He called me less than half an hour ago. I’m at work for another 45 minutes, and he said he just couldn’t wait until I got home, because he’d been sitting on it for an hour and a half.
He’s worked for this company for three years now. Apparently, their numbers just weren’t adding up, and they decided to eliminate his position. He doesn’t have to go in tomorrow, but he’ll be going in on Monday to clean out his desk. He was one of their IT guys, so I’m sure that’s why they sent him straight home and don’t want him in tomorrow. (Not that he’d ever DO anything, but they’re in CYA mode.) He will be eligible to interview for other positions in the company, and if they’ve got a collector job open, he’ll interview for it. (It’s a hospital collections agency.) He could actually make more money doing that than working on their computers!
THANKFULLY, he is getting six weeks’ severance pay and all of his PTO - paid out every two weeks, as opposed to a lump sum. I’m 31 weeks pregnant, so we are getting COBRA coverage through the end of April (I’m due the 25th), and they’re still paying their portion of the insurance charges.
It still hasn’t sunk in yet. My first reaction was stunned silence, but that was before he told me about the severance pay and COBRA insurance. Then, I started laughing hysterically. Why? Well, he’ll have plenty of time to paint the bedroom now!
I’m sure by next Thursday, and I come home and he’s still in his PJs on the computer playing Civ 4 that I’ll be over the pity-party that’s sure to come. He got fired from his last long-term job 2 days before his 30th birthday, and didn’t work for 4 weeks. He got really depressed and I honestly had to sic his mother on him!
Based on what he said that they told him, and their actions regarding severance and insurance, they didn’t WANT to let him go, but felt they didn’t have a choice because of the bottom line.
Sorry to hear your news Avarie537 and Ca3799. I got laid off on Feb 3rd. I do have a verbal offer, but am still waiting for a written one.
Sending lucky thoughts your way.
Avarie, my e-mail’s no longer in my profile but I think you still have it from way back when. If not, it’s elenia25 @ gmail.com. E-mail me if you need to.
Good luck. Just remember what Solomon the Wise learned:
Mr. S got downsized in 2001 and we’re still feeling the fallout. He finally got a full-time regular job last year, but nowhere near his old pay and it’s a lot more physical (he’s 50). And I’m still busting my hump to pay the bills, because we could never live on just his paycheck alone.
You got a good payout, though: Mr. S got one week per year of tenure, which was 13 weeks, plus his four weeks of vacation. So that gave him four months of regular pay before he even had to think about unemployment. But he was barred from ever working for that corporation again (because of the big payout?). At least your hubby’s got a chance of getting back in!
After that four months of severance, Mr. S did a lot of job hopping in various sucky jobs. Some temping and subbing, until he got the job he has now. It ain’t glamorous (school custodian), but at least we have decent health insurance. (MSAs SUCK if you’re not rolling in cash.)
I know how tough it can be. But he has one big advantage: he can go on a full-time job search while still receiving his pay. Six weeks is short, but he should be able to get at least a couple of interviews before things run out, and it always takes less time to find a job when you can search full time.
Who knows? He may end up with a better job when this is all over. So don’t lose hope – think of it as an opportunity.
I’ve been laid off twice in a row, and there’s no way around it. It stinks and it can be one hell of a shock. The second time, my boss and our HR person didn’t want to let me go, but that only made it a little easier. Frankly, I indulged in a lot of schadenfreude when I learned my former CEO and one the VPs were laid off a few weeks later.
If you want prayers, you’ve got them. I wish there were something I could do to make it easier; some wonderful set of words which would make all the stress and worry vanish away. Instead, all I can offer is the advice of an old plow horse. Just put your head down and keep slogging and wait for better days. They won’t come if you stop trying. My best to all three of you.
Khadaji, I’ll throw in a lucky thought for you, too, for that interview.
Oh, man, that sucks. I’m sorry Avarie537 (and others). I’ll send positive thoughts on new jobs working out.
