WHY I DECIDED TO RETURN TO A JOB I LEFT
If you read my most recent post you already know that I am currently dealing with the loss of my job. This job loss is due to the elimination of the department that I work in. What caused the jobs to be eliminated within this department is fairly simple. The company I work for decided to purchase another large company who specializes in the same type of billing that I do currently. In purchasing this company, the two nursing facilities that we currently owned and billed for were to be transferred to the main billing department for this company.My coworkers and I were left looking for new positions right around Christmas time 2018. The good thing for all of us was the company I work for actually allowed us to stay on working until the transition date which is approaching in February 2019. In doing so they would allow us time to search within the company for other available positions.As we began searching for open positions we were met with a few obstacles such as very few available positions in our field & a high demand for these jobs due to the many people looking. This resulted in others being chosen for these positions before many of us were even interviewed. Within my company seniority makes a lot of difference in interviewing and receiving positions. My coworkers and I all had seniority however my 16 years was still far less than my other coworkers. When I began looking I was in shock but I believed I would find something. However the very difficult part of this all is that as time moved along I realized how much I had to lose and I became very hesitant to wait.
What I would lose if I did not locate a job within the company
My seniority including vacation time and sick time accrual rates which are based on years of service with the company
Sick time built up over the years that can only be used in specific situations & is not paid out upon termination or leaving your job
Both mine and my husbands medical insurance & dental coverage
My stable job and paycheck which we cannot do without
Hospital indemnity plan & short term disability coverage which I will need for an upcoming hospitalization and recovery time
Confession - why my impending job loss was so much scarier
For myself even more than some of my coworkers this timing was devastating & completely poor timing. Not that the timing for losing your job is ever good, but this time it was far worse than normal. I had just recently discovered that I was pregnant just a few months back with our first child. For years I have saved up my sick time which I have nearly three full weeks of currently. We have been trying for a child for a few years and during this time I have saved up sick time and even vacation time, selected the additional hospital indemnity coverage & short term disability coverage to assist in my time off. The closing of our office would be happening towards the end of January or beginning of February, leaving me just about 5 months remaining until I will give birth in July.
Why did I decide to return to my former office?
When I left my former office it was not on a bad note by any means. I was hoping to learn more within my field and the room for growth in my position at that time just was not available. I decided to start looking for something outside of my department, after interviewing for a better position within my department and being turned down. To be completely honest, I was interested in this position when I interviewed but after my interview I quickly determined it was not what I was looking for anyways. I discovered an opening within another department in our corporate office and so I took the opportunity to apply. I landed the job and with the job a promotion and pay raise.
I accepted the position and began in my new office in June 2018. Less than 6 months later I discovered that I would be losing my new position within this department. When it first happened I continued to look for something on our online job boards, as I mentioned earlier that did not come easy. I was turned down for 5 positions without even an interview and this is definitely not normal. I did find far less job options available during this time period though which probably attributed to the jobs being filled so quickly by others. Finally as we got down to the final few weeks I was asked to temporarily help out with a position that was estimated to be terminated in June 2018 just one month before my maternity leave would be needed. I knew that although it could serve as a very temporary solution, this would not be a good solution until June. If I remained on until June I would lose all of the benefits that I had in place for my maternity leave just before I needed them. I agreed to help temporarily but also explained to my boss who was very understanding why this would not work for me until their June deadline.
What I did next was not something I had never really planned to do, but I guess was something I always knew was an option. When I left my previous position I was told by my former director that if I should ever want to return he would be happy to take me back. I compiled an email to my former director explaining my dilemma of losing my position and need for employment. He responded that same day offering to meet with me personally. After speaking with him that afternoon, I was offered back a position within the office that I had I left. I was even able to keep the same pay that I had received when I left for my new position in June.
Going back is not easy but the director made it easier than I ever expected. He was very welcoming and understanding and even when I told him about my pregnancy, he was understanding and willing to hire me back anyways. I believe that the saying is so true that we should never burn our bridges. Staying professional when moving on from one position to another is so important. When you do you leave an impression that does not damage your reputation and often leaves the possibility of returning in the future. In my case I was blessed to have management at my previous job that supported me in moving onto better things within the company but also welcomed me back anytime. Today as I plan to head back to my former job in about a week, I am grateful that I remained on good terms when I left. I am also grateful for the opportunity to return to a place where I feel valued and respected as an employee.
