Working For a Simple Man

Is it wrong to want to see a company fail? To feel glee when you know the end is near?

I worked for a small marketing firm. My main client and my boss do not speak. They have a long history of mutual disdain and so I was the go between. It was a stressful position, because every idea proposal I would offer to them was turned down because they thought my boss was ghostwriting. After I realized what was happening, I met with them and told them that my boss is never involved in my ideas, let alone in what I do for them (which was beyond true). They admitted being skeptical, since passing ideas off as someone else's is something my boss would do, and they apologized for thinking I'd go along with it. I left that meeting questioning my company.

In April, my boss asked me if I would be interested in working from home. They wanted to sell the building for various reasons, all of which made sense. "Think about it over the weekend and let us know." Granted, I would miss the daily interaction of an office, but since we were in the trying stages of starting a family, the thought of avoiding daycare and a commute were enough of a sell. Ken was completely in agreement, and so I came to them with my answer.

The first potential buyer fell through because the business didn't meet the standards of the Office Park. The second potential buyer came in October. I was told not to say anything to the client just yet because they were nervous about this offer falling through as well. But we started cleaning out our offices and a potential move date was given for Christmas week.

A week before Thanksgiving, I was told that my salary was being cut. Dramatically. I had gotten a really good raise a year before and it was being taken away from me, and then some. I told them I wasn't sure if I could do it, especially being pregnant. I held it together but as soon as I got back to my office, I called Ken and broke down in the middle of the conversation. Shortly after hanging up, they offered more if I took on the position of Accounts Payable. This would mean I would be taking the job from "S". Justifying to myself that S had another part-time job that she could make full-time, I accepted the position. If I wasn't four months pregnant, I would have looked elsewhere and turned it down. Given the position I was in, I didn't think I had many other options. I was also told that she would be notified after Thanksgiving.

Plans were underway. I ordered a company PO Box local to my house, I chose office furniture I wanted to move home, and I called Verizon to install a new phone and fax line. I also noticed that Thanksgiving had come and gone and no one had said anything to S.

A week into December, I was given the go ahead to let the client know about the transition to my home. They were upset for not letting them know sooner, and not giving them any say in the matter, given that it was their company. They had some decisions to make, I was told, and that I would find out the fate of my firm's involvement with this company soon. I asked about it several times. Have we heard anything yet? Any news? And I was always told No. Nothing yet.

During this time, S had asked me if I knew how to order a PO Box. Seems she was told to open one for company bills. I was confused. I asked my boss about it. Like a deer caught in headlights he looked at me. "Well, Jodi.... Let her do it for now, and who knows. Maybe in April or May, you'll take over." I was assured I'd still be paid the amount discussed. I assumed they had felt bad about letting her go. S had been their right hand for many years and I could understand their not wanting her to leave. But this was ridiculous. "That's fine," I replied. "I just don't like secrets." He diplomatically joked that I know more than he does sometimes and left. That afternoon, I went onto Monster.com and applied for a job. I also emailed my old boss who has been after me to come back and keeps offering to keep her eyes open in case something opens. I asked her to start looking.

The next day, Verizon came. When I came into work after the lines were installed, I asked for an update from the client. I was given a thumbs up and was told everything was all set. The next day, I received a call from the client. They were coming in to pick up all of my stuff. I asked why. "We're taking back the account." I told him I'd call him back and ran into my boss's office. "They're taking back the account." I could tell from his face that he already knew. He explained that everything was last minute, and that given the icy relationship, they thought it best to cut ties. "Don't worry," he told me. "You're still on our payroll until the end of December and we have many projects for you to do." The end of December was two weeks away.

After the building was cleaned out and I was home twiddling my thumbs, my boss called. "Maybe you should try to work a deal to work for the client," he said blankly. "Because we don't have any projects for you." After a brief moment of wondering how long he has lived without balls, I spoke my my mind. I forget his reply, but the conclusion was that for those last two weeks, I would be working with the client educating them on what I did. And what I learned during those two weeks was invaluable. They let me in on the history of the feud, which made me feel like a fool for having respected my boss at all during the 18 months I was there. They also let me know that they asked my boss if I would be interested in working for them, and he told them no. That given the pregnancy, I would only want to work from home. And that they would have to convince me to work there. Which of course was news to me, since no one ever mentioned an offer. The head of the company never offered me the position, because he felt that he didn't want me if I needed convincing. I didn't blame him.

A few days ago, I got a message from one of the writers I worked with asking me for assistance on a newsletter I worked on. My boss had given him my number because I was the only one who would know the answer.

Think I'm calling him back?