100% is all I have to give.

I gave everything I had to the last job and every job I’ve ever had. But in the end, 100% might not be enough. It’s true that there are two sides to every story like this and on this day, only one side (mine) will be written. In all the years I’ve worked (I’m retired right now) and the many positions I’ve held, I have been terminated (or should I just say “Fired!”, twice. For some people, getting fired is no big deal, particularly if you’re mainly working to get a paycheck and are not really invested in your job.

I worked at a plant that manufactured poly film, started on a Wednesday and got terminated on Friday. There I replaced someone who had repeatedly threatened to quit, until they decided to replace him (with me). Somewhere between Wednesday and Friday, this guy changed his mind and decided he wanted to stay. So, they let me go because, they said that I was not driving that forklift fast enough. Bullshit! Sure, I was not whipping around corners and through the warehouse with the forks halfway up in the air but why couldn’t they just be honest and come clean with the real reason I was losing my job?

The second time I lost my job, I was one of the highest paid employees on the staff and long before the axe fell, I saw a pattern. When business was good and the dollars were rolling in, no one pressured me. When it was slow, I was being questioned and micro-managed. There is nothing you can do when you are not calling the shots. You are just a number. You have no value. They questioned everything I did and how I did it. Where were you? Why did it take you so long to go from one branch location to the next? It was one thing after another. The pressure you feel when you’re doing everything you can and the B.S. continues, is enough to drive you insane. There is much regret when you lose any job this way but there is no feelings of guilt on my part. The realization that once you are determined to be expendable, they will find a reason to get rid of you. There’s no glory in being fired when I gave all and still lost out. The morning that it all came to an end, I confronted my so-called supervisor and asked him if I was being “let go on that day”. His reply? “Just finish all your work and then we’ll talk.” In English, that meant, “We’re going to milk another day’s work from you and then unceremoniously kick you to the curb when you’re done.” i knew what was coming and walked out on my own accord that morning.

My final job, that led to my retirement, went something like this. And once again I will point out that this is just one side (mine) of the story. First of all, I was approached while working elsewhere and offered this position, at least in part due to my knowledge and experience in this particular field. I worked there for just about two months short of five years. During this time, I did not miss a single day of work, gave all I had (effort-wise)to the job, worked as late as 9:00-9:30 at night (8-5 job), often, off the clock, came in on the weekend (my own choice) for the convenience of the patient/customer, and in the end, all I could do just was not enough. The patient load kept increasing, the time allowed to take of my responsibilities kept decreasing. Do more and more, with less time. Couldn’t they see that you can only squeeze a certain amount of work into an eight hour day? What was that magical formula that would allow me to do a better job and make the “powers-that-be” happy? I sat in that office on the day I was written up and heard the warning that the next time meant termination. What can I do? The silent gesture in response(both hands thrown up in the air) told me that perhaps it was time to throw in the towel because without a known solution suggested, or what i would consider a sufficient time to cover my responsibilities, the writing was on the wall. Leave on my own terms or get shown the door. I didn’t know the answer to the problem. I had nothing more to give. Others had quit before me as a result of the same frustrating situation. I was not the first and as it turned out, not the last. The turn over has continued following my exit. Maybe when they see the light, they will understand that things will go smoother and everyone that needs to be taken care of will only get what they need with a sufficient amount of people to do it. I’m thankful for the opportunity the job provided, unashamed of the effort I made, proud of the fact that I was there when I was supposed to be and gave what I had to give always.