I
saw this story yesterday, and some of you might've even read it yesterday, but
it bothered me all day because for some of you on the job hunt like I am,
things like this should not be happening to us. People should just be honest
and stop being boneheads! Especially, in tough times like this! Here's how this
heartbreaking story went; Erinn Alberts of New Hampshire received a phone call
last month that was set to be a life-changer for her. It was an offer to work
at the Florida offices of the Digital Domain Media Group, a special effects
house known for their work on blockbuster films like Titanic and Transformers.
This was an absolute dream job! So, what do you do when you get an opportunity
like this? You pack up your family, and you move to Florida, which is what they
did.
Erinn,
her husband Aaron (that's not even a joke!), and their kids sold their
furniture loaded up the car with their clothes and drove 1400 miles from New
Hampshire to Port St. Lucie for Erinn's dream job! The family cheered and sang
songs the whole way down! Minutes before they pulled into town, it was Aaron
who would receive another life-changing phone call. This phone call came from a
woman at Digital Domain who helped the family find their temporary apartment.
She asked, "Have you talked to HR yet?" Aaron and Erinn knew that bad
news was coming after hearing that question. It turned out; the Port St. Lucie
offices were laying off all but 20 employees, and the Production Accountant
position that Erinn accepted no longer existed. WHAT? In fact, this past
Tuesday, Digital Domain announced that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection. The company is being sold to a private investment firm for $15
million and its facilities in Vancouver and Los Angeles are staying open. So,
then why can't they just keep their promise and give Erinn a job at one of
those locations? I don't get it.
Erinn
Alberts said that the feeling of 'coming home' suddenly turned to desperation.
The family only had $200 to live on and the clothes they packed in their car.
Aaron, who is currently looking for work in Florida, said that he understands
that a lot of families were hurt by Digital Domain going Chapter 11, but the
company should know that they left one company stranded. Okay, now for what I
think! I think that Digital Domain was absolutely wrong here and they need to
make this right for this family. Someone should have called them earlier to let
them know the situation rather than surprise them as they were pulling into
town. On the other hand, if I was the Alberts, I would not have sold my house
and furniture and other belongings in New Hampshire just yet, because as many
know, not all jobs work out the way you want them to. Therefore, I would've had
Erinn fly down to Florida alone for a month or so while tied up the loose ends
in New Hampshire. This way if Erinn hated the job or something like this
happened, all she had to do was fly home and they still had a home in New
Hampshire. Then again, they only had $200 to their name so I'm not sure how
much flying Erinn would've been able to do, but if the company was willing to
pay a relocation package, they would've paid to fly her down. I'm just saying
that's the way I would've handled this, and not saying that the Alberts were
wrong!
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