Shitcanned

[tommysb]

Not sure if it's appropriate to post here, but I got fired today for not being as productive in my work as they would have liked and not delivering on the project I was running. It stings.

Not sure what to do with myself, it came completely out of the blue. The irony is i had been complaining to my GF for months about how I wanted to quit, and that the stress of work was making me unwell. Well now I got what I wished for and it doesn't feel good. Also makes me a bit nervous with talk of upcoming recessions etc etc.

I might use the opportunity to go for it, and try my hand in opening a micro-distillery though. Who knows, maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Cheers everyone. Just venting.

[juana_b]

Sorry about that. Hope everything works out for the best.

[Steve Broady]

Vent away. And if you open a distillery, I’m buying some of whatever you’re selling. Got to support each other, after all.

[Old Dog New Tricks]

Many of US have been in that very same BOAT, Things may look bad today, But the sun will still rise tomorrow, Keep yor chin up, Eyes on the prize.....

[HDNB]

shitty feeling. i remember it well....that's one of the reasons ive been self employed for 30+ years. oppositional authority defiance disorder coupled with the inability to function before 10am made me a less than ideal employee. but it made me a reasonably successful entrepreneur.
there is so many ways to turn a buck i've never since seen the sense in being employed.
Good luck with your next adventure, it will work itself out. always does.

edit: talk to a labour lawyer in your state. where i live you cannot be "fired", the laws here would crucify the employer. there are so many "depending on" factors...the reason, the job, your experience/expertise, your age, mitigating factors like stress, mental anguish, your ability to find employment elsewhere....if your situation and location are favourable, you could easily win a significant severance package that can help fund your next adventure. labour lawyers almost always work on a contingency basis, so it costs nothing to try.

[HDNB]

cut and paste from a labour lawyer site here:
When an employee is terminated and the termination is “not for cause” (meaning no fault of the employee), an employee can expect to receive (in addition to the notice stipulated in the Employment Standards Act of B.C.) working notice or pay in lieu of working notice or a combination of each in an amount stipulated in by their employment contract, or if there is no employment contract, then commensurate with the alchemy (otherwise known as) “common law”.

“Common law” notice is calculated on a sliding scale after assessing certain factors including the age of the employee, the length of service, their seniority with the employer, and their employability. Once a notice period is established, it is multiplied by the monthly compensation (base salary plus certain benefits) the employee received pursuant to their contract while employed.

However, in certain circumstances, there are additional amounts which can be claimed by employees over and above “common law” or contractual notice. These additional amounts, or “heads of damage”, include “moral” or “aggravated” damages “for mental distress”, “consequential” damages, “punitive” damages, and special costs.

This article will not explore all of the heads of damage which can be claimed in employment cases, but provides a brief overview of how the courts have approached one particular head of damage called “aggravated damages” for “mental distress” by reviewing a selection cases.

If you lived in Alberta, i'd tell you to research "wallace damages"...maybe you state has similar precedents.

[NorthWoodsAb]

Man that really sucks when it happens.
You never know what opportunity arises out of the shadows of your previous employment.
Cheers

[Tater]

I was part of the big layoff at sears in the late 80s.Went self employed and never worked for anyone again

[subourbon]

Yup Tater same here, but still feels like the worst thing in the world at the time.

Looking back, getting (suddenly) terminated was the best thing that could have happened to my career. Got me out of a crap job that I didn't have the brass to walk away from on my own.

May the road rise to meet you.

[tombombadil]

Sorry bud...

[tommysb]

Thanks for the words of support all of you.

I'm going to spend the next day or two trying to rest, get my thoughts together, and take the time to look after myself (which I wasn't doing working all the time in the last job). Hey, I might even get the chance to run the backlog of low-wines I have had sitting around for maybe....a year .

I've tried being an entrepreneur in the past, that got cut short as I opened a hospitality business about 4 months prior to Covid hitting. Next time around, it seems less daunting. If some other gainful employment doesn't appear soon, I guess that's my best option.

Looking back, getting (suddenly) terminated was the best thing that could have happened to my career. Got me out of a crap job that I didn't have the brass to walk away from on my own.

