Howlinwolf69 Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Back before May 1st, I was working at a power plant as a full time millwright/mechanic. There were rumors of a massive layoff coming. I asked my General Foreman(GF), if I was getting laid off. I asked him about 4 different times, and each time he said no we are all good. I even asked him if I could drop down to a lower position in order to keep working. He shook my hand. When it came the day of the layoff, I was told by my foreman to stay around the shop for a minute. Then here comes my GF. He said I'm sorry man, I thought I had it all worked out. You are going to be the first one I bring back. Here comes December, and he brings in 2 more people to the crew. I'm like wtf! Thoughts? Advice? Link to post Share on other sites
Jammer25 Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Not sure I understand correctly, so were you actually laid off? Or are you in a lower position? Either way, business is business and sometimes you really never know. Sounds like your Foreman was just softening the blow for when the time came. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Howlinwolf69 Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Not sure I understand correctly, so were you actually laid off? Or are you in a lower position? Either way, business is business and sometimes you really never know. Sounds like your Foreman was just softening the blow for when the time came. I was Laid off. Link to post Share on other sites
road Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Whether your foreman had any input. Or even if he wanted you gone or wanted you to stay on does not matter. Most people do not want to be the one to give out the bad news. Combine that with they say things to soften the blow. You want to back to work there then contact human resources. Sounds as if that was a good job so I understand you wanting to get rehired. Though being they did not call you back they most likely are not going to. Though for the price of a stamp send a letter to HR asking to get rehired being that you have heard they hiring again. Link to post Share on other sites
Mind-Chants Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 First of all, vocal assurance has got no significance. His assurance was his way of not looking bad. Trust me firing someone is not an easy job. Again informing someone f2f that you are fired is definitely not easy. So I guess he took help of those false assurances to ease the process. It is so wrong of him to do that. I mean truth hurts but at-least it is one time and things are transparent. hiding under guise of false pretense is quite cowardice of him. I see no harm in reminding your GF about his vocal commitment. At least it would bring his memory back and next time would at least take into consideration before making decisions. 3rd try to improve yourself. I mean he would never forget that he had mentioned to u that u would be first hire back but he didn't. So someone else is making a better impression/ better job than u that they got preferences. Make sure u make the impression that u come first to mind when they think about man power. How to do it - Build expertise in some equipment. Make yourself indispensable Since u mentioned being in power plant as maintenance mechanic, build profile for both proactive and reactive maintenance. There is humongous scope for mechanics in power plants. Once u build that kind of hand to hand experience, u could find employment opportunities in heavy equipment manufacturing/ turbine and misc manufacturing sector. So on and so on. Look into this. I personally know of a person (kind of role model for me) who started at the lowest level and went on to become technology head of a major equipment manufacturer. Link to post Share on other sites
Beach Guy Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Sorry about this. The GF probably couldn't announce anything back last few months. Saying you were good was probably true at the time, but circumstances changed. Him bringing back two other employees ahead of you is frustrating after what he told you, but there are probably other facts going on behind the scenes. Don't wait around for the re-hire call. Actively pursue other positions. This layoff may end up being a blessing in disguise because you may find a permanent position with a great team. Best wishes! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Akashsingh Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Back before May 1st, I was working at a power plant as a full time millwright/mechanic. There were rumors of a massive layoff coming. I asked my General Foreman(GF), if I was getting laid off. I asked him about 4 different times, and each time he said no we are all good. I even asked him if I could drop down to a lower position in order to keep working. He shook my hand. When it came the day of the layoff, I was told by my foreman to stay around the shop for a minute. Then here comes my GF. He said I'm sorry man, I thought I had it all worked out. You are going to be the first one I bring back. Here comes December, and he brings in 2 more people to the crew. I'm like wtf! Thoughts? Advice? He lied to you. Forget him and look for something else. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 I think your approach, including telling him you'd even take a lower position, which I assume meant lower pay, was a good move, I think. But things don't always work out. It could be someone is wanting to bring in their own people. I've heard bosses start brand new unskilled people and go through all that training just so they can train them "my way" instead of meeting resistance. Your GF may simply have had no say in it. Or it could be all about money, taking out the people making the most money in exchange for entry-level people they can pay far less. Either way, I'm really sorry. At least you tried a good strategy. Link to post Share on other sites
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