We're Cutting Your Position (But Not Really)

A very good friend of mine, we'll call her Liz, at the Organization was laid off about a month an a half ago. Due to various factors (beyond the economy), such as, but not limited to, poor bookkeeping, shoddy filing systems, and (this remains a theory) but some seriously inappropriate and unsubstantiated purchases, the finances of this place were , and in part remain, a shambles. Let's just put it this way: last year's audit took from the end of the fiscal year (June 30) until almost Christmas. That auditor must have the patience of a saint. Or at least a preschool teacher.

So, when Liz's position was eliminated, no one was shocked, we were simply saddened. In fact, she saw it coming, and had steeled herself for the impending lowering of the guillotine, so to speak. Before they officially let her go, they offered her a position in another office, some 150 miles away from her life, her boyfriend, her family. It was, in essence, a way the upper management was covering their asses. They knew they had the position to be filled in the other office, but also knew Liz would never take it. Shady indeed.

The plot thickens.

As it turns out, the position they offered Liz 150 miles away has been moved - to the self-same office out of which she used to work (in which I currently do). The job was publicly posted, along with another "new" position just this week.

Now, Liz was good at her job. Excellent, even. She was paid a pittance for essentially getting blood from a stone. She was in "development." Development is the nice word in the non-profit sector for "the department that puts on events, asks for big money and sponsorships, and generally speaking does not sleep. Ever." Liz was laid off because she was the youngest team member and as such, had been given the least successful events to run. She did not make them unsuccessful, they were unsuccessful long before she came on board, and they had been losing ground steadily for years. When her events didn't pull in the (unrealistic) goals that the upper management had set, they cut Liz loose, all the while claiming the position - NOT the person - had been eliminated.

Not only is Liz still out of a job, but by looking for a new hire to fill her exact job description, the organization has dealt her yet another shit hand. A prospective employer, searching our very public website and job search engines, could easily come upon this "new" posting, and take from it that it was the person, and NOT the position, that had been eliminated. By waiting only 6 weeks to make this job opportunity public, the Organization has effectively cut Liz - and her very important job search - off at the knees.