mth, i feel bad for you too, hon :( do they realize people have bills to pay and families to feed? do they think about things like that?

my thoughts are w/you both. i'm sorry, i can't discuss this anymore.

[meezercat]

Originally posted by spidergoolash
do they realize people have bills to pay and families to feed? do they think about things like that?


Yes they realize it, but no, they don't think about it.

Sigh.

[JHowse]

I would have told them to f*** off and let me the h*** back in there to get my stuff...but that's just me. I guess I'd flip out on them in there....and throw a chair or two.

Dan, I'm so sorry to hear about this...and you too, Mth. What companies were these, so we can tell anyone who wants to think about doing business with them to consider alternatives?

For laying off my friends, I will forever boycott them...and so should anyone else.

[SwissSmiss]

damn. i thought getting laid off the day after getting sent for a day of fun at six flags sucked... ::sigh::

:hug: to the dan-ster

[The Un Malice]

Wow, Deisel Dan! So sorry to hear about the loss of your job.

Did you know that the company could possibly be sold? And if so, did you think that maybe you should consider waiting to make such a large purchase?

I know a tremendous amount of people that have gotten laid off lately and they have been escorted by security. Did that happen to you? Anyway, maybe there was a reason for it. How about....... keeping the morale of other employees up.

It is obvious that you have a numerous amount of people feeling some sympathy for you over your loss.

Guess what? I do not.


Remember Dumbasses................
I have read your malicious comments regarding your ex co-workers and started to wonder if maybe you deserved to lose a job. No one has an immaculate record at their job. It is obvious that you feel that they are incompetent. Have they lost their jobs? I wonder how they would feel if they knew that you have posted all of this crap about them?

I also have notice that NJ doesn't seem like the place you want to be. Considering you refer to it as the 4th Circle of hell. I hope you didn't buy a house in that god forsaken place.

And last but not least, your comment about the female Haitian driver. Accidents do occur and that is why they are called accidents. If she got her drivers license in this country, than I am quite sure she knows what side of the street she should drive on. What difference does it make what nationality she was anyway?

Deisel, relax, take some time to reflect and maybe you can get over whatever has you down. You can't blame everyone else for your own misery.

The Un Malice

[SwissSmiss]

well, hello and welcome to the soup.

so glad to see that your first and only post thus far has been to say rude things to a fellow souper. not that i don't think he can take the criticism, but i dont feel that it is appropriate for you to come from out of nowhere to express your lack of sympathy for dan's situation, especially at such an unfortunate time. yes, this is a public forum. you say you've read our posts. but how far back have you gone? certainly not enough to know any of us. so even though i will probably get scolded for saying rude things back to you, as i always do, shove it up your a$$.

[lobo]

Originally posted by SwissSmiss
well, hello and welcome to the soup.

so glad to see that your first and only post thus far has been to say rude

Hey, SwissSmiss! Take it easy! I think, that ... 'The Un Malice' ... she LOVES Dan ... This and only this is a reason, why she made this post before christmas!

Merry Christmas, The Un Malice!!!
Merry Christmas, Dan!!!
:beer:

i hate 'My computer', coz on disk C it draw such a stupid smile : (C: )'

[mthrlangl]

Un Malice, while your scoldings are..well meaning in their attempt to tell us to be nice to people and not judge on base of race/creed/etc., they're not appropriate for this forum. We come to this particular section to rant. That's why it's called "Rants." You're more than welcome to disagree with anyone here, but do it on an intellectual level instead of stooping to insults, okay? And name calling will NOT be tolerated by me or any other mod on this forum. If you have any questions/concerns, please read the FAQs and forum rules or contact one of the mods. Thanks.

[MO]

Merry XMAS to you!!! Peace and goodwill ....spread the joy

This is a rant forum...and we all respect each other.

Didn't you ever feel the need to rant after working a 20 hr shift? Or after putting in so much effort at work and not getting the recognition?

If you read ALL Dan's posts, you would know why he bought the house (not to mention the tax breaks). By the way, Dan eventually wants to move but in the meantime he will continue enjoying living next to one of the greatest cities in the world,NYC.

Where do you live? Do you enjoy it 100%? Do you have the perfect job? Let us know where that utopia is located.

[meezercat]

Hey guys, I'm sure this is just a troll...apparently someone who has done a bit of lurking here..

But I've already received complaints regarding this poster, and am going to be keeping an eye out, at least in my forums. Like mth said, disagreement IS allowed, but personal attacks and general nastiness are frowned upon.

