Bye Bye High Heels and Drycleaning Bills!

My company just went through its fourth round of "restructuring", which is corporate lingo for "laying off", in two years. My job-share partner and I knew there was only one spot in Baton Rouge and our other partner was geographically better suited because she lived the closest to the bulk of the business. While location was a determining factor in the placement process, it was obviously not as important as we thought.

So far, I've made it unscathed and from the company's standpoint, I made the last cut as well. However from my standpoint, this is not the case. My newly assigned territory is a mere 107 miles (or 1 hour and 46 minutes) from my driveway. With two small kids at home and a part-time work schedule, a daily trip to Houma, LA is not feasible. This left me in quite a predicament.

Luckily, my manager had a solution for us. Because my new territory was greater than 50 miles outside of my current territory, I was able to apply for a "hardship" review. Hopefully, this is approved and I will be granted a severance package, which is better than the alternative...quitting empty-handed.

What next? There may be an opening in Baton Rouge within the company sometime in February, and that's always a possibility. The company has been good to me over the years and you can't beat full benefits, a company car and a paycheck on a part-time flexible schedule. It was good while it lasted! On the other hand, I'm thinking it may be time to move on, time to concentrate on the girls and our home full-time and perhaps explore more creative opportunities. First, let me see if that check is in the mail!