We had a big layoff at work today. I survived. The company is viable and I am an integral part of that. Some very good friends lost their jobs. It is going to be a long day.
We had a big layoff at work today. I survived. The company is viable and I am an integral part of that. Some very good friends lost their jobs. It is going to be a long day.
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Karen
Sigh………It seems to be happening almost everywhere.
That surely seems to be true right now. It is a hard thing. It makes me thankful for my job, and even more than that, the source of all jobs.
Catherine
Ugh! That’s scary. I wondered why it was a while before you posted today. I’m sorry some good friends were lost but I’m glad you still have your job and that means y’all will still be around!
Thanks Catherine. I appreciate the chance to be around here for awhile longer. Thinks like this really help me count my blessings.
Sorry to hear about that. Glad you still there.
Thanks Lyle. It has been quite a day.
Sorry to hear that some of your friends lost their jobs. What a bummer. A friend’s husband lost his job with Apple after 22 years on the job….he was just a few weeks away from being fully vested. I think it is terrible that there is no loyalty to workers and that they will lay off those 40-50 year olds as they get close to retirement and the money for it (retirement) that they have been working for all those years.
You have been through this before and will do fine. This is all the more reason to be sure we establish good relationships with all those we work with and for. For those that remain, the relationships grow stronger. For those that leave, we can enjoy keeping in touch and following the progress of friends and colleagues. If all involved properly established solid professional relationships, this is also a “networking” gold mine for everyone.
I was laid off in April and rehired in July by my current employer. After I came to my new company, I helped recruit one of the guys that was laid off and two others who were still working for the company. Work really hard to help as many people as possible because only a percentage of them will ever think of helping you later. It is like working the odds, so help as many as you can. I’m sure you understand this, but it never hurts to be reminded.
Next, stay optimistic. This should not be hard for you. Colin Powell said “Optimism is a force multiplier”. In warfare a force multiplier enables one to gain exponential advantage. For instance, a SEAL is a force multiplier, because he is able to go into a country alone and build a fighting force from the local populous. So, by sending one man, they gain an army. I digress a bit to demonstrate a point. Optimists are critical for management when they nuke morale. A single strong optimist can carry an entire team and project. Oh for sure, management will not consciously keep the optimists and get rid of the pessimists. But unconsciously they understand. The tech company I worked for in Oregon spun up in 2000 to 240 personnel. When the tech bubble burst they cut and cut and cut until they eventually were down to 78 people. That is almost a 75% reduction in workforce. In that time, I went from a junior engineer to manager. How? Because I did whatever it took and I was optimistic. It wasn’t phony optimism. I actively sought to find anything positive and then present and project it to management and to the customer. (Probably, a little luck and divine intervention helped, too.)
While this may be difficult for some to understand, it is not hard for those who know God and realize that He is what we are living for and our reward. As we’ve heard before … time is the currency of heaven, invest it wisely! I’m sure you have learned as I have from personal experience that God takes care of his own. As long as we are faithful to our calling he will care of us. We will not have too much or too little, but just enough.
Thank Eric and Ruthie. I very much appreciate the words. Like Eric said, I am doing everything I can to help out as many people as I can. The Apple thing sounds almost criminal. It is pretty tough to see some of the older guys in this kind of a market. This is a venture capital start-up, though, and it seems pretty mercenary, but they have to do what they can to keep the business afloat in this environment. At the same time, it is very, very frustrating. I tend to be an optimist, though, and as per what Eric said, that might be why I am still here. The really BIG thing I try to remember is that my responsibility right not is to feed the family and raise the kids in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This is not my kingdom, I am just passing through–still, it would be great to be able to be a help and an influence for good to some hurting people right now.
Ken, I’m so sorry to hear about that.
Lynn
Thanks Lynn. It is always great to be reminded of what is really important.
Amen!