Stressed OUT and need some encouragement
03-02-2010, 06:35 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 688
and I know you all are so good about providing it!
I have been in my position for over two years now. I am an independent contractor within the court system. I'm a guardian ad litem and advocate for kids involved in child protection and divorce cases. So, stressful by itself. Now add on top of that that the state is converting all contractor positions over to employees. This is great, benefits, PTO, more support, ect. The bad part comes in now. They have to post all of the positions and we all have to reapply and reinterview for our jobs.
My district manager has informed us that they are planning to hire for 13 FTE jobs. He would not give a straight answer about how many contractors there actually are in the district right now. They are also expecting to get a lot of outside applications on top of those of us who are already doing the job. So, at this point, I have about 3 months of not really knowing if I'm going to have a job come July 1. His comment was that they may wait to do interviews until June if they have a lot of contractors to interview and not a lot of outside apps.
DH keeps reassuring me that I'm doing a good job and they keep appointing me to cases so I can't be doing too bad no matter what I feel like! I'm just stressed and worried that come July 1 I'm going to be out of a job and not even qualify for unemployment because I'm a contractor.
Sorry for the rant and thanks for reading this far. I just need to vent to someone other than DH. Hopefully they won't draw this out too much! :?
I have been in my position for over two years now. I am an independent contractor within the court system. I'm a guardian ad litem and advocate for kids involved in child protection and divorce cases. So, stressful by itself. Now add on top of that that the state is converting all contractor positions over to employees. This is great, benefits, PTO, more support, ect. The bad part comes in now. They have to post all of the positions and we all have to reapply and reinterview for our jobs.
My district manager has informed us that they are planning to hire for 13 FTE jobs. He would not give a straight answer about how many contractors there actually are in the district right now. They are also expecting to get a lot of outside applications on top of those of us who are already doing the job. So, at this point, I have about 3 months of not really knowing if I'm going to have a job come July 1. His comment was that they may wait to do interviews until June if they have a lot of contractors to interview and not a lot of outside apps.
DH keeps reassuring me that I'm doing a good job and they keep appointing me to cases so I can't be doing too bad no matter what I feel like! I'm just stressed and worried that come July 1 I'm going to be out of a job and not even qualify for unemployment because I'm a contractor.
Sorry for the rant and thanks for reading this far. I just need to vent to someone other than DH. Hopefully they won't draw this out too much! :?
03-02-2010, 06:38 PM
#2
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Northern Indiana
Posts: 20,306
Just remember you already have your foot in the door. They already know you, know your work ethic and history. Puts you ahead of the walk in apps :wink: Just think positive
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}]]
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}]]
03-02-2010, 06:49 PM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: NW Oregon
Posts: 1,807
Oh how I feel for you! I have had to do this too. We had a new principal come one year and we had to reapply for our jobs. (I was an Instructional assistant for high need students) It was his way of cleaning house and having his choice of people. We were all on summer break and had to come home from vacations to interview. Hmmm....looking back on that I wonder what the Union felt about that?
Last year DH was handed a pink slip. 4 months later they decided to keep him and move him to another position. Meanwhile I had a pink slip too. I was able to keep my job after all but the stress of not knowing.... We thought both of us were going to be out job hunting.
Long hot bubble baths help :lol: Especially if you have chocolate too!
Wishing the best for you :thumbup:
Last year DH was handed a pink slip. 4 months later they decided to keep him and move him to another position. Meanwhile I had a pink slip too. I was able to keep my job after all but the stress of not knowing.... We thought both of us were going to be out job hunting.
Long hot bubble baths help :lol: Especially if you have chocolate too!
Wishing the best for you :thumbup:
03-02-2010, 07:01 PM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 2,735
Sometimes this is just a legal process they have to do in order to fill the positions. Just make sure your resume is in excellent condition and be confident that you already know the ins and outs of the job. Good Luck.
03-02-2010, 07:41 PM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 2,299
Job applications and interviews are stressful no matter how confident you are of being hired. There's a vulnerability in this not-knowing period and it's too bad to hear that they may wait so long.
Here is a story of stress that came across my desk just today:
When lecturing about stress management, the instructor held up a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers ranged, but the instructor replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.
As with the glass of water, we have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
Put your glass down and take rest.
Here is a story of stress that came across my desk just today:
When lecturing about stress management, the instructor held up a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers ranged, but the instructor replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.
