Layoffs

[wart57]

What really pisses me off is the only reason the layoffs happen is to increase profit. My company has been doing well, and my group loads the company in sales and profit, RECORD saled and profit, but I guess we gotta make more money for the stock holders.

[AJ]

At my old company I went through it twice in 2003. Both times my dept was given the "all clear" right after they announced layoffs were coming, thought instead of calling it "layoffs" they said that positions were "impacted". This was a 50,000 person company at the time and they were letting go of 6,000, so you seen people you knew getting the axe every day for probably 8 months. Because i was just starting out and my salary and rank were so low, I was actually promoted during both layoffs....... Seriously your laying off Michael and Samir and giving me more money?

Still that feeling in your stomach until you get the all clear sucks. The odds are I won't be so lucky if it happens again.

[jim]

At my old company I went through it twice in 2003. Both times my dept was given the "all clear" right after they announced layoffs were coming, thought instead of calling it "layoffs" they said that positions were "impacted". This was a 50,000 person company at the time and they were letting go of 6,000, so you seen people you knew getting the axe every day for probably 8 months. Because i was just starting out and my salary and rank were so low, I was actually promoted during both layoffs....... Seriously your laying off Michael and Samir and giving me more money?

Still that feeling in your stomach until you get the all clear sucks. The odds are I won't be so lucky if it happens again.

I was at Ameritech back in the early 90's and this happened. They laid off like 25% of the work force where I was at, and then literally within weeks handed us the biggest bonus check I have ever received. They kept preaching that if we streamlined then everyone (except the poor sap laid off) would benefit. Morale went from in the tank to tolerable for about a week, and then back to in the tank. I don't think they ever recovered from that, the employees left were the good ones and they just became bitter and left soon anyway. The company overvalued how people think of money. It's been my experience that most people really are looking for balance, and throwing money at them won't make them work harder or give them long term incentive.

[cardinalkarp]

It's been my experience that most people really are looking for balance, and throwing money at them won't make them work harder or give them long term incentive.

I believe you're correct. The company my wife works for claims that they promote "balance" but then they go and expect her to work 60 hrs a week and travel all the time. They are one of the most full of @#$! companies I've ever seen.

[docellis]

I went thru 2 sets of layoffs for a tech company that eventually went out of business. The process was morbidly streamlined, thought-out and detatched.

You were notified on Thursday that everyone was to report to work at Holiday Inn on Friday. This was at like, 4 pm so there wasn't much time to think about what it meant.

You arrived at the hotel, saw a sign with the company name indicating which conference room to go to. You were given an envelope with your name on it and you were told that if the envelope had x in it (I can't remember what) then you had the day off. If it had z in it then you were going to be escorted with the sheriff's department back to the office to clean out your desk.

I survived that round, and the next round - which was much less formal.

[wart57]

I just found out mine was the only position that was eliminated that the person who was doing that job was not let go but moved to a different job.
I guess I must have been doing something right....I guess the don't know how much time I spent on GRB....

[lukethedrifter]

I went thru 2 sets of layoffs for a tech company that eventually went out of business. The process was morbidly streamlined, thought-out and detatched.

You were notified on Thursday that everyone was to report to work at Holiday Inn on Friday. This was at like, 4 pm so there wasn't much time to think about what it meant.

You arrived at the hotel, saw a sign with the company name indicating which conference room to go to. You were given an envelope with your name on it and you were told that if the envelope had x in it (I can't remember what) then you had the day off. If it had z in it then you were going to be escorted with the sheriff's department back to the office to clean out your desk.

I survived that round, and the next round - which was much less formal.

That sounds a bit like Logan's Run.