Being George Clooney’s Girlfriend

By now, we have been shocked, shocked to learn that George Clooney has broken up with his most recent girlfriend, Italian stunner Elisabetta Canalis, after dating for two years.

None of this should have come as a surprise. George has made it very clear he has no intention of ever marrying again. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. At least he is honest.

Yet I can’t fault the girlfriend either. After two years of dating, she was perfectly within her rights to ask if the relationship was going to the next level (marriage). Alas, here were two people with different outlooks on the future.

Nevertheless, both got something out of the relationship: He got to be seen with an age-inappropriate hottie on his arm at movie events. She got to spend time with one of the most handsome and eligible guys in the world at his villa aside Lake Como in Italy. Hey, I’d make that trade-off any day of the week.

So, what does this have to do with employment (and unemployment) in the 2010s? A lot. Here’s why:

No long-term commitment. As an employee of any company these days, you cannot expect your bosses will commit to you long term. When things turn bad, you will get the boot faster than, well, a girlfriend of George Clooney.

Leave after two years. Really, Elisabetta should have seen this coming and moved on a year earlier. He usually doesn’t stay with one woman for much longer than two years. So as an employee, lay the groundwork for your exit no later than two years after your hire. Take control of the situation before you get the heave-ho. It’s gonna happen, so why prolong the inevitable?

You will get screwed. And I don’t mean in the good way.

Both George and Elisabetta will end up fine. He will get another pretty young chickie to squire around to show he’s not getting old. She will get movie parts and modeling gigs and another rich boyfriend.

The same cannot be said of the millions of unemployed people still waiting for a job.

Oh, and George: Call me.

Disposal Workers

I read something recently in one of those advice columns. A woman wrote in, telling her story of how she was laid off from her former employer after more than a decade with the company.

She said she still felt bitter and angry about her termination, and was still obsessing about her former company. The advise columnist wrote back that she should basically get over it, move on, and that her former employer owed her nothing for her years of service.

Yes, the columnist made a good point. I freely admit I let my bitterness and resentment over my layoff consume me at times (but never to the point where I stopped looking for another job).

However, my second thought was that the advice columnist has probably never been laid off, and has always worked freelance or been her own boss. So, how can she know what it’s like to be laid off after many years with a company?

Is this what it has come to for millions of working Americans? We’re nothing more than disposal paper cups to be tossed aside when we have outlived our usefulness to our corporate overloads?

I understand companies must make staffing cuts to survive in harsh economic times (although I’d like to think there are other solutions). But it seems to me that all the power has shifted to the executive suite and workers have little or no say in the matter. Where is the balance? Where is the fairness?

Companies expect loyalty from their workers, but what are they giving us in return? No job security, no raises and crappy health plans.

Are we nothing more than disposal workers?

Computer Phobia

So, I’ve been on my new job for more than two months now and it’s getting a bit easier. At least my body has gotten accustomed to waking just before the sun rises.

My boss has liked my work so far. However, in a few weeks, I will be confronted with my old nemesis: technology. Due to someone leaving the company, I must learn new duties that include being trained on new computer programs. I don’t mind the extra work, but learning new technology has never come easy for me. I trace it back to my first job, when we trained on a new computer system (the first Apple computers, really) and my trainers openly mocked my inability to learn quickly enough for their tastes. Geez…have I spent my entire working career around total jerks?

I have become friendly with a couple of people in my office who can perhaps help me on this program, which, by the way, is going to be changed in two months. Great…then I have to learn another computer system. Yet by all accounts this new system is easier. Let’s hope.

This brings up another set of issues, beyond just learning new systems and more duties. Just how much work should I do for this company? A few weeks ago, I did some work over the weekend. Should I have done so?

At my previous place of employment, I worked my tail off, did two and three jobs for them, took work home on the weekends…and where did it get me? Laid off. So why bother extending myself?

Of course, I want to do a good job. Never again do I want to endure an extended period of unemployment.

But I sometimes wonder if companies are taking advantage of this sluggish job market to force workers to work even harder for little or no raises. (I’m making much less than at my previous job and who knows when I will get a raise.)

The attitude of employers is that we are lucky to have a job and if we complain, well, go find another job. But there are no jobs to be had, despite what some politicians and economists say.

What should I do? Well, I’ll try to learn the new technology to the best of my ability (albeit not very quickly) and find a way to squeeze more work into my day.

Until they lay me off.

Double Dip

We’re headed for a double dip…and not in a good way.

