Agree with not burning bridges. Keep it professional - always. Be the more professional, bigger man than them. ALWAYS! People remember things like that.

However that said, once the "exit interview" is done, you owe them NOTHING. Not the time of day, not a damn thing. If they want something from you, they PAY FOR IT - and a lot. I made this very clear to my previous employer. He had the audacity of saying, "well I imagine we'll work together again someday" to which I responded "I'm naturally available for consulting work should you have the need - you know my capabilities". My billing rate is normally about $110 an hour. For him I'd invent a "special" rate of about $150 or maybe even a little more. Ahh, to be so lucky someday...

I'm just glad to be rid of the deadweight. It's becoming clear to me just what a dump that place was and just how much it was holding me back professionally. Having that business go under will eventually be the best thing that ever happened to me - I just have to make it to that point somehow first. I'll never work for another manipulative B.S-ing, lying sack of schit like him again in my life. It feels good to know that, and to know that (1) I'm free of him forever and (2) I was the consummate professional until the end. Never showed emotion or gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to me. Don't give 'em the satisfaction. Do your job until they say you can't anymore. Then just leave.

I feel for ya man - best of luck in finding something. These are craptastic times for us all but we just have to hope they'll eventually end and better times will find their ways to us again.

Rick,
I know you have the utmost integrity and my comment was in no way intended to imply you don't. Do what you believe is the right thing, you've got the integrity and honesty most others lack. Good luck!

That's all fine and dandy to type out and it makes alot of sense too.

BUT us Irish guys...... I tell people I don't burn bridges, I blow them up and then after that I blow up the banks so you can't rebuild the bridge ever again.

Some stuff happens?:D

Hey Rick, Good luck buddy!

I've helped my former employer out with some things since being laid off in February. I figure there is no sense in being a di@# to them. They were good to me for 18 years and my lay off was due to the economy not my performance.

Do I go out of my way to offer help? No, but when they have called, I gave the best answers or suggestions I thought would help them.

laid off is different than fired, and even then, if you're "working" for them, they should be "paying" for you.

"They were good to me for 18 years" and you were working for them during that time. It was a fair exchange of service for money. I've been buying my groceries in the same store for many years, but if I forgot my wallet they don't give me stuff free or allow me to pay later.

Yes, I agree on the fired versus being laid off. Had I been fired I probably would NOT help them.

I simply offered some suggestions to solve a problem with an area I was very versed in. It's not like I spent alot of time on the subject. A couople of phone calls to make some contacts and I was done.
They won't be in business around here for much longer anyway.

Bartend bro.

You can make a couple bills a night and you WILL get more poontang than you have had in years. I bartended all through the 90s off and on, it's a very interesting line of work.

I have no bartending skills and it would be tough to lie about it, as I've never made a mixed drink in my life.

Solid advice. Actions have consequences. The consequence of terminating you is terminating your deals, your relationships and your contribution to the company.

You should be available on a consulting basis only. And the hourly rate should be steep.

If they let you go and don't void the non-compete, and then call you for something, you will be in a unique situation where only you have that knowledge. The consulting fee for me would be around 400.00 an hour with a three to four hour minimum. I know someone who charged 800.00 an hour.

Sorry to hear that, Rick. I don't like the approach of setting someone up to fail.

The way I look at it, discharging someone and then trying to get them to work for free is predatory and dishonest. Perhaps they won't let you go, but I have always had the approach of "hope for the best, but plan for the worst".

If I were in your situation I would look at this as an opportunity to prepare for multiple eventualities. I'd spend the weekend working up a very basic plan for a consulting business - sounds like you know plenty about sales and marketing, so you honestly have something to offer. I'd include in the plan what I would charge for training, travel, consulting, etc., then generate a basic consulting contract. If your boss (or someone he thinks has social leverage) calls for help, you are prepared and professional with a contract available and you can say: "Great - what's your fax? I'll send you my consulting contract for signature then we can get started". They can't fault you for being professional, and having a contract prepared keeps it from looking like an act of revenge. It also gives you a head start if you do a skills assessment and decide you really would be better off consulting.

Just 2pf.

You're an outside sales professional. When they terminate, they usually do it quickly & quietly. Well, sometimes it's not so quiet. :D

You will owe them nothing.

But . . . if they approach you, your time is a steep hourly fee + only with the condition that they withdraw the non-compete.

Ian

Unemployment pays $11.87 hr. in CA.

Absolutely. If you are not an employee you should not help. Who taught you to work for free to someone that fire you!!

If he needs help, he can pay you via 1099 at $150/hr or more. Since he only needs you for a few hours, this or more should be the rate.

Best of luck!

A guy I know got canned from his job at a VERY large shoe and apparel company.

Long story short, he was the only one with the password to a server with a script program that automated a job involving loading thousands of digital images of product into various folders. His ex- manager called him to ask him for the password, he told her to pound sand, and his old company ended up paying an army of contractors for over a month to do the work by hand.

I'm not really sure how advertising your job on Career Builder for a neglected territory is helping out their bottom line....unless you're being some kind of pain in the ass to them?

A new person would need training in the product and the territory before dollar 1 rolls in the door. While you're $300K down from a year ago, it's still likely more than the nee person will bring in in the short run. Don't most companies have some sort of "boot camp" for the sales staff? Yes, I have followed your travails here so I don't really expect that from your company. Do you really *like* your boss? Seems you got a good break coming back after the mortgage fiasco, but you seem to have an on again off again relationship with him.

If they can you, take everything you can with you. When they hire the new guy/girl, figure out who they are and set an appointment *with them* not the company to get their account started with your knowledge.

Odd situation you're in nevertheless. Good luck!

most judges frown on non-compete clauses.

if they call you for help, they pay you for that help. as stated before, they pay 2x what they were paying you or they can pound sand.

breathing in california costs $11.88/hr in CA.

JK ;)

I’m coming in at the end of this but figured I’d throw in my 2 cents.

Thousands of people are getting laid off every day now.

If you are 100% sure that you could be next on the chopping block why not approach your company FIRST.

Volunteer to take a cut in pay while working fewer days/hours. You would renegotiate a new pay rate, you keep insurance benefits etc. and help them thru tough times. When things turn around they bring you back full time. If you have certain knowledge or skills that they will undoubtedly need, you could be sitting in the drivers seat if you approach them with an open agenda.

You remain employed. You have time to actively pursue other job offers but you stay involved with your current employer. You could still flip burgers on your days off.

If you take the offensive first and come up with a solution good things could happen.

Best of luck

Talk about an interesting coincidence.

This afternoon, I was speaking with a board member of the company that laid me off in November. And he said: we need you back. Because the business process I created (patent pending) has degraded under the new CEO.

But the truth is, the CEO is a bullheaded idiot who didn't listen to me when I was there, so I said to let me know when they fired the CEO and I'd consider it. In my separation document, I agreed to consult for $800/day. Since I still have a fair amount of stock in the company, I'd consider a couple days of consulting. But that's about it.