Hey, guys. I just announced this on Facebook, but for those who aren’t over there: I was laid off this morning. Yes, it came as a surprise. Yes, there’s severance. Beyond that, I should probably keep my mouth shut. But if you’re a Detroit reader, and you know anyone who’s hiring, believe me I am all ears.
These things happen. It’s never happened to me before, but I guess it was my turn. I’m not really bitter, except OK I am, but I’ll get over it.
New horizons dead ahead.
Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 1:10 pm
As I said on Facebook, so sorry to hear this, Nancy. LB’s boyfriend lost his job of six years last week, seems like bad news is happening everywhere.
Julie, your obituary for your sister was wonderful, I hope writing it helped the grieving process. So sorry your mother is taking it so hard, they say losing a child is the worst no matter what age.
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Scout said on September 25, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Fuck. That sucks. Onward to better and bigger.
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ROGirl said on September 25, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Wow, that’s shitty.
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Charlotte said on September 25, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Whoa!
Well that’s a shock … I’m sure something will show up but nonetheless …never fun to be handed your banker’s box (hope you didn’t ride your bike today!).
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basset said on September 25, 2017 at 1:38 pm
So sorry to hear that… you had a good run, though.
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Suzanne said on September 25, 2017 at 1:39 pm
That stinks big time. I’ve been there and didn’t have fun. Good luck!
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Ann said on September 25, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Bitter is entirely appropriate. I’m angry enough that I cancelled my monthly contribution and told them why. Maybe they can regain my trust, but for now I’m wary.
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Christine Ledbetter said on September 25, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Nancy,
Been there. Moved on to a far better place. You will too.
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Icarus said on September 25, 2017 at 1:57 pm
Oh no, that sucks.
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Jolene said on September 25, 2017 at 2:11 pm
I’m stunned. Can only imagine how you must feel. You seemed so happy there and so well-suited to the character and mission of The Bridge. I hope the contacts you’ve made in this position will help you find something else that suits you.
So very sorry this happened to you.
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Walter Biggins said on September 25, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Boo fuck piss. That sucks, Nancy, and I hope you land on your feet soon. Have a nice bourbon tonight to toast yourself, whatever comes next.
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Deni Menken said on September 25, 2017 at 2:38 pm
What a bum deal. Well, you know where to turn if you need several hundred enthusiastic references.
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brian stouder said on September 25, 2017 at 2:43 pm
Well, this sounds (to me) like the ‘sum of all fears’; it would be hard to process this news and reach a conclusion wherein one is NOT second-guessing one’s self and one’s abilities, even though (in Nancy’s case) one would be entirely wrong to do so!
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Connie said on September 25, 2017 at 2:48 pm
Bummer. I hope others were laid off with you.
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Connie said on September 25, 2017 at 2:53 pm
That was kind of mean thing to say. I meant I hope you are not alone.
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Joe K said on September 25, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Next time I’m in the D, lunch is on me, choose the spot.
Pilot Joe
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Judybusy said on September 25, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Ah, Nancy, that is really sucky news. I’m glad you at least get a severance package, and that you find new work soon.
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Connie said on September 25, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Same here, when can I buy you lunch?
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Dave said on September 25, 2017 at 3:30 pm
Well, that’s awful news, I had thought you were safe there and had done some great work but I guess no one is really completely safe in any position anymore.
Julie, I think it’s very difficult for a parent at any age to lose their children. My maternal grandparents outlived two of their children, one lost to WWII and the other, my aunt, in gallbladder surgery that somehow went bad. My aunt was 70 and my grandparents, having become parents at a very young age, were 87 and 86 at the time, but it was a difficult time. I hope that your mother is able to find some peace.
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LAMary said on September 25, 2017 at 3:31 pm
High five. I got laid off AGAIN two weeks ago. Hospitals with 434 beds and 110 patients do that sort of thing.
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Jenine said on September 25, 2017 at 4:02 pm
Argh! I want the articulate and goodhearted people to have jobs and great futures. Get on that, universe.
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brian stouder said on September 25, 2017 at 4:04 pm
lamary – here in Fort Wayne, hospitals like that simply announce they’re going to build a brand new palatial facility – and then they do!
We have three ‘not-for-profit’ hospitals, and in my lifetime they are constantly renovating/adding on right up ’til the day they shutter them in favor of a completely new campus…and we’re on the runway for this to occur again.
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brian stouder said on September 25, 2017 at 4:05 pm
(….by way of saying, they seem to have train-car loads of cash, but they can’t call them “profits” — so they’re always buying more concrete and steel)
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Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 4:49 pm
I can’t imagine living for months without electricity or water as they are facing in Puerto Rico. This summer in Abiquiu at our cabin we lived without electricity and running water for 2 or 3 days at a time, then we’d go back to Santa Fe for a day and night with showers and flush toilets and the rest. We had plenty of batteries and gallon bottles of water in Abiquiu, a camp stove with plenty of fuel too. A Jeep to drive when we needed supplies and to charge our iPhones (we also had a solar charger). I hope they have some of those things to help them get by but it sounds like they don’t have sufficient supplies at all. The thought of how they deal with basic hygiene in a city is mind boggling. At least out in the wilderness you can have a privy or a latrine. Imagine how to do your laundry when it’s so hot and humid and you sweat a lot. Not to mention barely having sufficient shelter from rain and wind.