I hope this person manages to get an infusion of the holiday spirit, and snap out of their mean streak.

[Diesel]

The Un Malice> I'm not even going to justify your remarks with a response. You're clearly uninformed about just about everything you've commented on, so my only suggestion would be to go back through my 4600+ posts, take some time to actually comprehend the words posted within them, and learn something about me before you run wily-nily with your assumptions about me and my situation.

Until then, you're neither worthy of my attention, or my concern.
Happy trolling.

To the rest of you> I have some brief access, so I just wanted to let update you.

The moving is going well. We're still getting our things in, but we got the major appliances installed, as well as the DSS (priorities, right? :lol: ). We're just waiting for the cable modem and phone line to be installed on Wednesday so we can have some actual contact with the outside world. Hopefully, by then, life will be somewhat normal, although having the holidays right smack in the middle of the move doesn't help at all.

With the holidays and such, I'm figuring that it's really not worth kicking the job hunt into high gear until after New Year's. I already have the resume on Monster, HotJobs, and several other sites, so it's already circulating. I'll probably call the recruiter I usually work with on Thursday, just so he knows I'm on the market and looking, and get the ball rolling then.
Until then, I did get a decent severance package, and I'm eligible for unemployment, so I'm by no means "dead in the water". Things will be okay for me, but I'm still aggrevated by the way everything went down. I've got my chin up, and even comments from The Un Malice can't get me down. :D

[Mahala]

Good for you Dan!! I'm glad you're managing to stay so positive. hope everything works out well - have a good and chaotic moving house christmsa!

[lobo]

Originally posted by dajeil
house christmsa!

Missspell AGAN!!!! Missspell AGAN!!! :tongue:

[Cookie monster]

mthrlangl, you obvious misread unmalice's comment. She didn't make any insulting comments, rather it was Dan. Dan's own title of one of his collegeaus is dumbasses(See post named Dumbasses by Dan). He also referred to one of his collegeaus as a bonehead. If you're going to point out an issue with insults, look to him first before you start making false accusations at a newbie. Besides, if I read Malice' comments correctly, all that is stated is Dan should not be making everyone else the source of his misery. Eventually, he has to come to grips that he needs to be a little more responsible. And no, playing starcraft at work is not responsible.

I think the lesson that should be learned from this forum is that there are some comments which, yes, we all say behind closed doors or when we are angry. I think Dan deserves to be frustrated or angry at being let go before Christmas. But to be realistic, there are just some things you do not say in public/email whether you actually feel them or not. Dan's own posts about his colleagues are an example. Never burn your bridges Dan.

[mthrlangl]

Gee, why do I get the feeling you're Un Malice in disguise? :rolleyes:

[Cookie monster]

nope. nice try.

[Diesel]

I always marvel at the way newbies can just come into a place, not even be here a few hours, and manage to know everything about everyone.

I never once said that I blamed my situation on anyone at all. That was a conclusion, and an incorrect one at that, brought on by The Un Malice.
Also, don't even try to make assumptions about how responsible a person I am at work, or on my ability to do my job. You don't know me, you don't know anything about me, so before you too run with your assumptions, why not keep them to yourself? Or better yet, just STFU when you don't know what you're talking about.

I would venture to guess that 90+% of the other users here know me better than you do, and are much more familiar with my situation, which is exactly why they've offered their sympathy and support in response to my rant.
It does not surprise me that those TOTALLY unfamiliar with my situation post messages that show a clear lack of knowledge about myself or my situation.

Again, Happy Trolling.
You both seem to be very good at it.

[lobo]

Originally posted by Cookie monster
nope. nice try.
I am shure, YOU ARE!

There are at least three reasons why :

1) You are was agree that The Un Malice is a woman... He-he it was just a my proposal - provocation - right proposal ... and You are agree that You are a woman. You wanna explanation - I'll do it if You will ask why...
2) I never mind that there are was a thread 'Dumb Asses'. I think that other peoples can say this too. If You will try to made search for user 'Diesel Dan', - this thread will be on second page ... I can beleive that one crazy man can read 48 threads to create such a pasquille. But two men - this is enought even for soap opera :)
3) You made same pattern in getting consequinses from wrong supposiong. I can agree that too many peoples has same defects, but the in Your case it is so obvious (wanna explanation? I can do it by request) :D

I can do statistic term analysis of Your and The_Un_Malice posts ... I have necessary tools :D

I do not think that The_Un_Malise is Your mother or girlfriend.