Unemployment is inching up as employers still refuse to hire. The housing market is still sinking. Natural disasters in the South and Midwest are taking a heavy toll both financially and emotionally. Are we headed for a double-dip recession?

We could be.

Some pundits argue that we should load up on national debt in an effort to create jobs. Others want to reduce the debt, regardless of how it shreds the social safety net. Who’s right?

Should we raise taxes? Rich people are angry because they don’t want their money taken away and given to those who they deem lazy and unworthy.

Corporations say they can’t hire because of excessive taxes and regulation. However, there is no assurance they will hire if taxes and regulations are lightened.

Meanwhile, companies and even state governments are crushing unions. So who is speaking up for the middle class?

Rich people and big corporations have lobbyists and can buy influence with politicians. But who is sticking up for the little guy? At one time, it was the unions, but their clout has been nearly obliterated.

I’m no fan of debt. But I don’t think we can get out of this situation by cuts alone. Taxes must be raised, but it should be done fairly, where everyone pays their fair share.

If the economy falls into another recession and workers are cut en masse, I don’t think those laid-off workers will go as quietly this time around.

Flashbacks

I had an incident of PTLS, otherwise known as Post-Traumatic Layoff Syndrome, at my new job last week.

Two people from the HR department of the parent company visited my satellite office for the day. The head of HR immediately went into a closed door meeting with the head of the division. So, of course, I freaked out a bit (ok, a lot). HR + closed door meeting with head of division = layoffs. At least that’s how it happened at my previous place of employment. The big guns shut themselves off in their corner offices and decide who stays and who goes. Nice work if you can get it, eh? And why are some people given the power to make those decisions? What makes them safe from termination?

Crazy thoughts went through my head: Would I get laid off again? You know, last one hired, first one fired. Had I been there long enough to qualify for unemployment? Good thing I didn’t buy that new iPhone. How long will it take me to get a job this time around?

My immediate boss assured there was nothing to worry about. In truth, it may just have been that the HR lady was making her normal rounds of the satellite offices. Apparently, there was a major meeting of the company’s board the same week. Not that there was any formal announcement to us peons. I only knew because I saw a printout at the copy machine.

Actually, nothing much happened, except they bought us lunch. (Our last meal?)

Still…after having been through a layoff, and all the attendant rumors and stress that goes before and after the event, it’s hard not to be a bit skeptical and wary. These days, no one is safe. So excuse me if I’m being cynical. Frankly, I don’t trust any HR person or superior anymore.

It also got me thinking, if you know you are going to be laid off, what can you do, if anything?

After having been through the ordeal, here are some of the steps I took, or should have taken:

Talk to your boss. Admittedly, this is a tricky proposition and one that takes a good measure of courage. No boss is going to tell you are about to be laid off, fearing you might make off with company secrets. Yet, if you do take the initiative and talk to your boss in an honest, straightforward and unemotional manner, perhaps something can be worked out. You can say, “Look, I know the company is in financial trouble and my job may be on the line. Is there anything I can do to save my position? If not, can we discuss the possibility of doing some type of freelance or contract work for the company?” Even if you get shot down, you will always know that at least you took proactive steps to possibly save your job, instead of doing nothing and just waiting for the ax to fall like some powerless rag doll.

Pay off your debts. If you know the end of regular paychecks is near, best to pay off your debts as quickly as possible, even if you have to dip into your savings to do it. Unemployment covers the basics, but not much more. And if an emergency arises and you must use your charge card, at least the balance will be low. During my unemployment I had to buy a new computer after my old one literally went up in smoke. Then, my car needed new brakes (who knew brakes had rotors and that the rotors could, you know, break?). You simply pay the minimum each month until a new job comes along.

And let’s hope at that new job you don’t have any flashbacks. I say one layoff in one lifetime is just enough.

Reentry Blues

One week on my new job and how do I feel? Anxious, stressed out and overwhelmed. But I suppose that is normal considering how long I was out of work.

It took three days for my new company to deliver my computer to my cubicle, which is small, dingy and stuffy. I tried to keep busy, but without a computer it was difficult.

I guess I’m also feeling a bad case of buyer’s remorse. Is this the right job for me? Will I succeed? Again, that is probably normal.

I’m also getting used to a whole new set of office dynamics. The people in my office are friendly, but no overly so. No one offered to help me set up my computer. I hear very little chitchat among the staffers. But that may not be a bad thing. I’ve gotten myself into trouble being too nosy with co-workers and putting my foot in my mouth. Better to just do my job and keep my mouth shut.

