Really, I'd rather be idling

Last Thursday I got downsized.

I have a choice:

1. go back to my previous position in the store, which became a nightmare after three years and nearly caused me to crack up, or:

2. leave. Of course, since I would have turned down option 1, I will have resigned instead of being laid off. Thus, no severance pay. And good luck applying for unemployment.

The restructuring goes into affect in six weeks. I, on the other hand, have two weeks before the aforementioned previous position is posted.

I've updated my monster and hotjobs resumes (I updated the former a couple months back; all I needed to add was the final month at my current gig), while I try to decide. I'm leaning towards the first option, but this is definitely a short-term option. I neither have the patience nor the enthusiasm to push myself into an early grave. But where to go?

Not sure. Yet.

Comments

[newsister]

Someone is going to be very lucky to hire you-they just don't know it yet-but they will. Hang in there, the best is yet to come.

[amyc]

Holy crap! That sucks.

If you need me to pass a resume around to people, I'm happy to do so. Just let me know.

[Myke]

That's crappy. But I don't understand something - either you have to take your old job back, or you have to quit? So there's really no shot at severance pay?

[Reverend H.L. Spork]

Exactly. Basically, I'm screwed either way.

[Keith]

I might have something temporary for you if you decide against the early grave. IM or call me.

[eighmie]

You;d be surprised at what you can get from unemployment. I would recommend applying even if you do leave voluntarily. it might not be much, and you might have to fight them for it, but ... I quit my sh*tty retail job after getting robbed at gun point doing a night deposit, I got unemployment for 26 sweet weeks.

[Myke]

I'm no HR expert, but I don't think they can do this. If you take your old job back, then you in effect being demoted. But they can't demote you for no reason, so I think if you say no to the demotion then they have to let you go and you are eligible for severance. Or, at the least, unemployment.