More obvious thing ... You are closely knew Diesel Dan ... Probably, You was or still is in his environment ... Probably You are a salesman... He-he ... Poor Deisel ... Watch Your back...

And the darkest star arize at the weak sky...
And all stars was hidden in it's darkness...
And name of this star was LOBOTOMY

[Cookie monster]

lobo, in regards to your reply, your broken english is unlegible.

In regards to anyone else who responded, you're simply avoiding the questions brought forth. Probably to save face. Go back and read Un Malice's and my questions and when your ready to answer without acting like an animal and cursing LMK.

[lobo]

Originally posted by Cookie monster
lobo, in regards to your reply, your broken english is unlegible.

In regards to anyone else who responded, you're simply avoiding the questions brought forth. Probably to save face. Go back and read Un Malice's and my questions and when your ready to answer without acting like an animal and cursing LMK.
:moon: :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon:
Chicken!
Chicken!
Chicken!
Chicken!

[keepitright]

LazyASS!

how responsible a person I am at work: Take this back you sickworm ,even though he is sick he has time for crap games which is very important to him than an pager:
I would venture to guess that 90+% of the other users here know me better: They don’t know you at work sickworm.
You backstabbed your bessssstttt friend who got you in .
To be realistic this MCP **** was sick 100 days out of 365 days and still complaining.
Real nice treatment for someone who has: Only 4 sickhead.
1.Worked there 1.5 years : Sick for 1 year worked .5 year playing games.
2.Never hesitated to cover shifts, even when they resulted in my working a shift 20-25 hours in length : Once in bluemoon
3.Always followed procedures to the letter : Bulls##t
4.Always stayed late to cover when people came in late, especially the person who still thinks his shift starts a half-hour later than it actually does.: Bulls##t
5.The right place for you to work is 4th Circle of hell:hospital

NO sympathy for you crapsh##t

[mthrlangl]

:lol:

It looks like Dan has a nice lil' fan club going on here.

[MO]

What rock did they crawl out of? Is it all the same person creating different accounts? Could it actually be a particular person (who left aliensoup) that I am thinking of that Dan does not like?

And why don't they elaborate on their profiles?

[mthrlangl]

Originally posted by Lil' Mo
What rock did they crawl out of? Is it all the same person creating different accounts? Could it actually be a particular person (who left aliensoup) that I am thinking of that Dan does not like?

And why don't they elaborate on their profiles?

I get the feeling it's someone he used to work with being a turd. ::shrug::

[Diesel]

Originally posted by Lil' Mo
What rock did they crawl out of? Is it all the same person creating different accounts? Could it actually be a particular person (who left aliensoup) that I am thinking of that Dan does not like?

I was trying to think if there was anyone that would fit that description, and only one came to mind.
However, these 3 don't seem to fit that person's profile.

I have a feeling that it's just the trolls coming out to play.


[edit]Turns out mth is probably right. Checking the IPs shows that, of these three trolls, the only one who's IP isn't from my old place of employment is The Un Malice, although the IP is awfully close. A traceroute revealed that The Un Malice is one of my former coworkers as well, although possibly not from the same site.
Now, you know why I'm not so broken up about having to leave.

[Diesel]

I find this funny, because keepitright is either telling complete falsehoods, or only revealing the partial truth, in an attempt to badmouth me.

Originally posted by keepitright
LazyASS!

how responsible a person I am at work: Take this back you sickworm ,even though he is sick he has time for crap games which is very important to him than an pager:

I had my pager on me at all times, and always answered when I was paged.
As for the games, the only time I played games was during a 12-hour shift on the weekend when nothing was happening.
I can point out two other people there who play games during normal shift hours when there is high activity, and one who actually brought in a PS2 when he was forced to cover one of the weekend shifts.

I would venture to guess that 90+% of the other users here know me better: They don’t know you at work sickworm.
You backstabbed your bessssstttt friend who got you in .
To be realistic this MCP **** was sick 100 days out of 365 days and still complaining.

My "best friend" as you put it, was not in actuality my best friend, but rather a coworker of mine from a previous job who pulled me on as a referral. Apparently, he thought highly enough of my abilities to think I would be an asset in his new position.
As for the backstabbing part, let us not forget that his carelessness resulted in data loss in our own environment on no less than 4 occasions.
And the meeting with our manager to discuss the problem was attended by everyone on the team with the exception of one person. Everyone had a problem with him, not just me, so don't try singling me out in this.