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Jakash said on September 25, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Ugh, that sucks and I’m very sorry to hear it. Good luck as you move forward with whatever’s next.
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kayak woman said on September 25, 2017 at 5:11 pm
So sorry to hear this! A while back some bean counter somewhere gave our local management a dollar amount and said, “cut some ‘resources'”. Four beloved veteran employees were shown the door and we are *all* veteran employees so it could’ve happened to anyone. EVERYONE including the local management folk who had to wield the axe was upset and the rest of us were given the afternoon off (with pay, of course).
I love your last sentence. Good luck! You will land somewhere.
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Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 6:05 pm
Just read that my neighbor the Hancock building in Chicago is for sale, the offices, parking and the name. I never stopped calling Sears Tower its original name, so I’ll probably do the same for this one.
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Julie Robinson said on September 25, 2017 at 6:45 pm
Nancy and LAMary, I am so, so sorry. I have had so many friends go through this and know that there are extra obstacles once you reach the age of 50. I had thought both of you were in good places but I forgot there is no longer any such thing. Extra prayers and good thoughts for both of you as you begin your searches.
It looks like I put the link for my sister on the last page after Nance published this one, so I’ll repeat it here: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Jeri-Pigott&lc=9826&pid=186724411&uuid=2fe151d9-9a6f-46d0-9fcd-6805f10bd049
I notice the Bridge is gone from the sidebar.
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David C. said on September 25, 2017 at 6:46 pm
Sorry, Nancy. I guess the good thing is that everyone needs someone who can write well. Probably the bad thing is that most don’t know it.
Does anyone in Chicago call the Sears Tower Willis Tower, Deborah? I know I don’t.
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Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 7:10 pm
LA Mary, I missed that you are facing the same thing as Nancy, sorry, geez what is going on in the world? I mean besides our disastrous president of course.
David C, yeah no one that I know calls it Willis tower.
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BigHank53 said on September 25, 2017 at 7:18 pm
Ugh. My sympathies–I just started a new job today after a couple months of non-voluntary unemployment. It was a job I should have left a while ago (so that part’s my fault) but I was also on the receiving end of some craptastic management.
Best of luck in the job search.
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Andrea said on September 25, 2017 at 8:16 pm
So sorry to hear it. Their readers will miss your diligent reporting and inspired wordsmithing, not to mention your generous humanity.
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Joe K said on September 25, 2017 at 8:34 pm
Deborah,
I’m overnighting at the Hilton just south of Palwakee airport just off Milwaukee av, when I ask about a place to run they told me about a path just east of the hotel It was a dirt one lane trail thru the woods, any Idea what it would be called? It was a amazing run along a stream pretty cool for a big city.
Pilot Joe
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Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Sorry Joe, I have no idea.
Sometimes I wonder regarding North Korea if we need a Dietrich Bonhoeffer solution to Trump. I can’t believe I’m saying that but I think we are dealing with a scary malignant narcissistic leader. Worried.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 25, 2017 at 9:05 pm
Blessings to you, Nancy, and LAMary. The economy is still so wobbly.
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LAMary said on September 25, 2017 at 9:16 pm
From what I’ve observed I’m going to generalize and say that healthcare facilities are all hurting for cash, all expanding their facilities or their services, and all canning people who are not involved in patient care when the going gets bad.
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Ann said on September 25, 2017 at 9:17 pm
Joe K, a look at the map tells me you were running along the Des Plaines River. It heads pretty much due south until it joins up with the Kankakee River to create the Illinois. When I’m in suburban Chicago, instead of in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, my daily walk with the dog is over to the Des Plaines. Chicago and its suburbs have a great network of forest preserves, such that Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago, is the most heavily forested county in the state.
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adrianne said on September 25, 2017 at 9:18 pm
The journalism biz is still imploding. It’s particularly bad if you’re in your 50s. Hang in there, Nance. Your talent will see you through.
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Deborah said on September 25, 2017 at 9:35 pm
Hey, you could write a book about the schvitz! I’d read it.
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Joe Kobiela said on September 25, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Des plains river trail, Pottawatomie woods, very nice place to run bike and hike.
Thanks for the help.
Pilot Joe
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Heather said on September 25, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Oh yeah, the Des Plaines River Trail is very nice. I’ve been meaning to explore it more.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 25, 2017 at 10:26 pm
If Tim Goeglein can find a job, then . . .
https://twitter.com/gregorykorte/status/912502978032095233
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Jolene said on September 25, 2017 at 11:13 pm
Man, that is one scary photo, Jeff. Talk about your evil cabals
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Paul M said on September 26, 2017 at 12:04 am
So sorry to hear this, and every best wish for you to come through quickly and place well.
