Restructuring Countdown

Was it going to happen today?  Was there extra security outside today?  Were there moving boxes in the hallway?

Each day we wondered whether it was THE day.  Each day, I was disappointed because it meant another day of uncertainty.  In some ways, I just wanted the company to just rip the band-aid off and just do it.  I understand that there are legal implications to a world-wide restructuring, but still, it was almost annoying how long it was taking.  It had been months since the announcement.  The executive leadership was of course vague on the timing.  There seemed to be constant meetings.  Meetings for department heads to meet with their terms, and then smaller subgroups to meet to discuss the progress.

I had been sending out a few feelers, but I still wanted to see what would happen.  While I was still unsure whether I'd be on the List, I still didn't feel like it was my time to go.  I still wasn't ready to move on.

I had other considerations as well.  I had been at the company for a few years, and my department was supportive of a work/life balance.  As long as the work got done and the clients were happy, there were no requirements for "face time."  I set expectations for my clients and I was generally able to leave at a reasonable time each day so that I could pick the kids up from school, spend a little bit of time with them and make dinner.  This was an established company and there wasn't an 24-hour mentality.

I realized that if I were to move to another company, then I would have to face a few things.  Some of which I wasn't ready to face.

1. Establishing oneself.  One, I would have to establish and prove myself again.  Developing relationships and finding one's way in a new department always takes some time.  
2. Work/life Balance.  Also, I wouldn't know right away whether there was a respect for a work/life balance.  Glassdoor.com was a good resource and I could get feel for the inner workings of a place, but I had to keep in mind whether the post was new or old and whether the poster could be biased or not.  If the reviews consistently listed work/life balance as a pro, then there was some comfort, but I also had to be mindful of which department this poster was in.  While there may be a respect for a work/life balance in one department, this doesn't necessarily carry over to other departments.  I worked in the G&A function, and so there may or may not be similar expectations than for the engineering or R&D staff. 
3. Fit.  Fit at any place is extremely important.  If I'm going to spend a significant amount of time in any place, it's really important to find a place that fits me personally and professionally.   I'm not talking about politics, but philosophy in terms of how to approach problems.  I could not work at a place where it is so rigid and inflexible and did not believe in the spirit of compromise and cooperation. 
4. Commute.  Any new place would have to be relatively close to my residence.  I didn't want to commute to a place where I knew the traffic would be horrendous. 
5. Type of work.   I could do many things, but I had started to truly enjoy what I was doing.  I didn't want to branch out quite yet and wanted to continue to do what I was doing.  Finding the right position with a particular focus would take some time.  But, could I afford to be picky?

 Also, in the back of my mind, I was also thinking.  If I DID get laid off, would it hurt to just take some time off to really think about what I wanted to do?  Could I afford this luxury?

Restructuring Sanity

How did I maintain my sanity during this uncertain time?  Perspective helped.  It was hard, but I tried to think about how others had it much worse than me.  I also looked at what was happening around the world, and realized that even if I did get laid off, I'd still be fine.

Also, since I didn't actually know when things were going to happen, it didn't make sense to let my anxiety affect me too much.  There were things that I could still do.  I still had a job to do (at least as far I as I knew), and I could be proactive and see if there were any other jobs that I could do.   I was still a professional and I didn't want to shirk my responsibilities at work, and I also didn't want to actually put myself on the list if I didn't do my job.

All of this made me think of one thing.  Loyalty.  It seems like the "old" days where people worked for one company for life was over.  Companies are no longer loyal to their employees and employees should feel no loyalty to the companies they work for.  Is this right? Will this attitude actually help or hurt people/companies?  Even though there are expectations of loyalty,  yet, for some strange reason, I still felt some loyalty.  I still liked the people that I worked with, and I liked the company that I worked for.  I believed in their purpose and admired its business ethics.  A restructuring was inevitable considering its lack of performance, and yet, it was still a surprise when a restructuring was announced.

I wanted to stay (of course, it wasn't up to me), and I wanted to contribute to a turn-around (if any). 

This feeling isn't mutual.  Business is business, and the business has to be profitable.   Businesses will have to do what it takes to stay profitable or become profitable or else it will continue its slow decline into bankruptcy.  Also, the cold and objective eye towards profitability has to ignore the human aspect, but how can that be possible?  When managers or heads of departments look at the numbers and targets for reduction, they have to lay off people.  If you've worked with a person for years, can it be an easy task to lay off a person, especially when you know they depend on their job to make a living and support their families?  I didn't envy the hard job ahead for my department head.

Again, how did I keep my sanity?  Perspective and preparation.  I had some time to figure out what to do.  Now, the question was - what was I going to do?  

Restructuring Dance

I decided to just continue working, assume I wasn't going to get laid off and hope for the best.  If any new opportunities came my way, then I'd be willing to explore them.  However, knowing that a restructuring was going to take place was a huge distraction.  I saw lots of closed doors and small groups converging to discuss who would be the most likely candidate to go.  People didn't know whether to continue working on certain projects because they didn't know whether these projects would even survive or if the other people working on them would survive.  Gallows humor seemed to rue the day.

People kept telling me - Oh, no, you'll be fine.  There is no way they would get rid of you. 

