Does hard work, dedication, and years of service mean anything anymore?

I have debated about blogging on this subject but I find that writing helps me to get things off my chest so that I can feel some sort of relief.

DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE MY (SHEA'S) VIEWS. I DO NOT WORK FOR NOR HAVE EVER SIGNED ANYTHING SAYING THAT I (SHEA) CAN NOT SPEAK NEGATIVE ABOUT THE COMPANY ALTHOUGH FOR MY HUSBANDS SAKE I WILL NOT MENTION THEIR NAME(S). AGAIN THESE ARE STRICTLY MY VIEWS AND I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM. I AM SPEAKING MY TRUTH AND IF ANYONE TAKES ISSUE WITH IT YOU CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY.

OK, so now you are wondering what the heck is going on? Some of you may already know and some of you will be finding this out as you read this...Jas got "laid off" December 10th. Why they call it laid off I'll never know, they are not planning to ask him back. Almost 12 years he worked for them starting at the bottom (or close to it) and diligently working his way up to Marketing Director. I miss the days when it was a "Mom & Pop shop" and was owned by a local Riverside gentleman who knew how to treat his employees! Although, I will say since the purchase of the company by a bigger company (who currently own it) Jas has had much more success in moving up the ladder quicker (larger company/more funds/more room for growth).

The problem is quite frankly that they just don't care about their employees. I have seen them dismiss so many good people without batting an eye. By the grace of God most of these people have moved on to bigger and better things. I have no doubt in my mind and full faith in the Lord that things will work out for us too. It's just that my heart breaks for my husband who has always given them 110%. Although he was salary and scheduled 7am to 4pm he was there by 6:30am (at the latest) and worked until 5pm everyday. He went out of town on trade shows across the US (luckily less frequently once Peyton was born). He worked weekends doing inventory every quarter (sat. & sun) although he was not paid anything extra for it. He wore many hats for the company, worked hard, received excellent reviews, and never complained. He never even took vacation hours, only when each of our babies were born. I complained about that, his not taking a vacation. Turns out it was a good thing that he did not listen to me because those ungrateful punks only severanced him 5 weeks!!! He had 230vacation hours that they had to cash out though. This is what will pay the mortgage for the next couple months.

They sent a newbie in to give him the news. Jas was not expecting it at all; he was told that it had nothing to do with his job performance but the company had to cut some salaries and unfortunately he was not the only one. Nobody else in CA., we'll there isn't really anyone left in CA except the people who work in the warehouse in production...which anyone with half a brain knows will soon be moving too. Last April and May the company moved the customer service and art departments out to MO. leaving Jas, and production here in CA. Duh, it is only a matter of time before they move the rest of the company out there, rent is too high in CA. Now you might be thinking if we knew all this why was it such a surprise that Jas lost his job? We'll here's why...He has always had a heads up about the future of the company and we were very aware that they were moving. They actually job offered him to move with the company a couple years back and he declined the offer. They discussed a few other options but no decision was ever made. At one point one of his bosses who has since left the company told him that if he helped transition over they would severance him out 6 months. Jas was under the impression that his job was secure until the move, where at that time he would have a good severance and plenty of time to find another job.

I on the other hand just didn't trust it. Not that I didn't trust his old boss, nice guy; I did not trust the higher ups who don't bother to even know their employees. I suggested Jas get his resume' together and start looking. He did get his resume' together but had not started looking...he really thought that all his hard work and dedication would pay off and they would treat him well. WRONG! I knew something was up as soon as his old boss left and the newbie came in and fired the warehouse manager then asked Jas and two of his co-workers to take over the position. While his two co-workers received some compensation for this Jas did not. He was told he just received a raise and they were not expecting him to ask for another one. Uh...you did get that right? They fired the warehouse manager...asked these 3 guys to take over the position...gave 2 of them compensation for it...Jas got nothing, and they were "surprised" that he would ask! Hello! He performs a certain job (many actually) for the company...he receives an excellent annual review (he always does)and receives a raise...a few months later he is asked to help take on ANOTHER management position without compensation while the other 2 who share the job get compensation. Tell me I am not the only one who see the problem here.

So here we are. 12 years of service, hard work, dedication, perseverance, and a passion for what he did; and they come in and say...sorry buddy, here's a months worth of pay in the toughest economy since the Great Depression...see ya. That's the problem right there, for me anyway. He busted his butt for them and these (insert bad word here) don't care. I understand times are tough and companies have to do what they have to do. My point is that the people who did this don't even know Jas, what kind of person he is, and how hard he worked. All they saw was a salary that needed to be cut. Shame on them!

My prayer for this company is that they can find peace with what they did.
My prayer for my husband is that he finds peace with this as well (and myself too). I pray that his reward is much greater that what he could have ever achieved with them. I pray that his hard work, knowledge, and dedication find him a position that he can be happy in. I trust in God that things will be just fine. And I give thanks to HIM for the blessings in our lives.
Amen