Have any of you ever been laid off? If so, how did it happen? Massive layoffs going on where I work. A 25% reduction in staff which will likely be followed by another 25% reduction in a few months. Odds are not in my favor. I could get laid off today, and the likelihood of it increases with each day until next Friday when it is a near certainty. So in the meantime I'd be interested to hear about how your experiences with getting laid off have played out. Did you know about it beforehand? Was it a small/big company? Did you get a severance package and if so was it generous? How long had you been working there? What was the industry? Were you entry level, mid-career, or very experienced/executive? Did they help you find another job? Are/were you sour about it?
I've never been laid off. However I've been around others that have been laid off and in my experience getting laid off "first" or early seems to be much better. Beyond the obvious "waiting around" that sucks, assuming it is just a staff reduction and generally you are as competent as the next guy, you are out there looking for work again "earlier".... And occasionally those first cuts come with some type of severance package the later cuts don't quite get. But again, this is from limited experience. Good luck!
Industry? Region? There have been a few departures where I work. I wouldn't say I saw them coming but the company definitely had information on its website that made it clear that times are tight. Also, my industry (oil and gas) is experiencing layoffs and capex reduction. Bummer.
Best of luck. If you think it is probably inevitable, start working on your resume and sending it out immediately so you are ahead of the curve with all of your coworkers being laid off. So sorry
My company has had a number of layoff situations over the 25+ years I have been there. For the most part we have always had 800-1200 employees spread across the world. There were usually rumblings about layoffs prior to them occurring, but there were a couple of surprise ones. The severance packages ranged from great (6 weeks + 2 weeks for every year you have been there + accrued vacation time) to crummy (3-6 weeks of pay). As far as I know, they did not actively help anyone find a job, but they did hold some seminars designed to help people pursue jobs.
I've applied to 52 jobs in the past 3 weeks. Even if I survive this cut this isn't a good place to be right now, so I have definitely been looking elsewhere. The problem is that with those 52 applications I've only had 1 interview, and that office is an 80 minute drive from where I live
Sorry to hear this, man. My entire department got laid off back in 2005, but it was in 3 different phases and my phase was the last one. That meant I had 6 months to find another job before my old one ended. I found another job in the company during that time and tried to work it to where I could start after my old job ended so I could get the retention bonus, but they wouldn't wait for me. I missed getting about 20K by 2 weeks. I've heard people say getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to them because it forced them to find something they love to do and make a living doing it. Happened to a buddy of mine who now works at sportsradio 610.
was laid off 2 years ago when I worked at the Verizon Wireless call center Did you know about it beforehand? We closed in end of August '12 and they let us know mid March '12 Was it a small/big company? I'd say it was a big company Did you get a severance package and if so was it generous? They gave us the option to re-locate with $10k to help out with the move, this was never an option to me, it wasn't that big of a job worth relocating. I stuck around till the end, got a nice package, about 25% of my yearly salary since I was there a little more than 6 years. How long had you been working there? was there from July '06 till they closed Aug '12 What was the industry? telecommunications Were you entry level, mid-career, or very experienced/executive? I'd say entry level, there was opportunity to move up, but was passed over a few times. The ironic thing is that I worked in a different/higher position the last 4 months I was there, but no pay raise obviously Did they help you find another job? They had seminars they offered on working on your resume, job interview skills, and other suggestions. It didn't really help me honestly. Are/were you sour about it? Yes, and no. It sucks being laid off, but I did have 9 months off before I found another job, they gave me a severance package, and STILL got unemployment for all 9 months. It all happened for a reason, and to be honest, if I didn't get laid off, I would probably still be working there Everybody is going to be in different situation, I was 30 at the time, single, no kids, living with the parents, it wasn't as bad as the rest of my coworkers with different situations. Good luck man, hopefully it all works out for you, feel free to ask anymore questions if you have any
Laid off once in 2008 after surving 4 rounds that started in 2001. We used to be 55 employees in IT dev team and I was the last one kept until the product that I was supporting was fully outsourced to India.
I worked at WaMu for a couple years, after highschool. Got laid off when they merged with JP Morgan. To answer your questions: Did not know it was going to happen; Was a big company; No severance package; Worked there for 3 years; Banking; Entry level age at a mid-career level; did not help me find another job; was sour for a couple weeks, but life goes on....respectively.
Did you know about it beforehand? - No Did you get a severance package and if so was it generous? - 1 week per year How long had you been working there? - 9 What was the industry? - IT Were you entry level, mid-career, or very experienced/executive? - very expereinced Did they help you find another job? - No but they allowed me to work for one of their clients. Are/were you sour about it? - No, i wanted to leave but that non-compete ***** gave me a hard time looking for a better opportunity.
