Wander’s End
by wanderer
So, let my take this opportunity to clear up some of the rumors that seem to be bouncing around over there. (And probably to create a few more, but hey…who’s counting?)
First off, last week I was offered a free ticket to Dublin. No strings attached, just a wonderful offer from a nice woman whose computer I fixed. She had booked the ticket months ago, and had a late scheduling conflict, and offered it to me. Alas, it fell through due to the fact that a) I couldn’t get the time off work (which will be even funnier the longer you read), and b) she mistakenly told me that the flight was on Saturday whereas it was actually on the Friday. We tried to get Dixie on the flight, but at that point trying to change the date was too much of a headache, and not really viable.
The 2nd piece of info is, as some of you are aware, that my boss is batshit insane. For those of you not up to speed, here a quick update on his insanity.
8 weeks ago he fired Nicola, our Admin. Since her arrival the company had gone from a shambling wreck to a streamlined, efficient, well-run organization. Can’t be having that, now, can we?
Then, about 6 weeks ago, he comes in, bristling with energy, and calls us all together for a meeting. Starts talking about how he had a great brainwave, and how he’s figured out how to make us all rich. “I’m going to make you all independent contractors, and give you all your own territory to work. You’ll be Franchise owners.” This is met with somewhat less that universal joy. “Of course, you’ll need to pay the Franchise fee, but we can string that out over a few years. It’s ONLY $27,000.” Again, we’re all somewhat tepid. The thought of giving this guy back almost all of what he gave me last year just for the privilege of working for myself… Something doesn’t quite sit right there. Anyway, I pretty much ruled it out, figuring that if no one goes for it (And neither Eric nor Mike were interested in it either) that the whole thing would just go away. You’d think, at this point, I’d have learned my lesson.
So, fast forward to 2 weeks ago last Friday. It’s 5:47pm, we’re finishing up for the weekend, and he says “So, I think were going to go to the independent contractor model.” Well shit. I don’t want to do it. It’s a massive headache and extra tax liability. And with no increase in salary, it’s essentially a large pay cut. Just a no-go, really. So, I think about it over the weekend, and expect to talk with him about it the following work day. Nothing. Nothing the next either, and I get buried in work, and forget about it. Then out of the blue on Thursday, he fires Eric. Bang, see ya. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. “What next?” I’m thinking. Then Pay day comes around, Friday just gone. “Here…sign this. It says you’re now an Independent Contractor.”
Well… Fuck. Without even so much as a nod of approval from me, he’s gone and fucked me over. I now have to file 2 separate tax returns for the same job, and I take a massive pay hit. So, cutting a long story short (bit late for that, I guess, but how-and-ever), I sit down with him, and after it has been made perfectly clear that there is no more money forthcoming from him, and that his position on this Contractor thing is intractable, I give him my 2 weeks notice. The job is just not what I want/need, and I’m not making enough here to accept a pay cut.
This brings us forward to today.
So, the plan has been, up to now, for me to work here until Dixie’s writing her Thesis, and then I was going to come back, get new job, get a place to stay, and basically have a bunch of stuff ready for her when it’s time for her to come over. This Clusterfuck that my Boss dropped on us has kinda forced us to re-evaluate those plans. Job market is pretty sweet in Dublin right now. Seems like a lot of places are lookin’ for techs. Housing market still sucks, but it sucks here too, so that’s not big deal. So, after talking about it, Dixie figured out that I’d probably make more money there than the 2 of us make here, so…
My Flight lands April 1st at 10:40. See you guys then.
Comments
… your flight lands April 1st you say?
Damn bosses . . .
if this is not a joke, (April 1st hmmm) drop me a mail my missus is a IT recruitment specialist so she might be able to help you out.
As Xaosseed said, Apr 1.? I’ll believe it when I see it :)
We’ll send a car.
We’ll be in the pub. If you’re a no-show your name is shit and we shall encircle and scorn you in effigy.
We’re all kind of hoping this ain’t no joke.
So the boss has just lost pretty much all his employees? Moron.
Still though it’ll be good to see you back. And it’ll give Dixie some impetus to finish college ;)
As the others have said there will be pints.
Congratulations!
Either on your return, or a wonderful April fools.
Both are good.
This can’t have been a fun decision. But it sounds like the right thing to do, certainly in regards to the job. Hope he lost ALL his employees. Best of luck.
UTZ!
Need a lift from the airport or are you sorted?
Horrible news about the job, but it’ll be good to have you back.
And if, as Savage says, this turns out to be a prank and you don’t show then your name will be eternally cursed… more so than it is already.
Guys, much as i appreciate y’alls belief in my ability to mastermind a hoax of this magnitude, let me assure you that this is for real. Shit just happened, and that flight happened to be the first one out.
Also, leaving Dixie here for longer than planned isn’t exactly my idea of a hilarious joke. :/
Wow… just wow… what a fucking Moron of a boss.
Man, your old boss is an even bigger idiot than I am.
It sucks that your hand is being forced on the moving back early front, but it’ll be good to have you back in the country again.
Wow, that’s just… er, special on behalf of your former boss.
It’ll be good to see you again: the last I can remember of you is singing “You’ll never walk alone” with you at your wedding reception.
Well. Hate to see you go, but this gives me a good reason to visit Ireland more often. Also, you seem to be getting out of Dodge just about in time to miss out on the US economy going into the crapper.
Talk to the Parliament and see if they can send any economic aid to the US. We might need it.
Fair travels.
So, according to rumour, you’ll be in cassidies tomorrow night to celebrate the return?
This all sucks great big donkey balls.
I appear to be a little late for Cassidys though..give us a shout at some stage (cos we don’t have a phone number for you atm) and we’ll do the pints thing.
If you’re not all L.A. and too good for us now :)