As for the sick days, I still had sick days remaining when I left there, so saying I used 100 is simply a lie. I never once went over my allottment of sick days, and I would venture to guess that 2 people in particular used more sick days than I did in my time there. One somehow managed to not work any holidays, and managed to call in for many Sunday nights, despite the fact that it was his regular shift.


Real nice treatment for someone who has: Only 4 sickhead.
1.Worked there 1.5 years : Sick for 1 year worked .5 year playing games.

Totally untrue. If you're going to post something false, at least try to make it believable, dum-dum.


2.Never hesitated to cover shifts, even when they resulted in my working a shift 20-25 hours in length : Once in bluemoon

Everyone here knows better.


3.Always followed procedures to the letter : Bulls##t

Always! I prided myself on following procedures, and along with another person there, constantly urged others to follow procedures as well.


4.Always stayed late to cover when people came in late, especially the person who still thinks his shift starts a half-hour later than it actually does.: Bulls##t

Again, everyone here knows better. I can't count on my hands the number of times I sat talking to someone from here on ICQ for no other reason than killing time at the end of my shift because my relief was over 30 minutes late.

5.The right place for you to work is 4th Circle of hell:hospital

NO sympathy for you crapsh##t

I don't even know what to make of those last comments, so I won't bother trying.

To everyone else, I'm sorry that one, or more, of my former coworkers has decided to be so childish and try to smear me in here. I would venture to say that you all know me much better than most of them did, and clearly respect me more than they did. I'm sorry it's come to this, and I apologize not only for their effort to air their dirty laundry against me, but for my efforts to defend myself against their attacks.

Thanks for understanding, and I hope they grow up and this ends soon.

[mthrlangl]

Originally posted by Diesel Dan
Thanks for understanding, and I hope they grow up and this ends soon.

Oh, Dan, please. Don't *even* worry about it. If they wanna be jerks, it's them we won't like..not you. So smile and be happy you don't have to work with them anymore :)

[JHowse]

Dan, don't even worry about this. We know the real truth about you and your work ethics. I have the highest confidence in your ability to land a good job. :) Hang in there, buddy. :)

[MO]

Well,it sounds as if you have nothing to hide. I want to see if they respond!

Anyway, Dan- you know I wish the best for you.

[meezercat]

Wow, this thread has turned from sad to irritating to hilarious!

:rotflmao:

[Diesel]

My "detective work" is slowly revealing who these people are who are posting things about me. And to be quite honest, the people who are posting these things need to be less concerned with me, and more concerned with the company they're working for, who has demonstrated a clear lack of conscience about how they treat, and intend to treat, their employees.

It's interesting because these people have no other reason in the world to be coming to Alien Soup than to check up on me and my activities. To that end, I can only offer the following advice: get a life of your own to focus on.

Frankly, I'm learning who my friends are, and who my friends aren't. For those that are, I know who they are, and I appreciate the support and friendship they've offered, as well as respect them for the respect they've given me. For those that aren't, I really don't give a damn what they think or say.

[MO]

I am sorry that you lost your job, yet glad you don't have to deal with THEM anymore. *sigh*

[cmrayer]

Hi Dan, sorry to hear about your redundancy, I was made redundant three years ago in a similar situation but ended up with a better job and colleagues - I hope and am sure you'll do the same too.

Good Luck

Charles

Mind you, you've still got a cable modem at home you lucky b*£&ard!!!!


Take Care

[JHowse]

Dan, ditto what they said. If you are interested, I can refer you to the company I work for. Let me know.

[Alyth]

Dan, you obviously know where you stand in all this. I myself could vouch for you and how many times you have had to stay far past your quiting time just to wait for the guy in the next shift to arrive and the times you've had to stay late for covering other shifts. You've always shown dedication to your job and it is sad they don't see that! :)


Trolls> :rolleyes:

[Diesel]

Originally posted by Lysithea
Dan, you obviously know where you stand in all this.

Unfortunately, I've learned the hard way about who my friends really are.
Since it's clear that some of my former coworkers are capable of acting like children, I just think they should grow up.

Clearly, they haven't yet, because if they had, they would act like grown men and women, and instead of hiding in anonymity, they'd step up to the plate, and address whatever problems they have with me face to face, instead of taking a cowards way out.
Unfortunately, of those who were guilty of posting these messages here, I don't think that a single one of them is capable of mature behavior. They wouldn't have acted the way they did if they were capable.

