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Layoffs? LAYOFFS?!?!

#21
Difficult times for a lot of folks, that's for sure. Expect to hear/read more posts like this over the next several months, as well.

We have been fortunate and avoided laying any personnel off to date. Luckily, we operate very lean so we can absorb some slower times and keep everyone working. When it gets really busy we bring in hired labor for job specific durations.

Even though we have been pretty much "recession proof" in the past, we are starting to see a definite slowdown in current and future projects (we are an environmental/hazardous waste construction company). We just froze wages for 2009 and increased insurance contributions from all employees. All 401K matches for 2009 have been suspended, as well.

Best of luck to those who have lost their income .....
 
#23
well, over the last 3 weeks I've had my raise docked, then my original salary docked by 10% .. now I'm hourly instead of salary.

put my resume on the internet, at least I've gotten about 15 calls, I have a 2nd interview with a company tomorrow .. hoping to actually make 10% more than i made before I got docked.

hope hope!
 
#25
I was working too much last year so it's kind of nice to be at 1 day / week for the winter - go back to my "music bum" lifestyle. (Thank you, gigs. :cool:)

I'm the sole survivor of our layoffs. (gulp) The laid ones have already found jobs elsewhere so it might get a little hectic if & when things pick up again. I'd love to maintain like we are now but I think we'll either get short-handed slammed or go belly up.

Interesting times, indeed.
 
#26
I'm hanging on by my fingernails. Things are "slow" right now but if they stay this way until August or September, I don't know what's going to happen. It's tough to manufacture stuff when no one is buying stuff.

So far in my band, 2 out of 5 are laid off and a 3rd is looking pretty bleak.

One's an IT guy (20+ years at the same company)
One's an ex-environmental officer from Yamaha music (They moved to China)
And the singer installs sleep systems from a widely advertised company who looks like they are going to go under anytime. (Not much market for $5,000.00 beds these days)
 
#28
Georynn said:
You get layed-off?
Wow even the mighty JT is not immune to this poor economic climate...
Click to expand...

Yeah, but he's surviving with his huge TB Moderator stipend.:D

He gets big bucks for moderatin!

My company is not doing great, I'm in sales though, commission only. So if they lay me off they shut the doors. My sales (pre books) are up for the year but my deliveries in Oct.-Nov. were terrible. I also don't get paid till we get payed. So if accounts are slow paying I get payed later. All in all it's making for a real tight spring. I have a suspicion if credit doesn't open up this summer, about half of my industry will shut the doors.:mad:

So like everyone else I'm job hunting too, but in MI that's a real adventure.
 
#30
After four and a half years at a lumberyard on every break from school, I was let go. It's difficult finding even part time work here that works with my school schedule.

Alas, I'm hopeful that I can find employment after graduation.
 
#32
My wife got laid off in November. Her company was shut down by the company that bought them two years ago.

Fortunately, QSC has a first resort, and a second that hasn't been needed yet, before the last resort of any layoffs. That certainly helps the morale and teamwork.
 
#33
Survived the first round of layoffs, but not totally unscathed. They cut all overtime hours, and cut our commission. Our department lost two people so we are working on a bit of a skeleton crew.

Funny thing is the department I work in (parts at a new auto dealership) has been really busy the past couple of months. We are taking the hit (loss of personal and decrease in pay) because of a lack of new car sales. Now it seems that our service department has picked up quite a bit. Probably because a good number of people are going to hang onto their cars and are actually servicing them. Not to mention our parts department has a large wholesale customer base. We sell a lot of collision parts and tis the season for bumper covers and sheet metal. Last month was a record for us. As long as this trend holds up I guess I'll be okay.

Scary as hell though. The Management held a meeting this past Friday and everybody thought it meant more cuts. Luckily that was not the case, but it had everybody on edge.

Best of luck to everybody out there searching. Sincerely, I hope everything turns around quickly for you.
 
#34
I work as a college tutor, and my hours used to be around 15/week. At the moment im getting about 3...As soon as i graduate i'm heading overseas for a few years; hopefully when i get back there will be a job for me...

no complaints from me though; im in way better shape than most of the country. I just hope that we can things moving again
 
#35
My position is funded through June, if us guys on the project can find enough work to keep ourselves busy until then. All of the legacy support and maintenance projects were outsourced at the end of 2007. That is where my expertise lies, and so far, it has kept me in work. I heard from my manager off the record that another Director has been impressed on some work that I have done on an RF project, and is trying to find work for me through the end of the year.

My wife has been out of work since we moved in June 2007, but she may have a position doing Windows support from home. Hoping and praying for that to come through!
 
#36
My field is subject to wild swings. We'd been doing well for a while, but eventually the economy caught up. At my office we are all independent contracts. We lost about 30% of the workforce in January. It kinda sucks; a few of my friends were in that cut. Anyone remember that job I had a thread about last Fall? I'd be unemployed right now if I had taken it.

I've got enough work to lat me through the end of the month and when that project is finished, I'm at the whim of the owner. He's told me not to worry and I think I might last another round of cuts based on who is left, but you never really know.

Mike
 
#37
My fiance has been out of work for a year and a half already. Her resume is pretty incredible, too, she was once a high-level finance officer for a F500 company. She's been to dozens of interviews, dozens of networking sessions, sent out a hundred or more resumes, registered with a dozen headhunters... but nothing yet. I was out of work for a year, then I went back to school. Now I just work a crummy low-wage job on the weekends between school days. Ideally by the time I'm done with school, a few years from now, the economy will have improved and I'll get a good job. But the next few years are going to be all about ramen and debt for me, unless she manages to score a job somehow.
 
#38
john turner said:
anyone in the greater atlanta area who knows someone who might need a programmer with 20 years exp, a ga tech engineering degree, and dot.net 2.0 experience, among many other things, who is willing to work for dried peanuts, send em my way plz. :hmm: :(
Click to expand...

Seriously John....check the McKesson website. If you see something to your liking, let me know. I'll try to get the scoop on it for you. I know our main office is in Alpharetta, not sure how far that is from you. I'm sure you can telecommute like I do though.

-Mike
 
#39
Well, the hotel I work at is closed during the winter, every winter, so my being laid off isn't a surprise this time of year. However, I've gone in and talked to office staff at least once a week since we closed right after New Years. Lots and lots of cancellations of reservations for this year. After all, if you're either losing your job or afraid it might disappear, doesn't make sense to travel to the shore for a week or so, when it'd be much cheaper to spend your vacation time (if you take vacation at all) at home. I'm head housekeeper, spend 45+ plus a week during summer - so am on salary - that way they don't have to worry about overtime. Wouldn't surprise me to find I'm on hourly during the off season this year and not go to salary until further into the full season. It really wouldn't surprise me too much to find I'm being let go instead of being called back to work, though; at 19 years seniority they could hire a replacement for at least a dollar or two an hour less than what they're paying me ... Last year wasn't too great, we had open rooms off and on even in August, and usually we're full up from end of May to middle of October. I'm hoping to be called back to work, even if there is a pay cut involved, but... I'm working on my resume just in case, believe me.
 

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