I have a feeling this might be what has actually happened to me.

edit: talk to a labour lawyer in your state. where i live you cannot be "fired", the laws here would crucify the employer. there are so many "depending on" factors...the reason, the job, your experience/expertise, your age, mitigating factors like stress, mental anguish, your ability to find employment elsewhere....if your situation and location are favourable, you could easily win a significant severance package that can help fund your next adventure. labour lawyers almost always work on a contingency basis, so it costs nothing to try.

not my style, and furthermore and it makes thing complicated that I live in one country, work(ed) for an employer in another, it would just be a major headache. Honestly, I prefer to spend my energy, time and money just moving forward and getting myself set up on the right track again than getting into scraps which involve enriching lawyers. I believe my employer was basically within their rights to terminate me, and I don't really hold them any ill will, they are not a big operation.

[Yummyrum]

Do your research before you jump into the micro-distillery dream . The attraction is great but the reality maybe a lot more money , time and effort than the payback .

[Ben]

Sorry to hear it Tommy, although it sounds like it might be for the best. A few peaceful days of stilling might let you clear your head and find a new trajectory.

I walked away from a job I hated about 2 months ago, it was really tough, it was even tougher finishing out the projects I promised to get done before I cut the cord. Turned out to be really good for my personal health. I haven't started seeking employment again, and I might not ever work for someone else again. The upshot is I started taking care of myself again, letting myself have dreams again. The financial strain sucks, and living on a tight budget can be rough, but I wouldn't trade it for that job ever. It ended up being the best thing for me.

I have been researching how to live on the cheap, might open a distillery in Mexico, specifically for export. It's much cheaper, much less red tape, cost of living is 1/5th and you can distill what you want. Huge tax breaks for export businesses down there. Corn and fruit are cheap and plentiful. Malt is a little more difficult but there has been an uptick of craft breweries so availability is getting better.

edit: talk to a labour lawyer in your state. where i live you cannot be "fired"

Thats fancy, but I don't think its the norm. I live in a employment-at-will state. Basically you can be fired at any time, as long as it isn't discriminatory your employer can dispose of you at will. Idea is to give employers more flex in who they keep, so they can get the best employees for the the position.

[BlueSasquatch]

Heck I'll jump on this bandwagon. I too am at a job that after 10 years, is wearing thin. Employment elsewhere is a bit scary, in terms of disliking the new job more. Due to our location, there is not a ton of other options that fit my skillset, atleast not ones that are a step up, lateral moves is about all thats open to me. Have considered working even at the local state park if a job opens up, 180 from my current job, but nice change of pace. Opening a micro-distillery comes into my brain about 1xWeek. I think based on my research, I'd rather work at one, than own one. Sadly the options for working at one are all around a 2 hour commute. With a career wife, 3 kids and both our in-laws moving into the region, my roots are firmly planted.

Still, to quench the thirst, I've gotten some books, gonna do the homework to figure out what the production requirement, and cost would be, for me to open one up out here, atleast get a business plan together. May never get past that point, but still fun to do, and when you come across some investors some day while you're out drinking, atleast you have something to back it up and be taken seriously. I figure there's no point in seeking out investors or stepping into the red tape, before I've managed a handful of recipes to call my own anyways.

Have drank a few micro distilleries which I would put my product up against, I don't think one should open a distillery or brewery without first creating something worth selling. (Also sounds like that is a small piece of the puzzle to success, but still. )

[Twisted Brick]

Sorry to hear it Tommy, although it sounds like it might be for the best. A few peaceful days of stilling might let you clear your head and find a new trajectory.

+1

One of the best outlooks from leaving a job is that one gains the opportunity to reinvent ones self. Unlike some other scenarios in life, a direct benefit from starting a new job is that one brings all of the experience and wisdom from previous endeavors forward to bear fruit.

I live in a employment-at-will state. Basically you can be fired at any time, as long as it isn't discriminatory your employer can dispose of you at will. Idea is to give employers more flex in who they keep, so they can get the best employees for the the position.

I too live in an 'at-will' state and the impunity that employers have in terminating employees goes both ways (for them). I've always been in outside sales and have been straight up fired from three employers for 'over-performing'. I learned early on to work 7am-6pm and half-saturdays because I chose to be compensated commission-only. Once many of us were on top of the sales production charts we were terminated to reduce the company's commission expenses and to let some new punk slave away under a less-attractive commission structure. The first sales job I had out of college was a payroll company that sounds like ADT, and when all of us seniors were fired for college replacements only the oldest (age-wise) fired senior could sue for age discrimination, which got drug out for 10years.

The last employer who terminated me is headquartered in Ben's state (in the DTC) and flew a VP out to CA to 'surprise' me first thing when I drove into the office. The real kicker? I was 290% of YTD quota and had $300k in the pipeline ready to be closed at the start of the new quarter. I was later told that the owner and VP flew out to 'em all and closed the deals.