Toxic Employment
When work is making you sick & tired of being sick & tired; Outrage at workplace disfunctionality & inefficiency

As  I was driving to a college sorority reunion at the University of Georgia, I was listening to a very informative nationally syndicated radio show called Autoscoop.  The hosts Adam  Goldstein and Joyce Littel give a lot of information and advice to the public on how to negotiate and buy/lease a car.  It amazes me how many people negotiate bad deals or dig themselves into such financial holes, that it will take years for them to climb out.

 

So, what should you do if you find yourself out of a job, low on finances, and can’t make your car note? 

1. First, definitely call your financing company and inform them of your situation BEFORE you miss a payment.  They maybe able to re-adjust payment terms.  If you are already behind in your payments, there will be a lot less flexibility on their part.
2. If negotiation with the financing company is not successful, you may want to consider a short term loan from a trusted family member or friend.  But beware that a huge dollop of bad will and ruined relationships can occur if the re-payment terms are not kept.  Honestly, this route may not be worth it if you do not have strong potential for immediate future income coming in.
3. You may want to consider cashing out a small portion of your 401(k), but this should be a last resort.  When you are terminated from employment, you are eligible to receive all or part of your 401(k) retirement savings, but understand that you may be assessed  high financial penalties if you are not age 59 1/2. 
4. Other options to consider:  home equity loans, credit lines, getting a temporary job until you find an opportunity in your main field of work, garage sales, etc. 

Just a couple of thoughts to noodle about. 

Sometimes we get so caught up in a million of tasks or projects, that we lose focus.  This exact thing happened to me and I felt like I was sinking in quicksand, with no rope to grab to pull myself to safety in sight.

So I stopped everything immediately, and stood still.   I spent the last few months evaluating my personal and professional priorities and decided what to cut loose, what to continue, and what to start.  Regaining sanity about priorities is a beautiful thing!

So, now I’m back.  And since one of my passions is helping others through times of employment and financial stress, I have made it a 2008 priority to aggressively deliver and promote one of my most successful workshops, “The Art of Moonlighting-Balancing Running the Rat Race With Running Your Other Ventures.”  The feedback and response to the workshop has been overwhelming, due to the extreme number of families struggling with trying to make ends meet and attempting multiple ventures to bring in additional income.

Since we largely leverage word of mouth and viral marketing to promote our workshop, please join our notification list to get notices of when we will be coming to your area.  Also, send this link to others you know which may be interested.  Thanks!

In scanning my local newspaper, I was totally shocked to read a report about the owner of a car dealership killing 2 of his employees who had been repeatedly complaining about their pay and asking for a raise.  This brings up a piece of good advice I want to share.  It is totally fine to ask your boss for a raise, but be very strategic about it.  Don’t hassle them daily.  Read their mood and select times when you feel they may be open to talking to you.  If after many tries, you don’t get good vibes that a raise is pending, you’ve got to make a decision whether to stay put or start trying to look for another job.  You never know another person’s state of mind, so don’t unnecessarily push them.  It’s not worth your life.

Recently, the United States Supreme Court issued a noteworthy Employment Practice Liability decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. limiting the deadline for employees to file allegations of discrimination in pay based on race or gender under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Ledbetter, a female supervisor at the Goodyear Tire plant in Alabama alleged the company violated Title VII after she discovered she was paid less than her male counterparts over her 19 years at the company. Title VII requires employees to file charges within 180 days “after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred.” In a narrow reading of the Federal anti-discrimination law, the Supreme Court held that the complaint was filed too late in relation to the employment decision explaining that employees claiming reports of discrimination must file suit within 180 days after their pay was set, not within 180 days of their last paycheck. The Court noted that this timeframe applies even if the effects of the original discriminatory act were not immediately apparent to the employee and even if they currently persist. This basically makes it impossible to ever make a case for pay discrimination…  with this precedent on the books, the only solution will be for congress to amend the Civil Rights act to explicitly extend the deadline.  So, once you get a new job, you better find out quick if you’ve been given the shaft regarding you pay. . . . or you’ll be out of luck!

Unfortunately, I had to go to traffic court today to fight a unjust traffic ticket.  What was really sad was the people who were there in court were mostly lower income people who probably could least afford to pay the fines, like a Hispanic woman who was facing a $1500 fine.  My gut tells me that the higher income folks just paid the ticket online or via mail.  I wonder how many people get fired because they have to take time off from work for legal matters?  Regarding traffic court in particular, those who have jobs driving vehicles are particularly at risk.  All I can say is stay out of Illinois where the cops take your driver’s license immediately for any speeding violation.

Well, I’ve just started my new blog, Toxic Employment.  We’re gonna talk about all the super-secret things which happen at work that no one openly talks about.  No holds barred!

While I’d love to rattle off the thousands of stories I have personally experienced (and probably will every now and then on a slow news day), the best stories come from you.  So I’d like to invite you to submit via email or fax your stories, questions, vents, comments, and/or perspectives about what pisses you off in the workplace. 

Each submission can surround a work situation of frustration, comedy, regret, hope, confusion, fear betrayal, unfairness, humiliation, or pure curiosity. Any topic is up for discussion! 

Send your brief submission to:
By Email:  blog@terminationnation.com or
By Fax: 770-384-0376 

I apologize in advance for not being able to use all submissions, but we will include as many as possible.