The Importance of Buffers (partner has lost her job)

A small win!

So, one of the TL's under Em had requested a meeting with Emma's two bosses this morning. She formally expressed her opinions as to how they've handled the situation, and in particular the holding of Em to full notice. She has told them that it has had a huge impact on her teams morale, particularity as they can all see how upsetting it is for Emma and yet the two Heads seemingly couldn't care less. These are team members that are 3-4 levels under the Heads so don't get to see what goes on. So, you're talking about 15+ people in this team alone, that are happy in what they do, now seeing first hand that Management really don't give two ***** about anyone.

HR Head has also submitted a report regarding the handling of the situation.

The result is Em has just had an official letter of notice with her end date brought forward to next Friday. That's much more like it, so she doesn't have to do all the wage advice work anymore and next week will be a genuine hand-over (again though, not that there's anyone to hand anything to).

She's having another meeting with the two Heads today to go through the spreadsheet again that she gave them on Tuesday that outlines all of her duties now that they've had time to digest it a bit. Apparently, it's now turning out (as we knew all along) they really didn't have a clue what she did, and now they are in a panic as to how they can cover the vast amount of work she both oversaw and was directly responsible for once she's gone.

These guys have completely shot themselves in the foot with this one. Emma's direct responsibilities account for over $17m in annual income to the organization, that's just her direct service provisions excluding the process improvements and change management projects she's been able to implement on top that have made other departments more efficient (and hence more profitable). Her departments are the only ones that have consistently brought in steady income and every year in the organizations surveys are the SINGLE reasons members continue to renew membership.

 

Yay!

Her team is established and probably can keep those revenue as long as they can run uninterrupted. That, or a lot of people resign, revenue affected, company go downhill and many will look back feeling lucky they escape the sinking ship

 

What they've tried to do on several occasions previously, in differing variations of their hair brained schemes, is to cut the amount of services that members get for their subscriptions fee and make them chargeable on top as extras. Em has fought them on it every time, and every time backed it up with industry data showing categorically it doesn't work. She's "won" each time (after exhaustive battles going over the same old ground every time).

Members join and pay as they want access to the two main services Emma's departments offer. Their annual member survey shows time and time again, every year that the other services organization wide just don't bring in the members (or the revenue) they are nice extras yet not essential (yet get the biggest slice of the budgets as they are full of high level policy makers and movers and shakers).

Once she's gone and they no doubt push again for a fee for service model, members will just stop renewing as who's going to pay a membership fee to access the services you need and use just to be then charged on top for using them?

...and you can't very well have a membership organization with no members.

 

Love it.... she's had her meeting with them. They have only scratched the surface of her list, they admitted to her that they have yet to fully digest it all as it is a "significant" amount of work. She explained that's just the general day-to-to active tasks and doesn't include all the unforeseen things that crop up almost daily that need to be jumped in straight away to maintain service levels.

They asked her advice on how best to filter down parts of her role to those under her, she said how she would do it but at the end the day there's not enough people to filter down to, so by the time you get to the bottom of the ladder you actually need to employ someone else to take up the slack at the bottom.

They have asked her to prepare all the wage remuneration reviews for her staff before she goes as they've no idea, but other than that they're "happy" for her to leave next Friday.

They were generally very quiet in the meeting as opposed to how they have been in the previous meetings.

One of them has said to the TL this morning that he had no idea how big of an impact letting Emma go would have had on all the staff and was quite shocked at the result and the negative feedback he's been getting from everyone. No **** Sherlock, thats' what happens when you're in another State and have no idea what the people under you actually do.

Very satisfying knowing they are slowly coming to the realization they've screwed up mightily here. They will end up promoting the TL to a role similar to Emma's, the promote the assistant TL to TL then have to promote a senior adviser to assistant TL, then employ a replacement senior adviser, and that's just that one department. They will basically end up in the same position they were with regard to wages bill and staffing levels only with the loss of Emma's talent and the best bit is they've had to pay her out to do it.

Can't wait to look back on this in a few months when Em is in a role surrounded by professionals and actually enjoying her work again.

 

She can sit there and play cards. They cant force her to work but the notice period is just that.
She should engage a solicitor or consider a fair work claim. A position made redundant means the position has ended. Today. Termination and redundancy are two different things.

 

Absolutely, but like I said earlier, her previous Director engaged a solicitor for fair work claim under very similar scenario with the current CEO. She had a very strong case but as her legal adviser told her "they have deeper pockets than you", she decided not to peruse it, not just due to costs but mainly due to potential for adverse fallout of any potential smear campaign which may have prevented her moving on in her career afterwards.

EDIT to add - she's booked most of this week up with workshops with the mob they put retrenched employees in touch with. She's booked in for as many as she can fit in in the week and the workshop office is opposite her current office, so she can park at work, go over and do the workshops then hand her laptop in of Friday and walk away.

 

I've heard stories similar to these many times.

Often the retrenched staff may get a call within months and paid significant higher amount as contractor. Which then lead to pressure to come back as FTE once the pressure on head count is off on management.

Of course I understand your wife doesn't want to be back! Who knows, maybe name a stupid number that you can't say no to.

 

Bloody hell, so one of our tenants has decided not to renew their lease just now, its been the hardest one of our IPs to let each time, last time it was vacant for nearly 4 months. There goes another chunk of income gone. Don’t know who I’ve pissed off this month!

 

Can you consider renting out a spare room in your house to get some money coming in till things pick up again?

 

Not keen on the idea to be honest @luckyone - if our house was better suited (i.e. had a completely separate area), we'd possibly consider it. We're so far short of what we need per month with Emma's wage gone that any income from rent-a-room would be peanuts to be honest, so not sure it's worth the hassle. Of course, if the poo really hits the fan we'd do anything we need to.

@Depreciator the rent for this one is already a little under market. We've two months yet before they vacate so plenty of time to get sorted, it's 3 generations of women crammed in the same small house, grand mother, mother and baby. Baby was a baby when they moved in, she'll be a toddler now so they've likely just ran out of room (it's a very small house).

Cheers.

 

Last day for her today? Celebration of freedom time?

 

Yep, we just spent 2 hours in there eating to by to the people that mattered. Just checked into a hotel, her teams are taking us out in the city tonight.

 

So rare in this day and age, even rarer for the team to be doing it.

 

Yeah, be a big test tonight! Feeling strong though, be tough if we end up in Emma’s favourite joint The Gin Palace.

 

Not very rare if you are in a good team who likes you

 

Will post a bit more about last night when I’m on a computer not phone. But it was lovely, felt really proud of her. Knew she was good and respected but I was almost welling up!