They know my home phone number. They know where I live. I never hid behind a mask like they are, and I never denied saying the things I said because not a single one of the things I said was untrue.

Maybe the reason they're so offended by what I said, or by what they inferred (which was more often the case), is because it smacks of the truth and it's forcing them to look in the mirror?

[JHowse]

Well, Dan. We do know who the mature one is in all of this. :)

[WaterB]

Originally posted by lobo

:moon: :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon:
Chicken!
Chicken!
Chicken!
Chicken!



ROFL

[jourgenson]

I haven't looked at this thread in awhile. It certainly became more interesting in here. Too interesting, probably.

[Diesel]

Hard to believe that after all this time, the bull$hit there still hasn't died off.

Since there's apparently still interest in this thread from my former coworkers, I figured I'd bring it back up to the spotlight with a recap of today's events.

One of my former coworkers who I still talk to regularly invited me to join in their work fantasy football league this year because they were short a few people and needed to fill the league, and they know I'll be a competitive player and stick with it.

It just so happens that I reclaimed first place in the league this week, and saw that my friend was on AIM, so I sent him a playful message teasing him about that. This is regular behavior between he and I, and we usually "spar" playfully like this a few times a week. He likes to talk smack to me, and with me being in an advantageous position, he knows we'll both get a kick out of it.

Here's a copy of the AIM log, with names of the offending person, and my friend's AIM account removed/altered:

Session Start (AIM - DieselAtOffice: *MyFriendsAIMAccount*): Wed Oct 23 09:48:07 2002
[09:48] DieselAtOffice: Damn... first place again. Stop me before I hurt someone.
[09:48] DieselAtOffice: LOL
[10:00] *MyFriendsAIMAccount*: you sound like the serial sniper. I'm going to report you!!
[10:00] DieselAtOffice: LOL
[10:02] DieselAtOffice: If anything, it's ***... he's used to shooting his "friends" in the back. ;)
[10:24] *MyFriendsAIMAccount*: i seem to remember someone posting something about ******* and ****** on alien soup. but i guess you have tunnel vision when that is concerned. btw, **** is not here and you just made an accusation which is not true.
[10:25] DieselAtOffice: What concept of minding your own business don't you understand there?
[10:25] DieselAtOffice: Following people's postings online, reading other people's private messages... I guess there's still no respect of coworkers there.
[10:26] DieselAtOffice: Can't say it surprises me.
[10:26] *MyFriendsAIMAccount*: the same as yours. you posted comments about ****** and ******* on the internet
[10:26] DieselAtOffice: And?
[10:26] DieselAtOffice: Did I name them?
[10:26] DieselAtOffice: Or did you just assume things?
[10:26] DieselAtOffice: Regardless, it's not really any of your business.
[10:26] *MyFriendsAIMAccount*: posting about your work related matters on line. hmm, but then you are infallible.
[10:26] *MyFriendsAIMAccount*: a$shole
[10:26] *** *MyFriendsAIMAccount* signed off at Wed Oct 23 10:26:52 2002.

So, as it turns out, it's not even safe for someone to leave their AIM account logged in there anymore, because apparently this person feels it's okay to not only read someone else's private correspondence, but to impersonate them as well.

Talk about an utter lack of respect for those who you work with! With people like these in the office, is it any wonder I looked at getting laid off as a best case scenario?!?

In the end, it's abundantly apparent to me that getting laid off from that job was the absolute best thing that could've happened to me. The backstabbing, the corporate politics, and the lack of respect for coworkers that's going on there now is the worst possible working environment that one could be subjected to. Apparently some people thrive in that because it's their element, but I can certainly do without it.

Despite my long layoff, I've ended up at a place where I'm making more money, am respected by my coworkers and my clients, and have become an integral part of the business. It's a world of difference from the environment I was forced out of, and I'm incredibly glad that happened because I'm much better off for it.

[Alyth]

Wow! And how old is this person? (*MyFriendsAIMAccount*)

I always thought when I was younger that when I grow older, people would leave their childish behaviors behind. Maybe I was wrong and it takes longer to get rid of such acts. *shrug* Guess they have a while to go before they actually grow up!

[Diesel]

Originally posted by Lysithea
Wow! And how old is this person? (*MyFriendsAIMAccount*)

I always thought when I was younger that when I grow older, people would leave their childish behaviors behind. Maybe I was wrong and it takes longer to get rid of such acts. *shrug* Guess they have a while to go before they actually grow up!

