So I've been pretty on edge for most of the week and here's why:
Tuesday evening my friend who's higher up in the office than I am tells me that she was told that 13 people are being let go tomorrow (wednesday). So I think "yikes, that sucks". And then I realize that I'm one of the least-experienced people in the office and I haven't been busy since the break. Hmmm. I proceed to kind of freak out a bit for the next hour.
It's very unnerving going into work knowing that something bad will happen any minute. Looking at your coworkers and knowing that they have no idea that their job may or may not be gone by the end of the day. It really made me sick to my stomach. However, Wednesday came and went. No layoffs. By the end of Thursday, I was much calmer about it. I had just come out of a meeting with my team and we all felt there was enough work to go around.
Today, however, the shit hit the fan. Around 345 I see all the principals and our boss gathered near the conference room with rather grim looks on their faces. As I'm walking by I glance in and see a handful of people who I know aren't on the same team standing in there. That's when I realized they're letting people go. A whole group.
10 people out of the 70 or so who work in our office got laid off today. We all work very closely together and everyone in the office is there because they are good at what they do. It's a high profile firm, so the people they hire are quality workers. You could tell that it was extremely difficult for them to lay off even just one person. I mean, how do you choose.
By some miracle, however, I wasn't chosen. Some of those who were, were real surprises. Some of them were really close friends. Actually two of them, guy and a girl, were probably my closest friends in the whole office. It was extremely sad. The guy was sad but more in a "what can you do" kind of way. My other friend though was definitely upset. It especially sucks for her because she's not a US citizen, so if she can't find a job, she has to go back home. When they actually left, I was ready to start crying. Like I seriously had to walk away from my desk. I just can't imagine how shitty that feels.
Maybe I don't handle change very well. Especially when it concerns people I care about. I really hope things turn around and we get more work and can bring people back. The principals brought all of us who were left together and told us what had happened afterwards. They said how difficult it is and unavoidable and that if things pick up, these are the first people they'll be calling to bring back on. I don't know how likely that will be, but I really hope they are able to come back.
Anyway, it was just a very sad day and I'm counting myself extremely lucky that I still have a job, but that doesn't mean I'm not still ready to cry just thinking about my friends and what they're going through right now. :(
I guess it's been a while....
6 years ago
4 comments:
i dont know how i would have reacted to any of this
I saw three major redundancies in my career - one was incompetent, one was savage, and one completely unnecessary - this latest series of events seems to be a combination of all three. My heart goes out to all those who lose their jobs for someone elses fault - and for those left behind in work, for all the guilt they have to deal with. The guilt, however, rests squarely with the same greedy pigs that always seem to prosper - which is why they live in constant fear - not a lot of comfort, I suppose.
Don't take it too hard, my friend; it's not your doing, and you can't fix it.
G =]
I'm just now getting back into reading blogs...sorry I've been MIA.
Sorry to "hear" about what happened at work. It's extremely hard. What really angers me about the economy right now is that back in the day when I was growing up (The Clinton Era), we grew up with that "go to college and you'll get a job" type of mentality. It was a for sure thing back in the day. And now, that "American Dream" isn't there anymore. I hope things work out for those were let go.
Take some advice from someone who got laid off: start saving, and always be on the lookout for another job just incase. Ya never know.
-L
Hey
Gotta be strong... Changes are always hard to deal with... And, despite every experience, we still fear what we don't know...
raphA
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