Why, congratulations 
Eat cake and be merry 
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Happy birthday
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I’ve never not been in a Union.
Yeah I can’t see things improving on that front under Trump 
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Unions are so important.
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Yeah, it’s kind of like, right now, we’ve got the guys that want to eat your eyes in charge, but while the guys in charge before that didn’t want to eat your eyes, they were willing to let the other guys eat one of them…
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I’ve also been part of a union my entire working life. It’s pretty much given for everyone over here. Although, our current government is planning on making it easier to fire people and take away some of employees’ rights…
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Funny thing is that in my last job, there were a lot of people in a union, but that was a different job category and the main company, whereas I was in a subsidiary, and they were very clear that they didn’t want our subsidiary unionizing…
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That’s illegal here. Legally you cannot ban Unions in workplaces.
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Happy Birthday!!
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I love my union. They have helped me a lot in different situations at work. They also help with money if I lose my job.
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I haven’t needed any help from my union yet, but that is exactly why I’m a member. And also because they’ll pay me unemployment benefits if I ever end up losing my current job.
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Happy birthday! 
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Companies can fire poor performers, and there are hoops they need to jump through. The reason I have a month is that they are doing that jumping now. My manager cited specific examples of times where I had fallen short of expectations, and now they have put me on a performance improvement plan with specific criteria I must meet. So, these are the hoops.
These examples were almost all six months old, from the beginning of my current project when I stumbled. I think he wanted to be rid of me then, but waited until the implementation phase wound down. I think, therefore, that the “plan” is a legal requirement and they’ll let me go at the end of that period no matter what I do.
As to what I do, it’s in the tech sector, but for the last 4 1/2 years my job title has been “manager”. I don’t want to be a manager and my technical skills mostly revolved around my previous company’s proprietary software. Last time around I applied left, right and center for six months and only managed to get an interview at one company, and I only got that one when I contacted someone from my old company who worked there. I don’t have high expectations for the next job search.
So, it’s not the age so much as the experience. I have too much to be considered for most jobs, and not enough of the right experience to be considered for most other jobs.
Oh, and @monkeyshaver - no, I’ve never been in a union.
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Unless it was something serious, I completely get where you’re coming from. I feel the same. People get ill. All of us. It’s just part of the natural way of things. People then recover. Regression to the mean. I’m not bothered if a colleague (or even friend) is unwell. It happens. Of course, I’m sorry for them …if I like them (does that sound callous?) but it doesn’t affect me in any meaningful way because, like breathing, it’s a part of life.
Obviously, if someone I knew was seriously ill… that would be different. Not feeling well? Shame, but I’m not going to be overboard about it. It seems… disingenuous to me when people are excessively emotive about a colleague having snuffles or headaches. Not nice for the person who feels unwell. I understand. I can sympathise without feeling the need to overtly signpost my deep distress at their, typically perfectly normal, illness (because, let’s face it, that simply wouldn’t be authentic of me).
Just realised how awful that makes me seem when I write it like that, but I genuinely don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s called having ‘reasonable perspective’? At least, that’s how I see it.
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not at all, I agree with you completely! And in my case here, yes my colleague threw up and wasn’t doing so hot but she was also being watched by the guy, there wasn’t much more I could do, and I’ve only been working these for two weeks, I don’t know any of them that well 
I don’t think you’re unreasonable for thinking like that at all, or you are then I am too 
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As an addendum to my last post, may I add…
…(and I fully accept that some lovely people are deeply emotive and respond differently to me… which is just fine)…
…that I do care (and deeply) about people, about fairness, equality of opportunity, about basic rights and wrongs but that I also feel inauthentic or contrived expression of excessive emotion is actually harmful in that it is a facade, a pretence of caring that takes correct focus away from where it is really needed. I dislike the often strident and melodramatic artifice of expression that I see all too commonly - yet basic fairness and consideration of genuinely important matters of oppression, suppression or assumed privilege and unwarranted entitlement go unchallenged.
I care. I feel. I just choose to direct it where I feel it is most warranted.
There now. That feels better, doesn’t it? BREATHE! Ahhhh yes.
Good.
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As always, @sircarolyn, you write with consummate clarity, common sense and understanding. Thank you for making me smile! 
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Not made my day: my train got cancelled 
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Deeply saddening, and I hope things work out well for you @kevinwho.
One thing that really struck me about your post was when you wrote “I’m poorly suited to my position”. This bothers me because that really isn’t your fault. Your employer should have assessed your suitability for role at interview/selection. I obviously can’t comment on what you have or have not done that you would normally be expected to as I don’t know you nor any of the details. That said, it is only reasonable for someone in a post to be appropriately supported in order to fulfill their role fully and to the best of their ability. There is a responsibility (even if it may not be legally required - I don’t know about the US) for an employer who gives someone a role to ensure they are able to make good on that role by being appropriately supported and receiving appropriate training/opportunities to develop required skills. Any perceived deficit at point of employment should really be their responsibility to rectify.
Sadly, it seems the case (it’s certainly the case in the UK and, with Trump, may be even moreso the case in the US) that legal requirements for companies to fulfill ethical responsibilities to employees seem to be diminishing, whilst opportunities for companies to exploit (and, increasingly, discard) employees seem to be growing. There is a rot growing in the heart of society, a rot that has become established like a saprophytic fungus and is now spreading outwards. We are, I feel, in many countries, going backwards right now. Progress seems to have taken a turn into a cul de sac, has turned around at the end and is now more ‘regress’ than ‘progress’.
Apologies, as I may be rambling a little. Anyway, very best wishes and you have my hopes that things work out (sooner rather than later).
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