In the back of my mind, I kept things in perspective.  This was going to be a huge restructuring.  I was as much of a target as anyone else.  Plus, as with any department, it was a political place.  I was not a pet.  Sure I got along with the head of the department and I was pretty sure she didn't not like me, but again, I was not one of her favorites.   Some of her favorites came from former companies and others were personal friends.   At the end of the day, I would assume that personal relationships matter and if push came to shove, she would rather lay off someone else than her friends. 

Restructuring - Part I

I knew that the company hadn't been doing well lately.  When the CEO mentioned that there would be a restructuring, I wasn't surprised.  What surprised me, really, was how anxious I was feeling, and how fast the rumors would fly.  I really wish that companies would just execute and do the restructuring the same day as the announcement.  Now, we were all stuck with the questions.  When? Where? Is it me?

I believe that when companies decide to restructure, they should do it as soon as possible after the announcement or just do it the same day because in the meantime, everyone is anxious, nervous and productivity drops.  Morale, which is already low, drops even lower.  Also, the longer the company waits, it increases the chance an important employee will leave.

Luckily, the economy seemed to be picking up and those with the skills or desire were starting to look around.   

Hmmm, I had to make a decision.  Should I wait it out and see or should I start looking?

Online Shopping and Discounts

The Internet is both a good and bad thing for shoppers. I can do it whenever I want, it's very convenient, and I can do it from the comfort of my own home. I save time, gas and time. What could be better?

The same things that make online shopping so great are also what make it so bad for the budget or my financial goals. If there is a down time, I can just browse sites and see what is out there. It's so easy to buy, I can just browse, select and then press one little button to buy and then it arrives a short time later. What could be better?

But, the same reason why I avoid malls and other shopping centers is to avoid temptation. If I don't see it, then I'm not tempted to buy, and I'll never miss what I never see, which is why I never really adopted going to the mall as a pastime.

If I do find something online that I want, then I can at least mitigate the damage by doing a bit of due diligence and search for the lowest price and then see if I can find additional discounts. I tend to fill my cart first, then see if a rebate is available. Favorite sites are ebates and fatwallet. Sometimes one site offers a slightly higher discount than the other. I find that the rebate is slightly more reliable through ebates than fatwallet and the customer service at ebates is much better.

What is an ebate? It's like a rebate but it's for online retailers. Generally, it's an affiliate program where they (ebates or fatwallet) likely get a percentage of your purchase and they in turn pass a portion or a percentage back to you. One requirement is that once you decide to purchase you have to go on to their site, select the merchant and then there is a tracking ticket as you are pushed to the merchant's site for the purchase. Generally, the discounts are between 1% to 5-6%. Sometimes on special occasions, it can go up to 15%. Once you purchase from the merchant, you get a notice from ebates or fatwallet letting you know how much you will be getting back from the merchant.

Redemption varies. At fatwallet, after each purchase, the cashback is pending for a period of time (generally after the return period is over), and once it's available you can designate where you want them to send you the cash (it can be a gift certificate or cash to your paypal account). At ebates, they generally send you the cash after each quarter, but only if you have at least $5 worth of cash back.

I have to admit, I was a bit creeped out when I first learned about these sites and I didn't like the idea of someone tracking where I went and what I purchased, but I got over it quickly when I realized how much I was saving.

Value of Time

Earlier, I posted about starting a garden, but then I thought, what was the "true" cost of having a garden?

Each tomato plant cost around $4 and the strawberry plants cost around $5 for a set of 3 strawberry plants and I hope to yield enough to cover the cost of each plant. But, I started to think about the cost of my time in terms of tending to the plants, making sure I gave them enough water, picked the fruits when ripe (before the birds or squirrels got to them).

If I were to calculate the time and energy spent times and the yield versus the cost of the same fruit and vegetables at the market, would I actually come out ahead? Probably not. I didn't pick low maintenance plants. These plants needed to be watered daily, pruned and the fruit had to be picked. In any case, it didn't really matter in some ways. There are intangible benefits to growing my own food. I feel some some satisfaction in growing my own food and having fresh fruits and vegetables that I know is pesticide-free. Also, I feel like a little kid. I love watching the whole process. The trees and plants bloom and flower and then I can see tiny buds that eventually turn in fruits or vegetables.

I'm eagerly waiting for the figs to ripen. Can't wait.

Garden

We needed to do something with our backyard. It's pretty bare and we haven't decided what we wanted to do landscaping-wise, so I decided to put in a small garden. Our cherry tree needed a pollinator and so my interest in a with a garden started.

I was always curious about growing our own food, but I always procrastinated. I wondered how much of a commitment it would be to tend to the plants, water them, trim them, and gather the fruits and vegetables. Plus, I had to contend with my black thumb. Also, I wasn't sure when was the best to plant.

Browsing OSH and them Summerwinds Nursery, I decided to take the plunge. The following plants came home with me: brandywine heirloom tomatoes (3), squash, strawberry (6), a couple of blueberry bushes and a lapin cherry tree. I had no idea there were so many varieties of cherry trees and strawberry plants! Let's see how this works out.

So far, I've been watering the plants on a daily basis and I don't think any of the plants have died so far. The tomato plants are starting to bear fruit and I can't wait until they ripen. I was a bit worried about the weather (it was so cold for so long and then suddenly summer appeared), but the plants seem pretty resilient.