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Deborah said on September 26, 2017 at 12:25 am
I’ve got a bad feeling about something, I’m probably dead wrong about, at least I hope I’m dead wrong. Graham says they’re going to go ahead and vote for the deathcare bill. He says it’s ok to try and fail, than not to even try. I hope that McCain saying he was going to vote no wasn’t a ploy to call off the dogs, to keep the press at bay and to stall the American public from reacting. My paranoia keeps imagining that in the end he’ll vote yes. He wouldn’t do that would he? And that they planned it all along.
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Paul Woodford said on September 26, 2017 at 12:30 am
A good friend is with Gannet. Unrelenting daily anxiety is his lot and we all feel for him.
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Sherri said on September 26, 2017 at 1:23 am
Just now catching up on the news. That’s awful, Nancy and LAMary. I hope something better comes along soon.
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Bill said on September 26, 2017 at 1:31 am
My son has worked for a company in Chicago for the last 15 years. He was let go in March and hasn’t caught onto another job yet. Lots of interviews but, he’s 54 and, obviously vulnerable. It seems a company can substitute lower wages for less experienced, higher priced employees. He’s OK for a couple of years. His wife is working. But our youngest granddaughter is a college freshman. Anyone know of any marketing jobs in the Chicago market?
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ROGirl said on September 26, 2017 at 6:08 am
Two years ago I was out of work, having churned through not one, but two nightmare job experiences in fairly quick succession. I didn’t think I would ever get a decent job again, what with my 59th birthday coming up in early October. I went on three interviews, got call backs on two of them, nothing. I was contacted by a contract house, when they saw my job history I was told that the client wanted someone whose most recent job lasted longer than a year. I ended up going to my local Target store and got hired for the holidays. It was something to do for $9 an hour.
I came across another contract house job posting in December and sent my resume. When I followed up they sent my resume to the client and they scheduled the interview. I went in the next day (Friday), had a really good interview, and they made an offer later that day. I gave my notice at Target and started on Monday. It’s been a roller coaster ride, but I’m still there, and my 61st birthday is coming up in less than 2 weeks.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 26, 2017 at 8:06 am
Paul, Gannett doesn’t know any other way to roll. Someone in upper management there read “Winning by Intimidation” back in ’74 and it’s never changed.
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Deggjr said on September 26, 2017 at 9:50 am
It happens and it stinks. I’ve been fired three times and firing creates powerful emotions. I retired from my last job and for the first time in my professional career it was my decision to leave a job.
One of my stops included responsibility for candidate identification and hiring. It was eye opening to see the the job search/hiring process from the other side. To the job seeker the process is close to life and death. To the organization the process is close to randomness. The urgency to fill a position is what matters. The candidate’s qualifications aren’t nearly as important as the candidate thinks.
As a friend who has also gone through the process said, “It’s a game. A very high stakes game but it’s just a game.”
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Dave Bell said on September 26, 2017 at 10:53 am
When I lost my great job with IHC 35 years ago, it was a very sad day. But, in retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wish you the same good fortune.
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Suzanne said on September 26, 2017 at 11:24 am
Deggjr, I agree, it’s a game. The employer doesn’t care if you need a job to keep a roof over your head or if you are some suburban housewife who is bored, and from what I can tell, half the time, they don’t even care if you can really do the job. They just pick somebody to fill a slot and hope they work out. If not, toss ’em out and the process starts over.
My daughter worked for an employment firm for about a year. It was infuriating to me to hear her talk about the process, and her attitude towards the prospective employees. When one woman cried in an interview because she needed a job so badly, my daughter told me “You just can’t cry in an interview, Mom! You won’t get the job! You can’t act desperate.” But what if you are desperate? What if you are about to lose your house or your car or will have your power turned off? There is apparently no place for human compassion in the workplace.
When I was unemployed and looking for a job, one of the most repeated bits of advice I got was that I should not ever let on that my application was being submitted because I NEEDED a job and to never, ever mention that in an interview.
The whole system is a crock but it’s what we have, so we forge on.
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susan said on September 26, 2017 at 11:45 am
Wow, now that is shock, Nancy. I’m so sorry. Nothing I can add to what everyone else has said. We need more writers of your humane abilities.
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Icarus said on September 26, 2017 at 12:17 pm
“The whole system is a crock but it’s what we have, so we forge on.”
The system needs an overhaul but I’m afraid that won’t happen for some time. At the Jeff Park terminal there’s a poster that succinctly states: “in search of the perfect resume, you passed on the perfect candidate”
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Minnie said on September 28, 2017 at 12:18 am
So sorry to check back and find this news. It sucks when one of the most articulate and witty writers around loses a job that seems to suit them and the needs of the employer. The readers lose, too. Hope something much better comes along shortly.
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