Gentlemen,
I wanted to share with you something that happened to me, that you may be aware of potential vulnerability.
I have been employed by an international company for 31 years. I am a “C-Level”. Or I will be a C-Level at this company for a few more weeks. During the entirety of my career, with this company and others, I have been the front-line negotiator and business partner responsible for drafting, negotiating, and reviewing commercial, vendor and other business-related contracts and amendments, liaising with internal business teams regarding their contract needs and leading the contract team. I have directly negotiated all our largest contracts.
I have a long history of excellent reviews. I have received company wards. I have developed, mentored and retained a management team ranging from 14 years tenure to 7 years tenure.
I point this out, only to suggest that I am no slouch of a performer. I am not good at many things, but I am very good at what I do. I should be. That is confidence, not arrogance.
This company used to be a very good company. It ran into financial problems and divested several business units. Now, it operates almost exclusively in the temporary staffing industry.
Last June I was reassigned to work for someone who was recently promoted after threatening to quit.
At that time, I voiced concern that she would undermine me. It has been a hellish last year. Since then, she has been suggesting that “only Attorneys should review and negotiate contracts”. Oh, and despite company policy requiring that I receive four performance reviews each year, I have received no performance reviews from my new boss. No reviews = no documentation that I have either been excelling or failing to meet expectations.
My company was recently acquired by another company, a private company (prior to this, we were traded on a major exchange). Since then, my boss has been fighting to keep her position, and I have discovered that she has sacrificed mine.
On Wednesday, I was contacted by a friend (an ex-employee) who told me that he was contacted by a recruiter from my company asking him if he was interested in a position at my company, a newly created position called “Senior Contracts Counsel”. He was alarmed, because it is my job position, except my boss added a requirement that candidates must have a JD and be a member of the Bar.
I called my boss and asked her if this was a position to replace me. She confirmed it was, but “this was a directive from [name of new company’s COO], “[New company] has decided they want to replicate their contracts model in the US as well as {another country]”, “the essential issue is that [name of new company COO] wants an Attorney to do the contract negotiations. If nothing else, this was a disgraceful way to find out and an immoral way to deal with a log term employee.
I have been told that these things are untrue. That person has been on PTO.
Oddly, I was asked to make a presentation to the new company’s CFO and General Counsel the day after this occurred escalated. Now, they want me to meet the new CEO.
Based on what she has done and because of the merger, there is a pretext that may make her veiled discriminatory (age and gender) basis for this action not illegal. I am consulting with Employment Counsel.
In other words, after being promoted to this position by then-General Counsel and the then-CEO about 23 years ago (with knowledge that I have an MBA, but do not have a JD) and having an accomplished record, suddenly this same position can only be filled by an Atty.
Some may see that as constructive dismissal. I do.
So, men, loyalty, while a virtue, appears to no longer exist.
I will be unemployed for the first time in my life. I question the marketability of a 63-year-old professional, based on the current view towards men in my demographic.
I told my management team. They told me that they will start looking for new jobs, and stayed as long as they had because of how we worked together.
I wanted to share with you something that happened to me, that you may be aware of potential vulnerability.
I have been employed by an international company for 31 years. I am a “C-Level”. Or I will be a C-Level at this company for a few more weeks. During the entirety of my career, with this company and others, I have been the front-line negotiator and business partner responsible for drafting, negotiating, and reviewing commercial, vendor and other business-related contracts and amendments, liaising with internal business teams regarding their contract needs and leading the contract team. I have directly negotiated all our largest contracts.
I have a long history of excellent reviews. I have received company wards. I have developed, mentored and retained a management team ranging from 14 years tenure to 7 years tenure.
I point this out, only to suggest that I am no slouch of a performer. I am not good at many things, but I am very good at what I do. I should be. That is confidence, not arrogance.
This company used to be a very good company. It ran into financial problems and divested several business units. Now, it operates almost exclusively in the temporary staffing industry.
Last June I was reassigned to work for someone who was recently promoted after threatening to quit.
At that time, I voiced concern that she would undermine me. It has been a hellish last year. Since then, she has been suggesting that “only Attorneys should review and negotiate contracts”. Oh, and despite company policy requiring that I receive four performance reviews each year, I have received no performance reviews from my new boss. No reviews = no documentation that I have either been excelling or failing to meet expectations.
My company was recently acquired by another company, a private company (prior to this, we were traded on a major exchange). Since then, my boss has been fighting to keep her position, and I have discovered that she has sacrificed mine.
On Wednesday, I was contacted by a friend (an ex-employee) who told me that he was contacted by a recruiter from my company asking him if he was interested in a position at my company, a newly created position called “Senior Contracts Counsel”. He was alarmed, because it is my job position, except my boss added a requirement that candidates must have a JD and be a member of the Bar.
I called my boss and asked her if this was a position to replace me. She confirmed it was, but “this was a directive from [name of new company’s COO], “[New company] has decided they want to replicate their contracts model in the US as well as {another country]”, “the essential issue is that [name of new company COO] wants an Attorney to do the contract negotiations. If nothing else, this was a disgraceful way to find out and an immoral way to deal with a log term employee.
I have been told that these things are untrue. That person has been on PTO.
Oddly, I was asked to make a presentation to the new company’s CFO and General Counsel the day after this occurred escalated. Now, they want me to meet the new CEO.
Based on what she has done and because of the merger, there is a pretext that may make her veiled discriminatory (age and gender) basis for this action not illegal. I am consulting with Employment Counsel.
In other words, after being promoted to this position by then-General Counsel and the then-CEO about 23 years ago (with knowledge that I have an MBA, but do not have a JD) and having an accomplished record, suddenly this same position can only be filled by an Atty.
Some may see that as constructive dismissal. I do.
So, men, loyalty, while a virtue, appears to no longer exist.
I will be unemployed for the first time in my life. I question the marketability of a 63-year-old professional, based on the current view towards men in my demographic.
I told my management team. They told me that they will start looking for new jobs, and stayed as long as they had because of how we worked together.