Shots Across The Bow

Victory! And a personal note.

As some of you are aware, I was recently laid off from my job. I volunteered for the lay off since the company offered a very generous severance package, one that would allow me to start up my publishing company.

Then, the day before I was laid off, the company informed me that I was ineligible for the severence package, and sent me on my way.

My immediate boss, as well as most of my co-workers did everything they could to try and get the decision reversed with no success.

Basically, I was screwed.

So like any good American would do in similar circumstances, I lawyered up. He suggested we first try to resolve the situation out of court, giving the company one more chance to do the right thing. We also provided them with additional documentation pertaining to the dispute, which gave them a reason to reverse their position.

This morning, I received a check in the mail for the full amount of my severence package. No additional damages or anything like that; just what they owed me.

And I'm happy with that. Some folks tell me I should go to court and try and recover additional damages (legal fees, etc), and I probably could find a hungry lawyer to do just that. But I got what I was owed, and that's enough for me. I started the company anyway, with assistance from my family, and took on a little more debt than I anticipated, but now that I've gotten this check, I'm back to where I planned on being. Yeah, I had to pay for the lawyer, which reduced my net, but I consider that the cost of my mistake, which was not reading the company's policy in its most unfavorable light.

And that, my friends, is the lesson I take from all of this. Corporate policy is written to mean something very specific, but often can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Short of hiring your own attorney to go through every line of corporate policy, your best bet is to interpret any ambigious statement in the way most favorable to the company. Don't assume that it means what you think it means.

I'm particularly susceptible to this mistake, since I'm a technical writer by trade, and I'm used to writing precisely. When I write a procedure, it means one thing, and one thing only; otherwise, equipment can be damaged or people can be injured. The same degree of precision does not apply to corporate policy or procedures.

But now, my bill collectors will be happy, and the wolves can go howl around someone else's door for a few months.

By the way, sorry for the light blogging schedule lately, but I've been editing the next novel to be published by PHD Press. It's called Slither Service, written by Andrew Ian Dodge, and is scheduled for a mid September release.

Posted by Rich at August 19, 2004 11:53 AM | TrackBack