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Big Change…

I don’t usually write poems, but I thought I would do a small one…

Changes in the air
I can now declare
Time grows short on earth
I embrace my family’s worth
Weaving memories in life’s net
I yearn never to forget

Here’s what’s going on… My husband has worked in the retail business at two companies for a combined total of about 20 years. He worked at one company for about 10 years on the West Coast and the other company for about 10 years on the East Coast. He has been a retail manager for most of those years and a darn great one at that. Put it this way… the motto is “Whatever it takes”.

Over the last couple of years, he decided to step down to be a supervisor since I was earning the main income and he could relieve some of the stress of being a manager to spend more quality time with our three boys and myself. Even as a supervisor, sometimes he was able to share his expertise that he learned over the years and other times just sit by and watch as new people came in and did what they think works.

This year he felt like he wasn’t appreciated. He was due for a miniscule raise as usual – same as each year. However, this time, he was denied. What was the reason? He had reached his “cap pay”. He was told the only way he would get a raise is if he were to step back up into a management position. He certainly doesn’t want to do this and put the added stress back onto himself and our family. He started talking with his boss about it and trying to address the situation about the DM (District Manager) decision. There are exceptions to the “cap pay” rule, which my husband qualifies for, but they didn’t want to consider it. There you go… my husband now feels his experience is meaningless. All of those 20 years of learning, classes, going to countless meetings, being in the trenches and training new people is worthless to the very company who helped raise him.

My husband and I talked about this issue at length to figure out what we should do. He works about 30-35 hours a week. It takes him about 40 minutes to get to work. The cost of gas has increased so much, along with his eating out; we figured half of his income is taken just to go to work. It’s like the stories you hear of when parents consider day care so their spouse can go to work only to find out that the day care, clothing, eating out, etc. is actually causing them to lose money and time with their family.

Therefore, he is quitting his J.O.B. with a heavy heart. His 40th birthday is on July 25th, this month. His last day at that job is about July 21st… this month! I will officially be the main breadwinner in this house. Yes, this brings a lot of worry, stress, and anxiety about it… but many big changes in life bring those feelings. There are also feelings of freedom, relief from frustrations, unpredictability and pressure, etc.

For instance, my top five examples:

1) We NEVER know what my husband’s schedule is from week to week. This causes many problems for planning just about ANYTHING. Even if he puts in for a day off for important family functions well in advance… he isn’t guaranteed that time off and won’t know if he gets it off until the week before.

2) He ALWAYS worked most of the holidays. For example, just this 4th of July he worked all day, late until 9:00 pm. No celebrating for him… and it’s the same every year. Plus, it makes no sense why the store was open that late when in about four hours, there were only three customers.

3) Trying to put in for a vacation is like putting a puzzle together. The retail company is so short staffed that everyone there juggles a week here or there just to have time off.

4) Being at the whim of the company to rely on your health care coverage… which changes every year. The coverage seems to be the cheapest the company can afford with a bulk rate that’s best for who?… the company of course.

5) Loss of family value by the company…. There was a time when a company would have a manager fly to another state for a meeting. This often times would include a “play time” of goodies. During the ‘good ole’ days, the spouse or whole family would be invited and many expenses paid for. Apparently, this all ceased to exist RIGHT before my husband became a manager. It’s not as if a family would ‘expect’ it. However, a company that is more concerned with including the family in some way to show their support for their top employees was better than how they seem to ignore basic family recognition these days.

There is such a big disconnect now. The needs of the store, with ‘whatever it takes’ is actually destroying the very foundation of the company… slowly… but surely. Managers do more work these days … way more than most of their employees and are burning out fast. Managers are supposed to ‘manage’ the employees and be the brains of the operation… and sometimes get their hands dirty when needed. Now the company relies on the managers to do everything… including covering all tasks regular employees perform and work on a skeleton crew to save their budget. Yep… companies like this are dying slowly as if it has a disease. When people don’t believe in your company and talk highly of it, it’s just a matter of time.

** I’m sure you know I could go on about this topic and cover more flaws, but it isn’t needed here. We have come to a decision. We are going through this big change and will enjoy the ride, even if it is a bumpy one.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “Big Change…”

Barbara (Xerraire) Says:
July 9th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I am kinda shocked!

What’s the plan for action next?
Will Mike duplicate what you’re doing?
Will Moore Says:
July 11th, 2008 at 4:57 am
When one door closes, another one opens. Wendy, I know you to be an amazing, talented, caring woman and I am sure your husband is the same. And to quote a man much smarter than me, “If you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end” - Larry Bird
Teddi Says:
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Hi Wendy,
I am sad at ANY company’s limitedness to invest in their best of hard working men and women. If company’s would put into and Bless the family’s that have sacrificed so much for them, then they would reap the rewards. I have no doubt that life would be amazing for all.
Unfortunately, this is a common issue among all. I suppose it is time to sprout wings and fly. I think the key word here is sacrifice. Better to sacrifice money and material possessions for the greater good of the family then to put any more precious time into a company that doesn’t appreciate the already sacrificed time.
My Best to You and Your Family!