March 14, 2007

Will Work for Cheetos & Pepsi

which will probably say on my newest resume which will now have to be all dolled up again.....

let me give you the shake down....

a head honcho from CSAA (AAA Northern California which covers No. California, Nevada and Utah) came to our call-center today and told us that they are shutting us down.....

there are about 50 people in the Draper Call Center ranging from Travel, Roadside and Membership.....and we are all getting laid off....

the honcho thinks as early as august 2007.....latest is the end of 2008.....but eventually, the Draper Call Center where i am stationed is going kaput.....

there is a call center Livermore, CA which Draper, UT serves as a satalite office....and when they got the e-mail that the Draper, UT staff is going bye-bye, some of the agents were speechless.....

basically the reason we're getting shutdown is because our jobs are going to another call center in Glendale, AZ.....and because Draper, UT has never recieved the support it requires such as trainers, quality monitors, equiptment and software to transition itself to stay updated in a changing environment.....so the head honchos decided to instead of giving Draper, UT support and the ability to grow.....that they would let us go and let the people in Glendale, AZ take over.....

and how do i feel about all this???.....i'm a little hurt.....but not for myself.....but for the ERS (emergency roadside service) reps who have been with CSAA for 10....12....maybe even 15 years.....and now they have to start all over again.....most employees have families, mortgages, car payments and other financial responsibilities and they can't start over at entry level positions making jack.....

i, on the other hand, have next to nothing financial responsibilities.....i don't have a mortgage/rent, my car is paid off, my dad pays my car insurance, i have no kids, etc.....and i'm still really young.....at 27 i can easily work anywhere i want and still be okay.....besides my TWO year anniversary is in june.....so you can see i don't have much vested in the company.....

but i do feel for the ones who do.....we have an employee who will be turning 60 next month.....she's 5 years away from retiring.....how can you ask her to start over???.....true, there are 7 local offices she can transfer to.....but until she's confirmed a limited spot in one of those offices.....she has a valid concern to be worried......

others in our office have already begun looking at other job opportunities.....i mean, we were basically told today that we have no job security.....

i will not be looking just yet.....i've made a commitment to myself and the company that i will be there when the doors close or when they say adios.....i'm confident that the "retention" bonuses and the severance packages the company will provide will help take care of me.....

also, there may be opportunity to move to a local office or other positions offered by CSAA in other capacities.....

besides, with everyone accepting positions with other companies, we are going to be very short staffed.....they will be hiring temps to fill the seats while people leave and the sups will need all the help they can get to run those teams.....

and with me being a Help Desk Specialist, it is going to be very hard to up and leave.....i am on a team of 4 specialists.....2 are in CA and i make up the other half in UT.....our team just got cut in half.....

and even if i have to train someone in Glendale to take my job....i will.....as long as they pay me, i will.....

it just really sucks, ya know???

so today was very somber, very emotional.....in the meeting i attended, they were passing around a box of kleenex.....there is just a dark, stormy cloud in the office.....and it's going to be really hard to motivate people to keep working especially when they start to think that they are never going to talk to their members again, or start missing co-workers, or to not have them feel betrayed.....a lot of people felt that today.....they've been working their butt off for a company who sold them out to save a few bucks.....

i mean....i feel that way too....but there is nothing i can do about it.....the decision has been made and there is nothing i can do or say to keep my center open.....all i can do is keep on working, finish out the day, and keep going back, until they tell me to stop.....

*sigh*....i predict the next few months are going to be rough.....







p.s. and ryan, if you are reading this....good gawd man....what the heck is up with your profile?!?!?.....i can't pull it up for the life of me.....yeah, my puter sucks....but damn.....you're hot in your default pic *drool*....and i totally thought of you when i saw the trailer for the new TMNT movie.....i was like.....holy crap.....i can't believe they made another one......i'll hit you up using other means of communication at another time.....*hugs* ;)