Just a piece of advice for those considering COBRA - if you can afford the premiums, I highly recommend you pay them. Having a lapse in insurance coverage can really hit you hard down the line due to pre-existing condition clauses. Obviously, if you can’t, you can’t, but if you can - do.
This message brought to you by Medical Billers for a Better America.
Sorry for your situation. Let me know if you need anything.
also, sending my best wishes. getting laid off sucks. i wouldn’t know from experience…and hopefully never will…but my dad was a contractor for the automotive people and he got laid off and eventually outsourced, so i know how you guys are feeling.
it seems like a lot more people are getting the ax these days…is it just cause they’re posting, or is this the actual trend?
Wow - I had no idea so many Dopers were in the same position! Elza, I always thought you were just me in a different body and location.
We got some good advice from my husband’s cousin who’s an HR rep. Apparently, here in Indiana, hubby may be able to apply for and receive unemployment even though he’s receiving severance pay, so we may be able to get a little extra income to sock away.
He’d actually been thinking about trying to find another job - just not while I was pregnant. He really liked this place, but it’s a not-for-profit, and the budget was always really tight. He hasn’t been able to get any training that wasn’t very job-specific (like their disaster recovery plan). So, he’s going to hit Amazon and eBay for some up-to-date manuals / books and get to studying while he’s job-hunting. Maybe he can get an additional certification or two in the mean time. Plus, anything that can make him more money is great!
The last time he got let go, he didn’t work for 4 weeks (I had to sic his mother on him), then got a couple of temp positions for about 6 weeks, then found this job. So, it eventually worked out for the better. We just need this turnaround time to be a whole lot shorter.
Plus, I do have options for more income. I’m a Mary Kay consultant, and have just been basically sitting still for about 6 months. We had long talked about me building my business to the point where I could stay home with this baby, so I guess it’s time to kick it into high gear.
And our poor dog Maya is so confused. Daddy’s always gone before Mommy ever wakes up, and she always goes in her crate after Mommy puts her shoes on. She had no idea what to do today, with Daddy laying on the couch when Mommy was getting ready to leave. But at least she’ll get a nice, long walk today.
Avarie537, I’ve been through this twice (and it’s worked out OK).
First time: July 2004, the day after my daughter’s second birthday. My wife was 5 months pregnant at the time with our son, and we were living in a shitty two bedroom apartment on a busy street. I managed to find a job making 18% more, and was only out of work for three weeks. Second Time: June 2005, I had bought a house back in Feb, so this time around, my daughter was almost 3, my son 6 months, and instead of easy rent, I’ve got a hard mortgage, and I get layed off again. :rolleyes: I was better prepared for that one, though. I hated the job, and had been tentatively looking for a month already when they told us.
So, another 7% bump up in salary and here I am. I may be changing jobs again, but this time it’s on my terms. One of the guys I worked with at that last job has been layed off seven times in as many years. Such is the nature of IT. Good luck, and tell him not to take it personally.
I can chime in too. I was laid off while pregnant, and two weeks after signing the papers on a new house.
I wasn’t able to find work while pregnant, and hubby was laid off three months after baby was born.
It was a VERY bad year, but we were all healthy and it certainly made our relationship stronger to go through that together. He went through two jobs before finding the one he is with now.
Things are much better now, hubby loves his job and I am staying at home with our daughter.
My boss wasn’t in yesterday afternoon when my husband called to tell me he had been laid off, so I just let him know. He got this really odd look on his face, and called me into his office to tell me that he needs to make some cuts around here to save some money, so I’m being cut back to 30 hours (instead of 40) as of next Monday. AND, he may need to “re-evaluate” my pay rate.
Good Lord!!! avarie, let me tell you something I used to mutter to myself when I was laid off and wondering what else could go wrong. “I know what doesn’t kill me makes me strong, but right now, I feel like I could bench press elephants!” :rolleyes:
Large libraries can be good sources for job hunting information, not to mention reading helped kill a lot of hours while I was laid off.
I’m sorry Avarie537 (and others). I’ll send positive thoughts on new jobs working out.