I've never been laid off but I think it's a fear of any millenial. I always keep my resume up to date and stick my nose in the company's financials. If I suspect revenue problems I jump ship. I've only had to jump ship once but I was the 1st guy out, followed by the COO, 2 VP's, etc... Luckily I directly impact revenue in marketing and can demonstrate my value. I bring in more than I get paid. It's a good way to stay safe. Recently we went through a big layoff where I'm at, a huge one. HUGE. But I knew I was safe. I did my best to stay on top of what was happening so I have some answers to those questions. Did you know about it beforehand? I saw the possibility of layoffs coming about 3 months in advance judging from the revenue numbers. I talked to my boss about the numbers and realized I was safe regardless. An eery email was sent out around Christmas (ouch) letting employees know things weren't looking good. That's about it. Was it a small/big company? Small, but it's coupled with a larger company of 500+ across the US. Unique situation. If it's a smaller company you can see it coming easy, if it's huge you should be able to as well. If it's medium... not always easy. Did you get a severance package and if so was it generous? I believe most folks got 1-3 months salary, a month or two to look for a new job while still being employed (which was nice). I think someone negotiated a year's salary if there were massive layoffs when they came on board. How long had you been working there? 2 years. Were you entry level, mid-career, or very experienced/executive? Mid-career I guess? Management. I kind of do my own thing and it's applicable to any industry. Did they help you find another job? HR was available to help with resumes, they provided good references as well. They helped a few folks get reassigned to other positions/locations. Are/were you sour about it?Man, these folks were SOUR. As a millenial who's seen this stuff happen, I thought it was a sound business move, I couldn't blame them for making it, and I felt like the company was nice for letting people know so far in advance. In a Daryl Morey, view everything as assets bubble - I was all for the move. People my age... we've seen people in our family lose their jobs to emerging technology or a ****ty economy. We've seen our parents lose benefits, stock earnings, etc... we entered a **** job market. Outside of a few companies there are no longer corporate ladders, pensions, no growth and development opportunities. Now small biz is getting screwed with healthcare. I feel like Bane, I was born in a pit of darkness, but now I'm equipped to deal with the ****storm.
was laid off in 2008. No notice. 2 weeks severance. Job market sucked then so it was tough. I was middle management.
Googling this shows that it is different based on the laws of the state. In some instances, there is no impact, in others, there is an impact if the severance averages out to more than the weekly unemployment benefit. In addition, after the severance 'runs out' you are then eligible for the full unemployment benefits.
Yes I was last year. Did you know about it beforehand? No I didn't know I'd be laid off in particular to be honest. I had an inkling, just a gut feeling but the company was so disconnected from people, but what they did do was wierd. They were telling the entire company to get our resume's ready, brought in other company employees to talk to us, had an out of office meet and greet with them, just plain old weird stuff. Was it a small/big company? We were a company bought out by GE so we were mid sized until then, but being apart of them made us big and we all basically had employee numbers. Hate that kinda crap. Did you get a severance package and if so was it generous? Actually I did, somewhere in the 1 week per but it was reduced down further than what my original company had so it was less than that, and the severance is taxed with that 40% supplemental tax so half the money was gone by the time I got the check. How long had you been working there? 14 years What was the industry? Commercial real estate although that wasn't my particular duties. Were you entry level, mid-career, or very experienced/executive? Mid Career I guess. I wasn't a manager or anything but they were laying some of them off too. The entire marketing dept got wasted at the same time, it was just awful. Did they help you find another job? Heck no, not me personally. It was just a bad time for me because I had just got a new house and im married with 2 kids. Since everything is online, looking for jobs on the internet can be stressful. I was also looking before this all happened. I got some responses, alot of places didnt respond, got a phone interview and that was about it. Are/were you sour about it? No I was relieved. I was tired of driving the route which took too long, had to drive on the worst highway in america everyday, so I wasnt getting much sleep, I was stressed at work and it was all just flat out unhealthy to be honest. I said i'd take a month off before I started looking again which I did do but I am still looking (see above)at the moment. Best bet would be going through agencies to help you look. Can't say I haven't enjoyed no stress of the drive or waking up not being on other peoples schedules so I honestly have no complaints about that. I just need to be in a better place of work at this point. Hopefully I can learn CSS so I can start working with my bro in law on wordpress sites,and he'll give me jobs so I can eventually start working from home.
Im in california and severance didn't stop me from getting unemployment. Its just that it only lasted 6 months.
Sorry to hear of your situation! Don't get yourself down on this, stay positive, it's all part of the process! The important thing is that you're being proactive and not waiting for it to happen! If you have to take a job that perhaps is not ideal, don't worry about it! It's only temporary until you find the job that's better suits your needs! One thing that helps me in difficult situations is knowing that " this to shall pass", it's only a bump on the road, the important thing is that you're still driving!! Good Luck!! ....... ....... .......
