Tuesday, February 05, 2008

No longer cheering

My boss just called to tell me she resigned.

My reaction is unprintable here (because I checked off "no profanity" for my BlogHer ads).

Picture a long string of expletives and you will get the idea. I love my boss. I have been reporting to her since I came back from my maternity leave after Jo was born. (I probably wouldn't have even come back if I still had to report to my previous boss, a single man and pompous ass.) A working mom of three herself, she has been my champion while I transitioned back to work, got the hang of pumping, asked to work at home two days a week, moved away, had another baby.

She embraced my proposal to continue to work for her as a telecommuter after we moved to Mayberry, an arrangement we've had now for almost four years. Personally and professionally, she is extremely supportive and protective of her staff. Hands down, she is the best boss I've ever had. She's also a lot of fun--literally someone you'd want to sit down and have a beer with, which I've done often. She's a straight-talking Italian from Jersey and I will miss her very much.

For the foreseeable future I'll be reporting to her boss. She told him to keep me and let me continue what I've been doing, but who knows if he will (or if I'll be able to deal with him). I knew this wouldn't last forever but it still sucks to see it come to an end.

20 comments:

Leighann of Multi-Minding Mom said...

Good luck. If it wasn't for my family-friendly office, I don't know what I would do. I hope it works out for you.

Magpie said...

Damn. Good luck with everything. I hope you get to keep doing what you like to do, from home, with support from above.

Amy said...

oh that sucks. that happened when I had The Poo. I was out on grief leave when my boss left, and that was in the middle of my pregnancy. My previous boss (a woman) agreed to let me work from home two days a week. The new (male) boss said no.

So I quit.

I hope your situation works out!

ewe are here said...

It's hard to lose people you work well with. I wish you luck with your 'new' boss...

motherbumper said...

That really sucks - the uncertainty of everything. Sorry that your awesome sounding boss has moved on. I hope all goes well with the new boss.

Julie Pippert said...

Oh RATS! I'm sorry that happened. Tough situation.

I went through that too. But never mind my story.

Hang in there and hope it all works out well soon.

Suzanne said...

Oh, I feel your pain! Good bosses that support an employee's family life are too rare. I hope that your arrangement can withstand this transition and that the new boss is similarly supportive!

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

Oh no! I am so sorry. I have a very family friendly work arrangement (work 16 hours in the office and 16 from home) and my boss is just fabulous and a mom to two kids. I hope everything continues to go smoothly for you!

Jennifer (ponderosa) said...

Oh, good luck! This happened to me in December -- the boss who'd been my champion was forced out of that position & a different woman got it. So far it's going well, but like you said -- it feels tentative!

Does this mean you'll be taking a trip to The City soon?

Lady M said...

I'm sorry to hear that! A champion boss makes a big difference. I had a great boss who transfered to a different division while I was on maternity leave last time. My new boss was good too, but it was so hard to see her go. Coincidentally, she only lives a few blocks from our new house, so she came over for the SuperBowl party !

I hope that the new boss works out well for you.

Julie Marsh said...

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. I'm really sorry. I know how much you love her, and how such changes can mess up a good work sitch.

Angela said...

That really stinks! I'm so sorry. Great bosses are very rare indeed. I really hope your telecommuting status remains unchanged, fingers crossed!

the mama bird diaries said...

That is a bummer. Hopefully, you'll get a good one!

I still remember my favorite boss of all time. He was the best.

If I'm every a boss again (because something tells me I'm not REALLY the boss of this household), I hope I'll be a good one.

Anonymous said...

It's so hard to lose a great boss. My sympathies.

Unknown said...

Oh no! I am sorrry!

Binkytowne said...

Major suckage. The most important thing to any working mom, no matter what she does is a cool boss. He may not be as cool but I hope this one is at least tolerable.

Binkytowne said...

Major suckage. The most important thing to any working mom, no matter what she does is a cool boss. He may not be as cool but I hope this one is at least tolerable.

Christina said...

That really, really sucks, and I can see why you're worried.

I worked from home for four years, and probably would have been able to keep doing it if management hadn't changed. (In my case, my manager died of a heart attack suddenly.) My manager's boss was not so sympathetic to the needs of the telecommuters, sadly. He completely got rid of telecommuting while I was on maternity leave with Cordy, alienating 15 employees. Some came back to the office, but many had to quit.

I hope your new boss is a good guy who will honor your arrangement and understand the importance of work/life balance.

Lisa said...

What a bummer. Where is she going? Maybe if things don't work out with this other boss, she'll see a position and take you with her, so to speak?

Kimberly said...

Ugh. :-(

Good luck, I hope you can find a workable situation.