Job Searches, Unemployment

Back In The Race: Trying To Save My Job When The End Is Near

The five stages of grief apply to job losses as well. Take it from Shannon Achimalbe, who recently lost her job.

By  
on

It was an afternoon like any other in Stephanie’s office. I was busy reviewing documents, returning phone calls, and even going to court arguing motions. Despite the workload, the holiday spirit was in the air. Over lunch, the other attorneys and I were discussing gifts for clients and friends, upcoming parties, and plans for the new year. But with deadlines coming up next week, I anticipated being the last one to leave the office and missing a party or two.

Stephanie summoned me to her office. I was thinking that I would be assigned to another case or we would be discussing the status of my existing work. The senior partners trusted me with a fairly large caseload and there was no indication that things were slowing down. I entered her office with a notepad and pen and tried my best to remember what I had been working on this week. Behind her desk, she pointed her finger towards the door so I went and closed it.

Stephanie looked me and said, “Shannon, this will be your last week with us.”

The next 60 seconds felt like an eternity. My mind blocked out the sights and sounds of the outside world as I frantically wondered what the [hell] happened. While I heard Stephanie say some words resembling “you were great to work with,” and “I’ll give you a solid reference,” they were drowned out as I was mentally yelling to myself: What caused her to do this? How can I convince her to change her mind?

As I regained my composure, I asked if we could continue this conversation later. Needless to say, I was quite emotional and because of this, I might have ended up saying or doing something I’d regret later. I had a few days left, so I had one last opportunity to prove myself and save my job.

I was not going to give up so easily. After work, I went to the local university library and read as much as I could on employee etiquette and professionalism. The library was open late thanks to upcoming final exams, so I was able to read a large number of books. Most of them recommended taking the following five actions if you want to maximize your chances of keeping your job:

  • Gain the support of other employees in the office.
  • Highlight your positive contributions.
  • Show that your departure will have an adverse effect on the firm.
  • Find out if you did anything wrong, promise to fix the mistakes, and follow through on them.
  • Do not grovel. Think of the long-term relationship.

Sponsored

The next day, I spent the morning meeting with everyone I was working with and told each one individually that I was leaving. While I did this primarily to ensure that my cases would be transitioned smoothly to someone else, I was also gauging their reaction to my departure. They were briefly shocked but accepted what happened. Just about everyone said that they enjoyed working with me and wished me well in my future endeavors. Based on everyone’s tepid responses, I had a feeling that I would not have anyone advocating on my behalf. That’s fine. I know it’s nothing personal.

So I decided to spend the remainder of the day and all of the next trying to prove my worth to everyone. But this was tricky because I had very limited time to make an impression. And since everyone knew I was leaving, I was not going to get new work. So my best chance was to send very detailed closing reports to two of the senior partners. I prepared a detailed memo explaining each client’s situation, what information and documents we have to date, and a proposed course (or courses) of action. I spent a good part of the night going through and organizing at least 20,000 pages of cryptic paperwork. For those two days, I was the last one to leave the office. I got no response.

On the morning of my final day at work, I began my commute thinking about one more way to keep my job. But as I got closer to the office, I began to think about the five stages of grief. In my case, it applies to job losses as well. I was briefly angry and in denial. I spent two very long days trying to bargain my job back. And so the remaining two stages are depression and acceptance, which I will go through when the day is over.

The day was spent doing simple tasks: tying up loose ends, answering last minute questions, cleaning up my office, and saying goodbye to the staff. Thankfully I got everything done quickly so I could leave early and avoid traffic. Before leaving, I met with Stephanie in her office.

“Steph, I’m all done and so I’m going to leave early and get a nice back massage,” I said.

Sponsored

“You deserve it. Thanks again for your help. All of us really appreciate your work.”

“Steph, thank you for helping me during my time of need. Working with all of you the last month was an awesome experience. But I was wondering if you noticed anything about me that I could have improved upon. We’ve known each other for a while. You can be straight with me.”

“Shannon, you did a great job. If we need help again, we’ll definitely call you. I understand how hard it is for young lawyers to establish themselves these days. Even though you may not have a job now, it does not mean you’ll never get one. The internet is full of bullsh*t articles from idiots, so read them with skepticism. When you do a good job, more work will come eventually. Just be patient and be positive.”

With that, I left Stephanie’s office, accepting the situation with my head held high. While I will miss the steady income, I will miss working under some great attorneys even more. Was there an ulterior reason for my release? Who knows. I’m not going to dwell on it. The important thing is that I left on a good note. I have a feeling we will cross paths again.

Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached at sachimalbe@excite.com.

Topics

, , , ,