Free At Last

I'M FREE!!!

I'm free of all the doctor's visits - I'm healed!! And even better, I'm free of my old job!! Let me start from while I was on medical leave...

My old employer has a policy for paid medical leave. As payroll processor, I saw firsthand the kind of payments that were made - and I know that they have paid people 100% for 6-8 weeks. So, since I've been there as long as the people I've seen them pay that way, I figured I would be treated the same. WRONG. I only got 100% for a few weeks and then I was knocked down to just a percentage of my pay. When I called HR to ask about it, I was told that I wasn't entitled to the 100% pay for as long as the other people. THEN I was informed, rudely, that FMLA rules don't apply to me (as far as being able to be off for up to 12 weeks and still have a job to return to) because my position is one that no one else is trained to fill - I took that as a threat to my job security. After that, I was chastised for "stringing" them along - they thought every week that I would be back the next week and then they would find out that I was going to be off for yet another week. I told them that wasn't true - that I had informed my boss and another HR representative that I would be out for an undetermined length of time. It wasn't my fault if they ASSUMED that length of time would only be a week.

Anyway - this horrible conversation happened on a Friday, and I felt sick all over again afterward because I was afraid I was going to loose my job when I got better. God was watching over me though....

The recruiter I had been working with before I fell ill called me and told me that a company I had previously expressed an interest in had an opening and they wanted to interview me. By this time, I knew that I was going to be returning to work after my next Dr visit AND I was afraid I'd be losing my job, so I agreed to meet with them. The meeting went well and they called me in for a 2nd interview the day of my doctor appointment. That meeting also went very well. When I went to the doctor, I was told I could return to work the next Tuesday. I informed my current employer the same day.

The next day, I received a phone call from my recruiter stating that the new company wanted to extend an offer of employment - he told me what they were offering, and I tentatively agreed verbally. The next morning, I received an official offer letter from them via e-mail. I signed the offer letter and wrote my resignation letter to my old employer. Then I went to the plant to deliver the letter personally. I was only giving them a week's notice, partly because I was so upset at how they had treated me and partly because the new employer wanted me to start 7-2-07. They accepted the letter and said that they wanted me to work the following week so I could complete a few tasks and train someone to handle my responsibilities.

However, when I arrived to work on Tuesday, I was summoned to HR before I even made it to my desk. When I got to HR, I was informed that they had decided to accept my resignation effective immediately. I was thrilled!! I didn't really want to go back to work for them anyway - I was only agreeing to do it so that I was so unprofessional as to quit without notice. I packed up my personal belongings and came home. I just wish they would have told me that Friday when I brought the letter in - it would have saved me some gas!

When I got home, I called my recruiter and told him the news. He then called my new employer and they asked if I could start the next day. So, I started my new job 3 business days sooner than planned.

And I love it!! The people are great - the company is strong - the job will be challenging yet do-able - the pay is much better. I am so happy!! My old job had me absolutely miserable for a very long time - it's great to finally be in a happy, stable environment!!