So this is what unemployement feels like.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
Owch. Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Corporate euphemisms are getting really silly.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I'm sorry.
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
You're not the only one -- if that's a comfort.
Good luck.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
That doesn't sound much better than "Job Deleted", which has occurred to me at least twice.
Sorry to hear about it. Best of luck.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Getting laid off is no fun, Trent. What type of job was it?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Sorry to hear that.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Job Discontinuation, it sounds almost pleasant
It doesn't sound very pleasant for Job. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Eh, things got bad enough for him that he probably would have welcomed discontinuation, there toward the end.
Posted by Saephon (Member # 9623) on :
I'm sorry I wish you, and everyone else struggling right now for that matter, the best of luck.
Posted by Trent Destian (Member # 11653) on :
Application Development and Support. My situation is a complicated one, but long story short, my being let go was never outside the realm of possibility once the economy went bad.
I get severance out of it, first time receiving something like that. I'm still fairly young in the game so this is my first time being let go from any sort of job. I've had internships that ended before, but never just let go.
It's not just me though, there were people going into "meetings" all day on my floor.
This isn't some sort of crisis, I have plenty of avenues and am a practical person, but it made me feel...odd nonetheless. When my boss and HR rep gave me the news, the rep was a bit surprised by my reaction. She said that I was taking this very well, I almost seemed happy. I said, "Well it's not like I didn't consider this, and you're here offering a college student with very few expenses a pleasant severance package that'll keep me warm for a good while. My situation isn't at all as bad as others your talking to today."
I'm not actually gone until end of January, but my boss told me I could leave early today. I said "No need I'm fine", and truthfully I felt fine. I went back to my desk and started working again. The lady who sits near me comes back from a "meeting", promptly grabs her bag, shuts down her computer and leaves. That's when it hit me. I emailed my boss, told him I'd see him next week and left early. Despite the money I'm getting, the impending release from a job I never liked in the first place, and the knowledge that this was very likely a good thing for me, it didn't keep me from feeling sick to my stomach and in a daze until I started writing this post.
I'm a logical creature of the highest order, to the point of many accusing me of having and showing very little raw emotion. I think things through, I don't usually get upset. But even as every neuron in my head is firing off and telling me that's it's no fault of mine, that this was unavoidable, and that you're getting off so easy compared to others...I feel like an utter failure.
I'm apologize for my ramblings, it's atypical I assure you. Maybe this is even my longest post to date. I'll feel better, there isn't a doubt about that, just a momentary lapse in my usual demeanor and for once I wanted to share. I appreciate your sympathies and thank you for your time.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Trent Destian: I'm apologize for my ramblings
No need. What you're going through is very normal.
Good luck!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
What rivka said.
It sounds like you're handling things pretty well. I'm glad that the situation isn't dire for you, and that you've got the perspective on all of this that you do.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I've been laid off twice. The second time was quite painful, because it was a job I enjoyed and I felt I was contributing value to the company. I was also supporting a family and my wife was expecting our third child. The sudden uncertainty was frightening. Plus, I still don't see any reason behind why I got laid off (along with most of my department) and I'm still a little bitter about it. Not enough to torch the company, but certainly enough not to be enamored of it anymore.
We all figured out the day we would all be let go, and conspired to wear black that day and keep laughing. Nevertheless, the atmosphere felt like they were pulling people out into the yard and shooting them instead of just letting them go. I imagine most layoffs feel like that.
But landing on the street did shake me out of complacency a little. I was suddenly in the job market again and couldn't coast anymore. I learned a lot about my profession in the months I was out of full-time employment, made improvements, studied a lot, and I know that helped me land my next job when that finally came along--a job that pays significantly more than the job I was laid off from.
It sucks getting laid off because there rarely is a good, solid reason for it. Luckily, a layoff is rarely personal, and rarely reflects on your performance and value. It just happens. It's not your fault, even if it's frustrating (see first paragraph).
I'm glad you got severance and that you can have a good attitude about it. Not having work right now sucks, but it might allow you to go in directions you weren't ready to go in before, and that is often a very good thing.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
When I got laid off (part of the .com bubble burst), my father's reaction was "Great!". He went on to explain that he had worked for one company his entire career, and never had the confidence in his value to strike out on his own and demand what he was worth. He hoped that getting laid off once or twice early in my career would keep that from happening to me.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Job loss- bummer. Severance- a nice courtesy and can buy you some time while you job-hunt. Good luck and sorry to hear it. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
My uncle was "let go" last month. He did real estate for strip malls, which was very lucrative until recently. On the one hand, he's in his 60's and was close to retiring anyway, but on the other, he pays tuition for my cousins at TCU, which is $40 grand a year, so, it's up in the air as to whether it's really "early retirement" or a huge headache.
Personally I've had my hours cut back at work dramatically. I'm thankful ten times over that my car is paid off, otherwise I don't know what I'd do. Everyone at work was talking today about how bad things are, and were comparing sales and hours right now to a year ago, and grimly laughing at the fact that we thought LAST year was bad. It's nasty out there.
Good luck in finding a new job Trent and Noemon. I would hope that there isn't a lack of jobs out there for smart motivated people, and that that would be a good omen for you guys. Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
quote: It sucks getting laid off because there rarely is a good, solid reason for it.