I also fear having to learn a whole new set of computer programs. This Mac Girl is learning the ABCs of PCs and it won’t come easy for me. That’s on top of getting to know the actual job itself. No wonder I’m stressed.

My rule of thumb has always been that it takes at least three months to get comfortable in a new job, to the point where you feel confident you know what you are doing. Not that you know everything, it’s just that you don’t feel acute anxiety every time to step into the office.

I just have to remember that I was out of work for over a year and it will take time and patience to get readjusted to the working life.

Some other observations:

• While I do have a decent working wardrobe, it’s a pain to put on those clothes every morning.

• I used to commute on the bus to my previous job. Now, I drive, which means I must pay attention on the road. Good thing the drive is fairly short, about 30 minutes.

• Parking at my new office is nonexistent. I have to pay to park at nearby parking lot. Very expensive.

But it will be nice when I get that first paycheck.

Has anyone else felt the same way after getting a job after a long stretch of unemployment?

Back to Cubicleland

Yep, after 16 months without job, I start a new full-time job tomorrow.

I’m still in a state of shock that I finally got a job. Of course, I’m nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in an office cubicle from 9 to 5, judged by co-workers and bosses on a daily basis.

But I’m also relieved. It will be nice to have a steady paycheck and get off unemployment. The job will utilize my editing and writing skills, but I’ll be learning a new industry, which should keep me interested.

Yes, I did take a cut in pay from my previous job, but I never expected to get the same salary after being unemployed for so long. I had to be realistic. At least I have healthcare coverage through my employer.

I have to admit, I’m anxious. After a bruising layoff and no job for over a year, it will take some time to get readjusted to the world of the working. And as a technophobe, I’m not looking forward to learning new computer systems. Technology has never come easy for me.

I also wonder if I can do a good job. Will I fail? Even worse, will I get laid off once again? Well, I’ve been down that latter road before, so I know what to expect.

There were times when I went on interviews and I looked around at offices filled with cubicles that I sometimes thought, “Do I really want to go back to this? Do I want to get sucked into a vortex of office gossip and backbiting colleagues? I don’t want to be that petty and unpleasant person ever again.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to the job, which usually entailed writing and editing. It was the stifling atmosphere of being in a cubicle all day long and dealing with the different office personalities. I was also afraid I would behave in ways that would not do myself proud as I admittedly did in the past.

Yet recognizing that will go a long way toward helping me overcome those problems and hopefully become a better worker and colleague. I also have come to understand not to define myself by my job and try to get more of a life outside the office walls.

Freelancing was a tempting option. But I doubted, even with more freelance gigs, I could pay my rent plus the $500 a month it would surely cost me for health coverage. And to be honest, the isolation of doing freelance work from home was getting to me. Humans are social creatures and we need to be out and about among other people.

The job market has definitely picked up. In the same week I got the job, I received several requests to come in for job interviews and offers to do freelance work. Nevertheless, it would be risky to refuse this job and possibly not get another one in six months when my unemployment and COBRA benefits stop.

And as I have said before, never again will I stay in a job for as long as I did my prior job. I don’t see myself staying in any position for more than two years. Never say never, but I don’t think working with one employer for an extended period of time is wise. Companies have no qualms about cutting thousands of workers in one fell swoop. So why not be on the lookout for better opportunities and take proactive steps to further and protect your own career? Never again will I believe my bosses have my best interests at heart. That was a painful lesson I needed to learn.

While I’m glad to have a job, the experience of being unemployed for so long will stay with me for quite some time. There are still millions of people out of work and our economy is still not out of the woods, despite what some economists pontificate. We need stability in our economy, not boom and bust cycles that leave thousands unemployed for months and months.

And let me say a word about unemployment benefits. Many politicians and others disdain these benefits. But I say these weekly payments served their stated and useful purpose of helping many people without a job stay afloat financially so they could feed their families and keep a roof over their heads while they searched for another job. Yet even with those benefits, many unemployed workers went into bankruptcy or lost their homes through foreclosure.

It’s great to have a job, but remember, I’m making less. Similar to many others, my spending power will be curtailed. That will reverberate in the economy (and at Macys).

I’ve decided to keep writing this blog. My love of writing (and okay, self absorption) is great enough to keep me at it. I will chronicle my reentry into Cubicleland after an extended period of unemployment; the ups and downs; and what advice I can give to others in the same situation. The psychological impact of my layoff will linger for a while, and those observations may be a help to others still looking for employment.

So, back to work I go. Here’s hoping many others soon follow.