Laid Off

We just got the bad news at work that our whole site in Blue Bell is being shut down and we all have to find work at our sister company GMAC Mortgage or find work elsewhere. Long story short, they decided to merge GMAC Mortgage and GMAC-RFC (where I'm at) into one company to make our company stronger. Well, they have at least 3 GMAC locations right in Horsham, PA so they're going to be moving into the Fort Washington Expo Center late 2007. We all thought we were going to just move in the building with them and keep our jobs, but they also decided to eliminate our jobs as well. They told us that our jobs will be done in our Dallas and Waterloo, IA office.

I'm really sad about it as I've been there for 6 1/2 years and really enjoy the close work environment. I'm not too surprised as we've always worried about them closing us down as we're a small site (90 employees). But to actually hear we're going to close is a shocker. So, we have until February 28, 2007 till we close the doors. My co-workers in our San Diego office were really supportive to me and encouraged me that I would have no trouble finding work and that they would send recommendations if needed. They even have personal contacts with the "big wigs" in Horsham as many of them used to work for GMAC when they had an office in San Diego years ago. I was even encouraged and flattered because the guy who delivered the bad news to us from our Dallas office came up to me personally after the meeting and said not to jump ship and that he's heard good things about me from my boss. He said there are plenty of analyst and reporting positions there that can use my skills. I feel bad for most of my co-workers though as many of them do not have many skills except for being on the phones, so they're at a disadvantage.

So, now I have to update my resume and decide whether to stay as long as possible to get the severance or aggressively look now. If I decide to look at GMAC, I would still have to go through the whole interview process. I really hate that whole interviewing and waiting period. My biggest concern is if anybody will take me. I really would like to get a job there as my benefits and years of service would continue....it would just be a transfer in HR's point of view.

Well, all good things had to come to an end. I was really comfortable at my job and I really had it made....work 7:30-4:30 daily, boss was in Dallas, work from home on Fridays, lots of flexibility and control, nobody looking over my shoulder, etc. It was really perfect. I'm trying to look at this in a positive light and say that this will be good for me as I'll be challenged and there'll be a lot more opportunity there than we had as our site was very limited in jobs. If you can, please remember to pray for me as I am the sole "breadwinner" in our family and we can't afford to have a non-working parent. The thought crossed our mind to have Dan work and me stay at home, but the chances of him finding work after not working for 4+ years is slim. We have a better chance of me finding work and keeping a steady job....plus, we need to have stable benefits....health insurance is so expensive!