As with many companies these days my company had to do massive layoffs this week. I was able to dodge the ax myself and still have a job, though I do not trust the stability of the company right now (i've already interviewed at 2 other places this past week). About half the company is being laid off today, others were given an option to stay at a reduced salary. A lot of my friends are being let go today and they dont even know it yet. I was given a list yesterday of people who's system access needed to be shut off, going down the list there were a lot of people i was friends with, not just at work friends but people who i was friends with outside of work. they've been to my place, i've been to theirs. i sat there looking at the list and i wanted to cry because at least for a few i know what sort of personal financial responsibilities they have and i have no idea what they will do. whats makes me even more sick is that everyone knows that i would have known about the layoffs, granted i didnt know who was being let go till yesterday late morning, i knew there were going to be cuts made last week. I was forced to sign document that was basically a NDA yesterday before i was given "the list" so my hands were tied. I gave a few of my closer friends last week subtle hints about possibly they should move on start looking for other jobs since they've been at the company for 2 years now. so at least a few of them started looking but i dont know how serious they may have taken my subtle advice I told them I was looking for another job and that was the truth. everyone else is supposed to come in at 11am (PST) today for a company meeting. I'm already here working. Its not going to be a pretty day today. A lot of people will be crying, others screaming, others may take it in stride (some are PT college students so the job isnt a huge deal for them) I just know some of my friends who are parting ways will hate me now because they probably will feel that I didnt have their back and at least tell them about what was going to happen. I wish I could but I didnt know until yesterday myself the exact people and I didnt know how many cuts were going to happen i certainly didnt think it was going to be this many. man it is going to be a depressing day its already a ghost town right now in the office because the employees (the production employee, i work in IT) were told to come in later and then god only knows how some will react and I just know i am going to lose some friends at the end of the day over all this mess when if i had any say in it I would have done what I could to either warn them or help them keep their job. They will still blame me its human nature to do that at first hopefully once they can get back on their feet we could go back to being friends sigh
That is a tough position for you to be in. The only thing you can do is let them know that you had no hand in their firings, the NDA, etc. They'll definitely understand someday when they're in your shoes..... Do you work in a large corporation? I'm in a mid-size corporation and feel fairly safe due to ongoing health issues with my boss and pending maternity leave for one of my team members, but it's definitely tough times all around for many.
two weeks before xmas. that's mean. The_Yoyo, do you think you didn't get the ax, because they need you right now to turn off system access to the others, like they can't risk pissing you off. Hope they don't say, "OK, thx for doing that for us, but now ... "
same happened here last week. I ended up with a promotion, but it's bittersweet when you know good people are being let go in a tough economy.
i really don't think they'd be mad at you since you had nothing to do with the layoffs. everyone in this economy should not think they are safe and people should plan for the worst so it's up to them. i do understand how it can be difficult for you to already know the names. i can tell you are a feeler, but hang in there....everyone is in for changes coming up so be smart with your money and keep your contacts nearby.
My friend got laid off from his job at Riceland about two weeks ago but they said he can come back in the middle of January. They did the same thing to him last year. It baffled me why they would do that during Christmas.
sounds like they are laying him off once a year to prevent him from qualifying for tenured benefits, bonuses or raises
sorry to hear that...i'm sure most of your friends won't hate you...they'll understand that you're doing your job...if they choose to hate you because of that, then well you might want to reconsider the friendship. you've done what you could without getting in trouble. you gotta look out for yourself first... this is starting to get to me...i am worried that any loved ones or i will get the axe...it's depressing!
That is so suckage bro, I'm sure some of your friends will understand, but then again some of them are bound to be bitter. sounds like its time for your pilgrimage to H-town.
I can't see how your friends would hold anything against you. They're smart enough to know that you had nothing to do with it. Did the company give any warning? Are they telling them they will be laid off in so-and-so weeks or laid off today? Any severence packages? My company is up for sale at the moment. Probably about mid-2009 I will be looking for another job. But if I left now, I would lose my severence package, so I'm just going to stick around while quietly putting together a 'Plan B'.
