Loose ends

For being newly laid off, I’ve been really busy tying up loose ends.

I got the unofficial not-supposed-to-tell-you-yet-but-that’s-BS word on Wednesday that I was in fact part of the 1/3 headcount reduction at DMT. I never did get the official word from HR but that’s pretty typical of that company. So I worked with my manager, Nick, who is a great guy.

What I found very odd and more than a little naïve on DMT’s part is that they didn’t consider the potential liability issues of laying me off effective close of business Thursday while I still had to finish traveling home on their behalf Friday. That could have been a huge mess. When I pointed that out to the HR woman, she said that if I’d gotten sick or injured, they’d have covered COBRA 100%. Um that’s nice but that’s not the point. COBRA coverage isn’t the same as the health insurance coverage offered to employees. Plus I would have also been filing for workman’s comp and things would not have been so pleasant. Yeah I think they dodged a bullet.

While traveling to HI, I’d left my car in Portsmouth for some car repair (see also Ferals and the damage to my front left fender), and needed to pick it up on Saturday. I told Nick that I’d make just one more trip up there to turn in company property and it had to be Saturday because of my car. At first, the HR woman was not willing to meet me then, so Nick was going to do it. I’m not sure why she changed her mind but she did and I got everything signed and turned in Saturday afternoon. Now I’m a free agent.

I’m still relieved to be done there. I wouldn’t have outright quit without another job lined up, but I’m glad I don’t have to mess with that company any more. It could have been a super environment, and it should have been. Alas for what could have been.

We leave for England tomorrow night to attend the wedding of one of our closest friends in Boston. We will also be able to see my sister and her family on Saturday at the older daughter’s end of term activities. We get home Sunday evening and have a week together before Kent travels again.

For the next job, I won’t look at companies that far away from Boston—well, not unless things get really desperate. I don’t mind the travel; I did mind the commute. It reeked.