My niece, who just turned 25 on June 18, was let go from her job on June 25, first thing in the morning, about 9 a.m. It was one week shy of what would have been her three month anniversary there, i.e., the end of her probationary period. It was her first real job, which had taken her a long time to get, and she loved it. She had just had her first performance review about two weeks previously, and it was glowing; it was at a meeting with three of her bosses, and they could not have been more pleased with her work, and told her she was now officially a member of their marketing team, and put her to work on two films (she worked for a big company that produces and markets movies, TV shows, etc. She was working in the film division, in the marketing department).
She is devastated, understandably. What really bugs her is that she was given no reason for why she was being let go; she was called into the head of Marketing's office first thing that morning and told that they were going to have to let her go, and when she, in total shock, asked why, she was told "It's just not working out," and that nothing else could be said about it. Then she was passed over to the Human Resources person, who went to what had been my niece's office to retrieve the few personal belongings she had there; she wasn't even allowed to go back to the office to get her things. And then she was escorted out!
All this after, as I said, having received a wonderful performance review, and just generally knowing that everyone was very happy with her work. She was supposed to have spent the week doing all the print ads for the films one of her colleagues was responsible for, because she was going on vacation, so obviously they trusted her and thought she could do the job - this after not even three months! She often worked very late, she went in on weekends, she could not have given more to the place - and then, out of the clear blue sky, good-bye!
Her parents consulted their lawyer about the situation, and he advised them not to pursue any legal action against the company, because since the probationary period wasn't over, the company was breaking no laws - they were not required to give any reason for why they were letting her go. He said (and other knowledgeable people agreed with him) that it was most likely because of budgetary concerns; he said that the end of June is budget time and if a department is over budget, they very often cut the most junior person - that gives them the money they need. Or else it could be political within the department. Anyway, he said they've done nothing illegal, and that companies do this all the time.
My poor niece is crushed. She was extremely embarrassed, though we all told her she has absolutely no reason to be; she worked like a dog for them and did a wonderful job, and she knows they knew it. But now she's back to Square One, unemployed and looking for a job, and they're not easy to find when you majored in Theatre Arts. She finally got a job, all on her own, with no help from anybody, no knowing someone in the business, just her proven capabilities ... and now she has to start all over.
I feel horrible that I didn't see this coming. I was as thrilled as everyone else when she got the job, and I guess I was so happy and relieved that she'd finally gotten a genuine, permanent position (with benefits!) that I didn't want to see any flies in the ointment. I gave her a dozen long-stemmed red roses and heaved a sigh of relief that she'd finally found permanent employment.
If anybody has any comments on why this happened, and/or her future job prospects, I'd sure appreciate them; I'm so upset and angry I can't think straight. I am attaching two charts, that of my niece with the transits for the day it happened (which are for midnight), and that of the event itself, at 9:00 a.m.