no i dont think that is the case. like I said already i dont think the stability of the company so i have been looking for jobs. my boss and I run the entire IT dept and a lot of the company in terms of support. if either one of us abruptly goes the company is going to pretty much be screwed without someone else there being able to help pick up the pieces. there are 3 production servers here, including our exchange server that i built from the ground up and maintain and i am responsible even my boss doesnt really know how to work any of that so if i was ever let go i would be given a notice for my own sake and for the company's sake. i have a great relationship with my boss and he assured me that as long he as is employed here i would be and the only way he would be let go is if the company shut down then we'd all be screwed anyway. what is happening and is going to likely happen is that the recent cuts were made to reduce costs as much as possible and then in jan, feb, mar, april (which have historically for the past 50 years been the most profitable months) make the company look more attractive for an investor to buy. once/if that happens then they will start hiring people again and things will probably go back to normal in some sort of way. but if the company isnt sold then it will shut down. either way I couldnt chance it on someone buying it in a few months. at least it gives me time to find something new til april and like I said I already have had a few call backs and interviews already. i started my job hunt at the beg of the month. if all goes well with me I will be out of here at the end of the year by my own accord.
no notice was given to the employees they let go. i think they were just under the minimum amount that would have qualified as a "mass layoffs" in the state of california. no severance package were given
^^ cool, glad to here that. Sometimes a lot of IT is considered out-sourceable to save money, but doesn't sound like that's the case for you. It does sound like you are as secure as the company is. wrt co-worker friends getting bitter. some of those are the type of "friends" who probably wouldn't keep in touch with you had they left on their own terms. in otherwords, people who are friends from work, often drift apart when they get new jobs. you'll see them around months from now, and they'll probably say "So, you still working for that sucky company." right. People who get laid off from small to mid-size companies tend to eventually look down on people who remain, because they'll talk themselves into considering it a dead end job.
no severance shows a complete lack of competence on the part of upper mgmt. With proper forecasting and common decency, you lay-off a month or two weeks earlier and give the employees the salary that you saved. What are they gaining by making them work for 2-weeks, when they could have let them go with 2-weeks pay, to, you know...help them pay their bills. It takes a little while for unemployment to kick in.
yeah that probably is the case there are a few who i know will be pissed at me and will move on that will be sad at first but i can deal with that. there are 2 people though who i am good friends with that will worry me but they are the ones i think will get over it and be friends again. funny i had a friend here who was fired and we had lunch about a month ago, we didnt really talk too much after she left but when we had lunch she asked if i was still with that company and that when i was going to leave. i told her in a half a year when i can at least make my resume a bit more legit with some more experience. yeah the job itself isnt bad it was an entry level IT job for a guy like me 2.5 years ago with no real experience in the field I was planning to stay here around 3 years so i build some experience before trying to start applying for either a higher paying entry level or a mid-level IT job. so my own timeline for my "career" here was coming to an end anyway. yeah no severance package the majority of the employees being let go are the "bottom of the totem pole" workers who at most companies wouldnt get any severance anyway. other than any accrued vacation/sick time. state of california says 60 days notice must be given if a company is shutting down that has more than 60 employees or if a company is planning to lay off more than 60 employees at once i think 60 is the magical number that is a "mass layoff" i think by my count we have about low 50s. what made me upset was that at first it was about 64 but they kept some employees to save the company more money overall. i understand its business but that just made me mad since at least with a 60 day notice they can find something else and still have a paycheck for the next 2 months. well 10 minutes till ***** starts hitting the fan around here. i am thinking of just closing the door to my office
Wow, that's cold. I didn't realize you weren't in Texas. Last time I got laid off, we got: 6 months notice Severance of 3 weeks base salary X every year w/the company Retention bonus if you stayed to the bitter end Keep in mind, this position was in NO WAY a top tier position - it was basically just a worker bee position. I ended up taking another position before the 6 months, but some of my friends timed it right so that they got new positions the week after the 6 months were over, so they got their retention bonuses plus a new job the following Monday. I still wish I would have done it that way, but who knows if I could have worked it like that. Hell, a few even mangaged to get their retention bonuses AND severance by leaving the company then catching on in another department a month later.
Friends will understand your positions those that don't . .. aren't friends .. . some may act out and be hurt . .. but they will come back an apologize if they don't and continue to be an *ss about it. . . .leave them and their negativity Sorry you were put in such a position Rocket River
so it started one of my friends hugged me and said that she will kept in touch and said it was ok. another guy shook my hand he and i were pretty cool but it was just a PT job for him. there are a decent amount of wet eyes around here. i am trying to distance myself from it as much as possible its hard to see some of their faces especially some of these people you've worked with and have seen around now having to face serious hardship. i think most people who are still working are going to go home early to no one is in the mood to be around here today
