Understanding a Misfortune

[Saphire]

I and a co-worker had an argument with someone at work, but only I got fired. I was very upset for being let go, but then I felt something come over me as if I was being made to understand that I was going to be ok and that this job was not for me. I apologized to those who made this decision and decided that I was leaving corporate America for a much simpler job at a lower pay rate. I offered this misfortune up to God for all other employees who have suffered at their own hands. I have wounded myself and am still very sorrowful due to my pride. I need to let this go. Can someone please offer me any words? :imsorry:

 

[bmullins]

When I was working in South Carolina I grew very dispassionate with my job. My immediate super visor was a man who was wasting a great deal of time by having us do things in ways that cost us material and labor. I called the head of our particular branch of the company and told him that fellow was running the job into the ground and we were going to lose a lot of money.

He instead of listening to me, insulted my abilities and told me to go learn from someone who knew what they were doing. My back ‘got up’ so to speak. I let him know how I felt about the other fellow and not in kind words. I then quit my job. I walked away.

I had no place to live. I had no place to go. I called a friend and she told me I could come stay with her. I loaded up all my possessions into a little geo tracker, and headed north. I drove 1000 miles and on the way I began to pray to God that he would turn what was clearly a ‘disaster’ into something I could live with.

Before I arrived at my destination I had a place to stay, I had a job, and I had money in my account from the job I had just quit (they forwarded me both my last pay checks.) I didn’t even have to go looking for any of it, I just started getting phone calls and things started rolling. I was hired making more money by a company that I had never even applied to.

I still regret the things I said, and that I let my pride get the best of me. Yet, if I had never done that I would not be where I am. God uses all things for good.

 

[Bartolome_Casas]

The Number One Rule of Wisdom for any employee is to GET ALONG WELL WITH EVERYONE.

No matter what your REALLY think and feel, express only agreeableness and peacefulness in the workplace with both co-workers and bosses. That is the only way to survive and possible advance.

Workplaces are NOT places of justice and fairness. There is no one neutral in any workplace to “police” things and make sure employees are treated fairly. The real reality is that employers can do whatever they want to employees. Yes, there laws against a few things like Sexual Harassment, but, there has to be evidence that will prove that any such law was violated and usually there is no evidence, or not enough.

Though we live in a nominal democracy with the rule of law, workplaces are de facto dictatorships with no rule of law except the will of the boss.

A mistake many Americans make, I think, is that the believe as a free citizen they can express themselves freely in the workplace, and can expect just and fair treatment in teh workplace. Many find out to their dismay that this is NOT SO.

I don’t thing this fired brother of ours should beat himself up so much. He surely is not the ONLY sinner in this case of his. But he did make a mistake. He thought of himself as a free American citizen in the workplace. In reality, freedom in America is only for those with enough money (earned or inherited) such they they don’t have to work to survive.

It is not the fault of this fired brother of ours that he lives in a Fallen World. But it was his error to know realize it. Now he knows, and hopefully will remember, and I hope I remember this too, since I am not rich either. I am an employee. I am not free. I must keep a boss happy or I starve.

I am an employee who was once fired, and it created terrible hardships in getting new employment after that. I, like our brother here, was naive. Anyway, this is my view of all this. I impose this view on no one.

 

[Saphire]

That is a most wonderful experience for you! Thanks so much for sharing. I feel so much better remembering that God does use misfortunes to turn them into something much better.

 

[chevalier]

I quit once because the only offer was below the legal minimum wage and included lying in some papers. I did find a paying job soon thereafter (6 weeks maybe).

Some other time they just didn’t prolong my contract. They probably knew what I thought about them, which I didn’t always hide. There were other problems. And possibly someone was making room for other people or just making savings. The stated reasons weren’t particularly credible in the light of what happened later. Also, although secrecy was asked of me, the employer leaked some information. I never found out what it really was. I would have to start suspect people who have acted like friends to have devised it, which I didn’t want to do.

Anyway, I felt so much better for being freed of that place. Not to paint them in a bad light. They paid me. They had paid bigger money to people with less qualifications as I learnt, and they had vainly deluded me with the talk about quick raises while recruiting me (possibly no hard promises but more than enough talking about it) but they were paying well. I was probably ungrateful on several levels in what I thought or even said about them (although they were objectively infringing on a number of stuff). I’ll probably need to reexamine my conscience now that we’re talking. But I was happier to be freed of all the stress working for them and with them entailed, all the conundrums and negative emotions. I started a new job several days before the old one ended, I had almost no income for several months until I changed fields but there was always something. When I changed fields, I started making money. Next year I was making almost the same per annum as in the corporate job but with so much more free time. A year later, I registered my own business. I have a nice website (that I made myself) and my business cards don’t list a job title. They list the name of business which contains my own name, and my name beneath it. (Nobody needs to know they’re home printed. )

By the way, in my old profession, my applications generally remained unanswered as if I didn’t exist. Too bad. I now have a job that I own and which leaves me with so much free time and the ability to arrange my hours on top of it. I can meet people socially, go to libraries, finish early, take a holiday any time I want, attend academic conferences when I feel like it. If clients treat me badly, they aren’t my boss, I can ask them to stop contacting me (and tell them why) and any specific job I have ethical doubts about I can refuse. For the record, I don’t make tons of money. But I have a good financial return of the time invested in projects and I don’t do any errands or unnecessary procedures or idle time on duty.