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OT - My Bizarre Little Setback

So, not wanting to rant, but thought I'd share this bizarre experience (since so many of you have privately contacted me about the job search, new job, etc.).

Well, at the end of my 4th week - I was laid off. Here's the bizarre thing:

"I really, really like you and hate to do this, but, I'm going to have to let you go. It's not anything you did - but, you're too smart and overqualified, and it makes some of the team uncomfortable" .

So, I asked - "you're laying me off because I'm too smart?"

Exec Assist to Directore "Yes. You know you're overqualified. This job is beneath you - you have more education than us (pointing and smiling at self and HR person). You need to be at a higher level - and I don't have a management job open"

Me -"Isn't there anything I can do? I can amend my behaviour, be more quiet"

EX - "No - you can't - this is who you are. You're too smart to be doing this and it just makes some of the team (referring to the nursing assistants) uncomfortable - they don't want to work with you. You just know too much, have too much higher level experience - and I have to deal with the team"

Me - "I'm really surprised, and upset. Couldn't you have said something a week ago to let me know to be a little more low key, or talk this through - have some kind of counselling"

EX - "Well, there are things we do here that I don't agree with"

Me - "I just find it hard to believe that an organization like this doesn't at least have a counseling session or something. I haven't been reprimanded

-or even had this discussed"

Then it goes into me having passed on 2 other jobs for this one, and being stuck paying for my uniforms, etc. They're paying me "through the week" - supposedly including the Saturday that I was scheduled for.

The EA said how much she "really likes me, and is so sorry, but she can't control this" But, she'll make phone calls for me to help me find another position, and will give me a reference, etc. Of course, how would I use that as I'd be an idiot (even more) to put a 1 month job on my resume. She explained that by having me doing the "nurse visits" - which essentially I'm on my own - she thought would work really well because I wouldn't so much be with the other nursing assistants (though I was regularly working with the triage NPs, etc) But, one of the others who does NVs a lot started right away gas-lighting me- and the EA acknowledged that person had "snitched" on me twice - over nothing and was wrong about it.

DH's take was "they'd rather be mediocre than have someone raise the bar - their loss"

The EA was trying to make me feel sorry for her - but I wasn't buying it - especially as I practically begged to keep the job - being what's going on with our house at present.

My take - well - how often can you say that you're laid off for being "too smart and overqualified" . It's so antithetical to everything that we try to do as we're growing up - at least for me. I think I really am going to work on my book "Mother was right - You can be Too Smart for Your Own Good"

In the meantime, I've applied for some other jobs, and got back with the recruiter that was helping me before (but whose jobs I turned down). And they have 2 positions that may work - so, fingers crossed.

Ellice

Reply to
ellice
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My fingers are crossed. And to add a little extra my legs are crossed and if it will help you, I'll even try to cross my eyes (which being a nearsighted person is impossible for me.)

Good luck!

Lucille

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Reply to
Lucille

*snip*

Don't hurt yourself with all that crossed position stuff. I do appreciate the good wishes, and seem to be trying not to cry all the time of late. Which isn't really my personality. But, I'm starting to appreciate how people must feel when they get truly depressed and desperate.

Poor DH - at least he and I are strong and emotionally solid in our feelings for each other. But, our dinner conversation went to the morbid - of it would be too much paperwork to jump off the American Legion bridge, and think of the traffic mess.

It seems just when things are going forward, another big shoe falls. There's got to be an end...

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

I know it will all work out - and it's their loss!

I'm thinking of you and join Lucille in keeping everything crossed!

Linda

Reply to
lewmew

Thanks a bunch. Eventually it will work out - it's all in the timing, or something trite like that!

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

Sweetie, if you are in the health care field, you do not want to be working with a team that is happy to be mediocre. Sooner or later they will kill someone or get slapped with a negligence or malpractice lawsuit, and you will be better off for not being associated with them Or their moron bosses.

Monique in TX

Reply to
monique

Don't forget to include my chapter on "You're so good you're irreplaceable, so you'll never be promoted".

That's the primary reason I went back to law firm work ... I know I can't be promoted to lawyer without finishing law school. No more false promises about "kill yourself doing your job and the one above you and you'll get the promotion" when the end result was going to be "you're irreplaceable, stay right where you are".

Reply to
Karen C in California

If you are buying uniforms specifically for the job you no longer have, the bill MUST be theirs, that is only fair. If they have not given you fair warning and specified what was fireably wrong, they pay for them !

He has an excellent point !

I will indeed keep my fingers crossed and was sorry to hear this, it's very hard lines.

Reply to
lucretia borgia

The night is darkest before first light of dawn, I have found that to be true.

Reply to
lucretia borgia

So you would think. But, instead I'll just have to deduct them from our taxes as unreimbursed employee expenses. That really made me more than annoyed.

Yup - he's pretty much more outraged than I am. Personally, I went into a little shock of what did I do wrong, etc - apologizing to the DH, who of course would have none of it. As I often say to him, one of the reasons I fell for him was that he's the kindest person (at heart) that I've ever known. Unfortunately, the fact that we both tend to generousity has kind of kicked us in the teeth - but, oh well.

Thanks. We'll see - I'm pretty confident I can get another job pretty soon

- but it's not easy times at all.

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

True, so true. And there are so many worse things to happen in life - it's just keeping perspective.

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

I suspect most of us have difficulty doing that, so you are not alone.

Reply to
lucretiaborgia

Spew warning needed!

Cheryl

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Sorry - that reply belonged on another thread. Wonder if Comcast is messing up or if was me and too fast fingers.

I know full well that keeping perspective can be damn hard.

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Sheesh, and I sat here trying to figure the spew out - Ellice has a sense of humour I am sure lol

Reply to
lucretia borgia

Just curious, what is your education? And what was this job and the duties?

just me, Cathy

Reply to
Cathy from KY in CA

I do believe that you ARE too smart to work with people like that, and that somewhere out there is the right place where you will be valued for all that you have to offer. But right now, this just sucks and I am so sorry to hear about it.

Dawne

Reply to
Dawne Peterson

Ellice I wish you to find soon a good job , well paid and that people WILL be gald to have a WELL EDUCATED INTELIGENT person working with and for them ,, And Shana Tova to you !!!!

Reply to
mirjam

Thanks for the encouragement. That's pretty much my thinking - I just didn't really need the lay-off - now. But, I'm sure some of my questions about procedures that just didn't seem appropriate did contribute to the issue.

DH is totally on this thought, and has been a bit stormy WRT making sure that our friends/neighbors don't use the Urgent Care facility there, etc.

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

Yes, but.... It's DH that is more prone to comedic behaviour. I'm a bit more droll and wry - sure. OTOH, we love Boston Legal (and have forced our lawyer friends to watch it 'cause even though it's over the top, it's hilarious). And Burn Notice - our new favorite show, along with The Closer (though DH suggests that Burn Notice may strike close to home for me and my former career).

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

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