The Road to Financial Security

Pushkin

Hi Shala-moo - yes its big company syndrome I think where you really are nothing but a number- my company is global and still has around 50,000 staff (used to be double that) - redundancy threat is 2 pronged - off shoring and lost business so all in all morale is pretty p**s poor - especially in the UK - they somehow manage to come across as much more positive in the US - not sure how!

I think you have mentioned similar redundancy cycles in your company - I can totally relate - seems to be part of modern day life.

I hope you had a good Christmas & New Year too - don't think you have posted for while - I did look but couldn't see your diary on the first couple of pages.

cookie9

Happy New Year Pushkin. I can relate to the chocolate and cheese diet which takes over after Christmas. Well done for getting some deals in the sales. I have only picked up some Christmas cards and activities for Christmas 2017.

Pushkin

Hi Cookie - glad its not just me, however much I tell myself I won't go mad this Christmas I always end up doing so - all chocolate has pretty much gone only dark remains and I don't like that so all systems go for getting back on track.

Meeting friends for lunch today - last blow out before the return of Soup week tomorrow :eek:

First day back at work too so thats a double :eek::eek:

Getting up at 6.30 should be interesting - got up at 8.30 this morning and that was an effort!

Pushkin

First day back at work, spent most of the day clearing email - most of which was junk but need to check it all.

I think at Daimler in Germany the staff have an email feature whereby any emails received while they are off work are deleted with a note to the sender advising of the fact and informing them of their return to work date and that they should contact them then if still appropriate.

Fantastic idea. Working for an American company I doubt that would sit well culturally though.

Payments all gone out - mortgage is now (just) sub £80k which is heartening. Annual mort statement due this month so can update properly. Decided to put a tentative savings target of £9,000 for 2017 - it's ambitious so may well be tweaked.

Still have £11k on car to pay off (loan from my parents) which I'm doing at £700 a month.

Also DH has a big birthday next month so will likely spend more than usual.

Pushkin

Oh the irony - yesterday I finally decide upon a savings target today my (American boss) tells me that it has been decided they will totally resource our team from India (currently 50% India plus 2 in US, 4 in UK and 1 in Australia) transitioning in 60 - 90 days

Can't be surprised and although am scared do feel I need this to happen just to get it done and prove there is life outside this company & I am employable!

All very vague at the moment and have been told in confidence as it wont' be announced until next week.

Happy New Year from my company!

NorthernMonkey1

Without sounding all weird. Congratulations on the Redundancy. You've clearly not liked the job for a while, so now you've had the kick you needed to go and find something you'll enjoy more, with the added bonus of a redundancy payment.

You've got 90 days to save every penny to make the move a bit easier, and plenty of time to make a few connections, polish off your CV and get ready.

amycool

Oh my gosh - after all the to-ing and fro-ing. It must be a bit terrifying, but like you say, it's the push you need to find a job that you actually enjoy! I hope the redundancy pay is good and gives you enough time to really think about what you want to do.

Exciting times!

Pushkin

Northern Monkey & Amycool - thank you so much for posting the reassuring words - I am working really hard on being positive.

That said it's all out of my control at the moment as nothing is yet official and my company are not overly efficient or fast.

Another positive aside from the possibility of finding another job that I actually like is that I am now feeling ultra motivated to lose weight - the thought of job interviews etc. Just been on a 3rd walk with the dog despite the arctic conditions - 15,000 steps today so far and only soup and crackers to eat :j:j

QB_Wolf

These things have a tendency to work out for the best - good luck with the job hunting.

Pushkin

So my plan is to have a month off and do some long overdue jobs in the house be a bit of a lady of leisure (not sure I'll last a whole month!) then do some temping to get back some confidence and get back out there - trouble with working for one company for so long is I worry my knowledge is no good with any other employer.

So I thought some temping would get me out there and possibly lead to something permanent or keep me going financially for a few months until I feel ready (confident!) enough to apply for permanent jobs.

With that in mind I rang a local recruitment agency yesterday just wanting to have a chat with someone - get the lie of the land, see how busy the market is and what I could expect to earn. First thing they asked for was to email my CV to them - rookie mistake!! My CV hadn't been updated for about 5 years :eek:

So I did a frantic, speedy update and sent it to them and I'll speak to them next week but I know my CV needs a lot more work.

Still working hard to stay positive - my new mantra is 'you are employable' (as in talking to myself!) maybe all this talk of mindfulness is paying off!

DH is still after an expensive watch for his birthday - bit shocked and disappointed to be honest, we have already booked to go to a Michelin starred restaurant in London with friends and knowing what's going on with my job I would have thought he would be happy with just that. I did say we should still go for the meal after I found out about the job situation. (I do try not to be stingy all of the time ).

Few chores to do this morning, drop off some samples as the hospital, look for some trainers for DH and nip to L1dl for some of their potato salad (2 non soup days! :j) all took about 2 hours - the traffic round here is shocking!