My Dad was very lucky in that regard. When his power company was bought up by another one, they told them befoe the second round of layoffs that half his department would be let go. Half the department had a quarter of a million dollar license for soemthing. My Dad was not in that half.
It took him a while to make new contacts and for old friends to get new jobs and recommend him to people, but he's now doing contract work. It's essentially the same job for WAY more pay - and no benefits. But he's single, and my sister and I are grown and independant.
I remember him saying the best thing the company did was to offer everyone they laid off a course on resume writing and tips on getting a new job. If you can invest in something like that now, Trent, I know that realy helped him feel more in control if nothing else.
Here's to finding a way awesomer job than you had before. I don't know about all companies, but our CEO had already planned on retiring before the slump. And most of the Senior VPs will probably go in the next five years. We're looking at some nice promotions and hirings over the next few years. There's got to be other companies in the same boat.
Posted by AirLightTimeSpace (Member # 11806) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Corporate euphemisms are getting really silly.
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: When I got laid off (part of the .com bubble burst), my father's reaction was "Great!". He went on to explain that he had worked for one company his entire career, and never had the confidence in his value to strike out on his own and demand what he was worth. He hoped that getting laid off once or twice early in my career would keep that from happening to me.
I found this to be exactly the case for me. I loved my first "real" job, as a COBOL programmer in the early 80s in a group that was so fun and spirited that I'd feel sad if I ever had to miss work, and wonder what funny awesome thing I was missing out on that day. Our subsection of the larger company was shut down about 18 months after I joined, mainly because the bigger company didn't know how to be in the software business, and realized that.
It turned out to be a fantastic thing for my career. After about six weeks of looking I had 5 offers, all of them for more than I was making then. I would have stayed there forever had they let me, but this layoff taught me about the labor market and what it takes to get a good job. Since then I've found that every time I've left a company, (usually after 7 or 8 years but sometimes in as short as 6 months) it's been a step in the right direction. I've read as well that studies show that people who change jobs more often do better in the long run.
We tend to feel a lot of personal loyalty and connection to our jobs, and we come to be at home there like it's another family. So a layoff can feel devastating sometimes, almost like a death in the family. But we need to realize that a business relationship is not personal. Companies who hire us will keep us around (if they're ethical) exactly 2 weeks longer than it's profitable for them to employ us, and give us exactly the benefits they've contracted to give, and no more. Their business is to make money.
Similarly, we should be an equal partner in this business relationship, working continually to make ourselves more useful in the workplace, and be willing to leave to find greener pastures whenever they become available to us. After all, if your current company wants to make you a counter-offer to get you to stay, there's nothing stopping them from doing that.
Companies don't have the philosophy that they should pay people what they're worth. In a capitalistic society, companies' goal is to pay their people as little as they possibly can get by with paying. From time to time, labor has to move around in order to teach our companies the real worth of our jobs. When we do that, they almost always pay more to the next person in our old position, and we get more at our new place, and in the end the market for our particular skill has been adjusted a bit to match reality. Of course during bad economic times, the reverse unfortunately happens. But economic times change rapidly, and experience is the most valuable commodity there is. You'll likely be positioned far better to take advantage of better times ahead because of this present circumstance.
Do NOT give in to feelings of worthlessness. That's a drain on your energy that you can't afford right now. DO let the uncertainty jumpstart your efforts and engagement in the advancement of your career.
I totally agree with mph's dad that it can be a great thing to lose your job early in your career. I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me, mph, and many others. I wish you the best of luck, and hope you keep us up to date by letting us know how your job search is going.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:I remember him saying the best thing the company did was to offer everyone they laid off a course on resume writing and tips on getting a new job. If you can invest in something like that now, Trent, I know that realy helped him feel more in control if nothing else.
If you are interested in this, my husband benefited very much from free courses of this sort put on by LDS Employment Services. They are open to everyone, LDS or not, and are the same kinds of services many people charge for, done free as a service to the community. Like I said, they REALLY helped my husband.
Posted by Trent Destian (Member # 11653) on :
My company is offering several programs for the people that are being laid off, including resume workshops and contacts with workforce agencies, all categorized as Employee Assistance Program. Thank you for your concern and well wishes everyone, I'll keep you posted on any developments in my search.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
I was laid off once, and I can relate to how you described the day. I was a college student, in my second year, and the job was only part-time.
I went in to work and began my shift. Within the first ten minutes, the manager of our section came over and said, "I need to talk with you in the meeting room." I knew, at that moment, exactly what she was going to tell me. They offered me the rest of the workday as a severance package, but I didn't take it. I just went home. I remember the feeling pretty well, almost exactly like you described it. Some nausea, a kind of 'why me?' question running through my brain, and a little confusion.
As the manager explained, the layoff was not personal. The company had made mistakes, and this was not a reflection on me...she felt awful and was quite upset at the situation. I'm sure everyone else got the same speech, but I don't doubt her sincerity. She was a genuine person.
I took refuge in my other responsibility, at the time, with my position in student government. I had a friend to talk to there, right after this happened, and talking about what happened definitely soothed some of my nerves. I wonder if he remembers that day as vividly as I do?
Despite the fact that I didn't like that job, I'm still quite annoyed with how the situation materialized. I'm not going to burn the company here, despite the fact they're being swallowed alive by another company.
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