This has been the longest week I've ever experienced. 
Last Thursday, rumors started flying at work that there were going to be layoffs, but no one really knew anything for sure. I spent the whole weekend being stressed but in general trying to convince myself that it wasn't really going to happen.
Come Monday, we start seeing people getting laid off and leaving work. A few were turned around as soon as they came in Monday morning. That's when I started really panicking, being the newest permanent employee in my department and feeling rather expendable. I cannot even describe the feeling at work on Monday - the tension and anxiety levels were through the roof. And they made us wait around like that until 3:30. FINALLY, we get called in to a meeting.
So I'm walking with my fellow co-workers to said meeting when my boss pulls me out of the crowd and says he and I are not supposed to go to that meeting and that's all he knows. I almost fell over. The stress of not understanding what was happening was insane. I left the building for about 15 minutes, walked around to try to relieve some of the stress, called my mom. When I get back I find out that the people in that meeting were laid off (others had been turned around on their way there as well)....they were given an appointment time to return in the following days for their severance package and to pack up their desk, then escorted out of the building.
In all, 20% of the company is gone. But almost half of the people out of my department were cut. It's a completely different environment at work now. We were all friends in my department. I think all of us remaining are feeling some degree of survivor's guilt. (I certainly am...I have basically replaced the person who trained me, and he'd been there for seven years before me.) Not to mention the workload is insane - it doesn't seem like it has been cut back much, and yet we have half the staff. I think at the moment the department manager is not quite sure how to reallocate us. I guess we'll just have to wait for the dust to settle...
All in all, I am so thankful to still have this job - I feel EXTREMELY lucky. I feel terrible for my coworkers and everyone else who has been stranded by this economy. I hope all of you are doing well.
XOXO
Mere
Last Thursday, rumors started flying at work that there were going to be layoffs, but no one really knew anything for sure. I spent the whole weekend being stressed but in general trying to convince myself that it wasn't really going to happen.
Come Monday, we start seeing people getting laid off and leaving work. A few were turned around as soon as they came in Monday morning. That's when I started really panicking, being the newest permanent employee in my department and feeling rather expendable. I cannot even describe the feeling at work on Monday - the tension and anxiety levels were through the roof. And they made us wait around like that until 3:30. FINALLY, we get called in to a meeting.
So I'm walking with my fellow co-workers to said meeting when my boss pulls me out of the crowd and says he and I are not supposed to go to that meeting and that's all he knows. I almost fell over. The stress of not understanding what was happening was insane. I left the building for about 15 minutes, walked around to try to relieve some of the stress, called my mom. When I get back I find out that the people in that meeting were laid off (others had been turned around on their way there as well)....they were given an appointment time to return in the following days for their severance package and to pack up their desk, then escorted out of the building.
In all, 20% of the company is gone. But almost half of the people out of my department were cut. It's a completely different environment at work now. We were all friends in my department. I think all of us remaining are feeling some degree of survivor's guilt. (I certainly am...I have basically replaced the person who trained me, and he'd been there for seven years before me.) Not to mention the workload is insane - it doesn't seem like it has been cut back much, and yet we have half the staff. I think at the moment the department manager is not quite sure how to reallocate us. I guess we'll just have to wait for the dust to settle...
All in all, I am so thankful to still have this job - I feel EXTREMELY lucky. I feel terrible for my coworkers and everyone else who has been stranded by this economy. I hope all of you are doing well.
XOXO
Mere
leopold:
my wife went thru the same thing today, glad you kept your job!