As with the glass of water, we have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
Put your glass down and take rest.
03-02-2010, 08:04 PM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: East Coast
Posts: 2,221
Yeesh, that's rough. I would think they'd prefer to keep the people they know. You already know you're doing a good job, and you're known to them, so I think that would give you an edge.
Still, I see your point. Are 10 existing contractors just re-interviewing for their jobs and maybe a few new people will come in? Or are there 20 or 30 people competing to keep their old jobs, along with new applicants? Do you have any sense of what the number is, even though you can't get an answer from them?
And being an independent contractor, yeah, if you don't get rehired, you haven't paid anything into the unemployment system and you wouldn't therefore qualify for benefits.
On the other hand, if it comes to that, I advise you to at least apply. Sure, you'll probably be rejected, but it gets you counted as unemployed. You may be able to make a case for being counted as a displaced worker, and there are programs for displaced workers. So at least you might be able to get into a training program or maybe a preferred status for other jobs.
One good thing is that you have a cushion of time to plan. Are there other jobs you could apply for in the meantime? Or could you add other services to your contracting business?
One more thought: You may have grounds to sue for unemployment. When a contractor basically has one client (the courts, in your case) and must follow that client's rules, the client is in effect acting as employer. Even though the client didn't pay into unemployment insurance, you could sue to say it was a job and the employer may be required to pay the unemployment premiums so you'd get the benefits. If it comes to this, it would be worth talking to a workers' rights lawyer.
I know most of this isn't particularly encouraging, but once you're over the initial shock, you'll want to make the most of your possibilities.
Still, I see your point. Are 10 existing contractors just re-interviewing for their jobs and maybe a few new people will come in? Or are there 20 or 30 people competing to keep their old jobs, along with new applicants? Do you have any sense of what the number is, even though you can't get an answer from them?
And being an independent contractor, yeah, if you don't get rehired, you haven't paid anything into the unemployment system and you wouldn't therefore qualify for benefits.
On the other hand, if it comes to that, I advise you to at least apply. Sure, you'll probably be rejected, but it gets you counted as unemployed. You may be able to make a case for being counted as a displaced worker, and there are programs for displaced workers. So at least you might be able to get into a training program or maybe a preferred status for other jobs.
One good thing is that you have a cushion of time to plan. Are there other jobs you could apply for in the meantime? Or could you add other services to your contracting business?
One more thought: You may have grounds to sue for unemployment. When a contractor basically has one client (the courts, in your case) and must follow that client's rules, the client is in effect acting as employer. Even though the client didn't pay into unemployment insurance, you could sue to say it was a job and the employer may be required to pay the unemployment premiums so you'd get the benefits. If it comes to this, it would be worth talking to a workers' rights lawyer.
I know most of this isn't particularly encouraging, but once you're over the initial shock, you'll want to make the most of your possibilities.
03-02-2010, 08:06 PM
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Between the dashes of a tombstone
Posts: 12,716
Originally Posted by b.zang
Job applications and interviews are stressful no matter how confident you are of being hired. There's a vulnerability in this not-knowing period and it's too bad to hear that they may wait so long.
Here is a story of stress that came across my desk just today:
When lecturing about stress management, the instructor held up a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers ranged, but the instructor replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.
As with the glass of water, we have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
Put your glass down and take rest.
Here is a story of stress that came across my desk just today:
When lecturing about stress management, the instructor held up a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers ranged, but the instructor replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.
As with the glass of water, we have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
Put your glass down and take rest.
03-03-2010, 06:10 AM
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 688
Thanks Ladies! I think the worst part is the not knowing. I have been keeping my eyes open for other jobs just in case. Our manager was telling us that the last time they posted for contractors, they had 200 applications and they are expecting more with this economy. You are right, I have a leg up in that they know my work and I'm pretty sure they don't want to reassign 40 court cases/ contractor and have to start all over with them all. I'm also pretty sure that this would make the judges pretty crabby too!
As usual, things look better after a decent nights sleep and I'm ready to tackle another day. My plan is to brush off my resume this Friday and submit my application over the weekend.
Thanks for the support and I know so many are in much worse positions. I am blessed in so many ways!
As usual, things look better after a decent nights sleep and I'm ready to tackle another day. My plan is to brush off my resume this Friday and submit my application over the weekend.
Thanks for the support and I know so many are in much worse positions. I am blessed in so many ways!
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