Okay, I've color coded everyone's names in addition to blanking them out.
For the record, I used *MyFriendsAIMAccount* to hide my friend's AIM account name. He was NOT the one sending me the messages. What happened was that the person who's name is blanked out in red, who is the one I have the problem with, sat down at my friend's (highlighted in orange) workstation when he was out of the office, and replied to messages on my friend's AIM account.
Which means that not only was he reading messages not intended for him, but replying to them while impersonating my friend.

For the record, I think "red" is either one year older than me or one year younger, which would put him at between 27-29.
Higher age clearly != maturity.

FWIW, my friend had no idea this had happened, as he's been out of the office sick for 2 days now.
I emailed him and 2 other former coworkers from that job the log of the conversation so that they know what they are dealing with at the workplace in terms of personal privacy.
I also contacted 2 of them via IM, including my friend who's account was used, and they were shocked, although neither of them seemed that surprised when they considered who had done this.

For my part, I am astounded at the lack of professional ethics and morality that "red" possesses as a coworker, and as a person in general. I didn't think people could be so blatantly callous and shallow towards those who they treat in person as friends. In hindsight, he's probably akin to his coworkers as Brutus was to Caesar.

[MO]

All I can say is that...

I am losing faith in mankind.

:ohboy:

I think we should all go buy that property being offered on the moon.

[Prox]

Im all for the moon.

As for your ex-co-workers dan, I say level 12 extra splintery :evil:

[Diesel]

Apparently, "red" has now taken to posting nasty messages in the rumor mill in our fantasy football league. Unfortunately, because I'm not lame enough to actually pay for access during peak hours, I can't read what he posted until 1:30 this afternoon.

I guess when you have no life, it's easy to throw all of your focus into someone else's.
:baby:

[YesIndeed]

:aaaaaahh: Well! That was certainly something to read!!

I have to admit, people like "red" make me sick. And those three other posts... I just don't have time for people like that. I've been harassed by ignorant fools like that in my past, and you've just got to ignore them. They have a warped concept of reality and are usually emotionally unbalanced. :no: It's sad that they feel the need to take out their insecurites on others.

I'm terribly sorry that you had to go thru that Dan. :mad:

[Diesel]

Originally posted by YesIndeed

I'm terribly sorry that you had to go thru that Dan. :mad:
You know, it honestly doesn't bother me anymore. Initially, it felt like a betrayal, but instead it showed me who my real friends were. Of those who I considered my real friends, I still speak to 2 of them regularly, and the other gets lost in the shuffle. I honestly don't know if the third person is upset by the things that happened, but he also hasn't said anything along the lines of the others, so if he is upset or offended, he's certainly a better person than the other 3 who decided to partake of the organized smear campaign.

At this point, almost a year later, I just know what kind of person "red" is, and his little jibes don't phase me in the slightest, except as amusement at the spectacle he's making of himself. It's quite laughable, and it serves as an almost daily reminder of why being let go from that company was the best thing that could've possibly happened to me, emotionally, financially, and career-wise.

[YesIndeed]

That's awesome to hear that things have turned out so well Dan. I'm glad you're looking on the bright side of life like any true alien would. :D

:ufo:

[Stonelaughter]

Hehehehehehe... saddo's like "red" really aren't worth anyone's anger - they're pathetic.

Dan - I hope he/she gets what's coming to them. I further hope that your actual friends there are watching him/her, and looking out for any reason whatever to get rid of them.

It's good that you have ended up better off - but one lesson you always have to learn the hard way in the office is: trust NO-ONE until they have demonstrated beyond doubt that they are worthy of it. This "red" - what were they like to work with? I'll bet they were really sociable with you face to face... :confused:

Anyway - best of luck in your new environment :)

[Diesel]

Originally posted by raffiki
It's good that you have ended up better off - but one lesson you always have to learn the hard way in the office is: trust NO-ONE until they have demonstrated beyond doubt that they are worthy of it. This "red" - what were they like to work with? I'll bet they were really sociable with you face to face... :confused:


Yeah, he was basically your friend to your face, joking around and making comments about the office environment.
In hindsight, however, he was playing his little "office politics" game, and used any opportunity he could to stab you in the back. It's clear by his actions that his behavior hasn't changed.

Frankly, I'm just fine with the fact that I no longer have to work with people like that anymore. I do feel bad for my friends who do still work there, but at least they're aware of the type of person he is, and can adjust their behavior around him accordingly.