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rant: I hate my job 2 3

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SteelPE

Structural
Mar 9, 2006
2,749
I’m sure I am going to get blasted for this one.

My tail of woe:

I am soon to be unemployed. My current employer has had massive layoffs and I am eventually going to be let go as well. I was one of two RDP in the company until a few months ago when my mentor passed away. The company has been going down hill for a few years but I was always told to not be worried about what was going on because they needed me for the future. Now with the pending layoff I have brought up the question about the PL insurance and how it will be handled. They are basically saying to me that it is not their problem and are refusing to pay for a tail policy to cover me in the future. This is something I was scared about years ago but my mentor said that the company would always do what was right and not to worry about it.

Now I may have a few options. Starting my own business and continuing with the current PL policy is an option since I am listed on the policy. I have talked to the broker and they said this was possible but I am not sure it is something I want to do. Continuing with the policy will eliminate the need for a tail. The owners of the current defunct company have opened up a new company under a new name and are pushing me to become a consultant because that gives them another excuse for not paying.

I have had a few good interviews at other companies but this PL problem is going to be a thorn in my side if I work some place else. My current company has really screwed me with this one.

Being what I guess others would think of as a horrible person, I have sat in my office and done very little work. The company wants me to continue doing work but I am just not motivated because this is work they want me to seal and why should I seal something that needs PL insurance, insurance they are now refusing to pay (why should I expose myself to more risk). Every day they ask me what project I am working on and I usually make stuff up.

I kind of feel bad that I am not doing the work they want me to do, but then again, they are not holding up their end of the deal either.

I am working in absolute h**l right now.

 
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It is hard to see how anything good as far as all parties are concerned can come from doing no work and just getting more angry about the situation.

You are in the situation you are in, however bad or unfair it maybe, do something positive about it.
 
You need an attorney that specializes in insurance issues, and maybe labor law as well. I'm sure the answer will depend on the corporate structure and the policy.

I don't see any problem with trying to solve this on company time either if you are named in the policy. This IS company business as well.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump
 
As someone who's been guilty of procrastinating when unmotivated...

If they are paying you then still deserve a corresponding level of work. If the specific area of contention is the sealing of docs then can you at least do all the work up to the point of stamping them?

As to other related issues of the liability coverage I'll leave that to others, though it may be worth consulting a lawyer on the legal aspects.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484
 
I would buy the tail policy, walk out the door, and talk to an attorney about suing them to recover the cost of the policy (since them paying for the insurance was an implicit contract that they would bear the cost of litigation against things you stamped).

Most importantly I would get the hell out of there. Doing nothing AND THEN LYING ABOUT it is both boring an corrosive to your soul.

David
 
I don't know if I would consider it lying.... maybe stretching the truth a little. Truth is there really isn't that much motivation. Now that they have formed a new company there is no management at the existing company. I have really no idea what I am even suppose to be doing. First they tell me to get all of my books out of the office then they ask me what I am working on. How am I suppose to work on projects when all of the codes went home (they told me to take them because they had no use for them). They also told me that I should have all my stuff ready to leave within 1 hours notice. I literally took about a ton of books home with me over 4 weeks.

Buying the tail and then suing them is not on the table at the moment. I am still trying to work on them to pick up the tail policy but it isn't going to be easy.

I foresaw this years ago, all be it under different circumstances, but everyone kept telling me how great the owners were and I didn't want to make to many waves. I have no one to blame but myself.
 
letting them think you are working when you are not is lying.

I personally have pretty tight definitions on the subject.

Any statement whether actually true or not or any deliberate omission that is intended to deceive is a lie. Yes we all lie at times.

I would enthusiastically do all work up to the point of stamping as a challenge to proving my integrity, however I would confront them with the stack of unstamped work with the comment that you could not stamp it while unsure of ongoing PL insurance.

Get legal advice from a lawyer.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &
for site rules
 
On the motivation side of things, not the legal or related aspects, I just remembered this:

thread732-193252

This other one came up while I was looking for it:

thread1088-227922

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484
 
Pat said it well. Also, if someone asks you what you're working on and you say
SteelPE said:
Every day they ask me what project I am working on and I usually make stuff up.

I have to suggest that your pants are on fire. "Making stuff up" is being untruthful (i.e., lying).

David
 
Do your job. Don't sign/seal the documents until the other stuff is taken care of for insurance.

When they stop paying you, you stop working. Until then, act like a professional, because you are one.
 
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