upheaval and uproar

[firecracker22]

Well, as I mentioned in another thread, my company is "restructuring." In an admitted effort to get more work out of fewer people for less money (can you believe they told us that in a meeting? Now THAT's how you boost morale!) they canned 10 people in our office. Well laid off I should say. Needless to say, I was on top of THAT list. Not so bad for me, in fact I was celebrating! I get a severance package and can go on unenjoyment while I look for something better if I don't have a job in 2 weeks. I had begun sending out resumes a few weeks ago anyway, so this is just fine by me.

I'll be glad to walk out of THOSE doors for the last time. My company has said to its employees that we will be increasing our workload per employee and will be under a hiring and promotion freeze. They have taken our benefits one by one--first our attendance bonus (which was company logo mugs, pens, etc-cheap), then our sick pay (from 2 weeks paid sick leave to 3 days at 60%) and finally our vacation time--basically they just changed it so that instead of getting 2 weeks at the beginning of the year, you get 3.08 hours for every pay period. Meaning if you leave, they don't have to pay you back. The whole company is pretty crappy, not to mention way WAY behind the times technologically. If we had the right equipment and programs and properly trained staff, we could cut our workforce by a third or more.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

SOUR GRAPES! :p
Somehow I get the feeling you won't be job searching for too long, your personality must have something to do with it. Good luck out there. :thumb:

 

[Green Horn]

I think most companies have done the whole cutback thing at this point. Where I work, we cut 1400 people (out of 3500) in the past 2 yrs. We no longer have any fringe benefits like raises and attendance bonuses etc... I have not recieved a raise in the 3 yrs I've worked for this company. We were told there would be no pay reductions yet they now pay us for 11.75 hrs per shift vs. the old 12 hrs. That .25 difference puts me at less pay than when I started working there. :(

Oh and the whole less people doing more work thing? Been there and still doing that. We once had a 9 person crew that would move 20k pieces (pieces being the generic term) on average a night. Now we have 7 people and are expected to hit 38-43k moves a night. Morale? I haven't seen that since I left my previous job in Dallas 3 yrs ago. I've learned that being unhappy is what it's all about. The positive of having a miserable job has helped me appreciate the finer things in life though. :) Just being home on the weekends lounging around the house w/ the family is what I live for these days. Oh well, not much I can do except be thankful to have kept a job in the "high tech" business.

 

[GETMETOCA]

I think the economy and the competetiveness of most industries is setting a new standard and unfortunately, this is the way it is. My company also downsized, cut back on merit increases ando ther bennies, and announced more plant closures and headcount reductions coming in the near future. Irregardless, I do not think the grass is greener on the other side. I think its now my job to figure out how to boost morale and get work done differently than we did before. Look around, things are no different at other companies. Its how you handle change and fluctuation and seek resolution differently than you did before. This is where survival of the fittest mentality will work. And getting others around you to step up. If you are severely unhappy with your job, that's one thing, but this 'more work, less people' thing is here to stay. Good luck.

 

[nikki]

Good luck with your new job search, Sharla. Sounds like you weren't too happy there anyways, so maybe it's one big blessing in disguise.

 

[CAL]

The company I USED to work for went through the layoffs / wage freeze about 2 years ago. I made it through it, but it stunk! I left, and now I'm at a company that is 8 miles from my house, the work load is amazing, considering overtime-I'm bringing home almost 3 times what I was making, and get this...they actually appreciate what I do! I've never had my boss tell me "thanks for your hard work" or "thanks for coming in on the weekend". Keep your eyes open and keep working hard, and everything will be as good as it can be. Good luck!

 

[firecracker22]

That sucks to hear that not only is this normal, it's acceptable. I can't stand working in conditions like that. My boyfriend works in retail (he's still in college) and his company treats him WAY better!

Nikki, the blessing isn't even disguised. hahaha I was the only happy one in the office yesterday.

The thing that gets me, is that they COULD get more work out of fewer people by providing them with up-to-date equipment and training!

 

[jeffd]

Sharla - Sorry to hear about the loss of the funds that come from a crappy job. Can't say sorry you lost your job, but I am sure the $$$ will be missed :(

Sad but true - the things you wrote about are a sign of the times for now. These companies will reap what they sow and as the economy improves the people that they crap on will be sure to return the favor as they walk out the door. FWIW - I work for a POS (acronym here) company too and I am trying like mad to get a new job.

Good luck with your job hunt!

jeffd

 

[BunduBasher]

Sharla, hope things work out OK. :thumb:

Alan

 

[rickyd]

Good luck on the job/career shearch.. I think its best even if you are employed, to always be on the hunt..

I think my company is gonna have a lay-off ( im not too worried) but whats weird is we cut back on production and they havent sent anybody home :think:

 

[OKKX'er]

I guess it's the same everywhere, we were purchased in May, downsized from 140 to 90, the total work to be accomplished remained the same.

 

[TwinSpar]

I consider myself lucky(somewhat! after much suffering).... I went through the downsizing crap, suffered the corporate (limited to my department) BS, and landed a job (in the same company) that has me grinning from ear to ear! I'm fortunate that the culture that I used to experience didn't drive from the absolute top of the chain... just at the departmental level. :|

Keep in mind that the CTO has a huge ego and a physical height that doesn't match the ego! :ohmy:... but his head is bigger than a H2! :eek:

 

[BSWIFT]

After 2 months of unemployment here, it is like a plague. Our economy IS picking up and I will return to work but much more attuned to what job I decide to take. No jumping on the first one. Employers will find their companies fall apart and new start-ups will come along quickly. There is a big changing of the guard happening in corporate America and "they" don't like it. The CEO have figured out that they must plunder their companies, raid their assets and screw their employees because the attorneys have paved the way for them to get away with it! ENRON is the guide and rule of corporate America now.
Sharla, you have a good attitude, you'll do fine.

 

[firecracker22]

Thanks for the support guys. My interview went well but I"m not going to count on it, especially as it's the first out of 15+ resumes to elicit a response. Plus it's more design heavy which I have dabbled in but do not know Quark inside and out like I should. The editing part, I have down, and the writing, no problem. But like I said it's one of many.

Oh and one of the newspapers I applied for was in Pred's neck of the woods . . . he he he

 

[Jaybird]

I wish you the best of luck, Sharla.

Brian, don't be too bitter. I understand your position, but I really don't think that the bulk of downsizing and reorgs are due to corporate greed, or pillage and plunder by the CEO's.
If the truth be known for most companies, government regulation and outrageous taxation rule many of the coporate decisions being made latley. And one of the other big problems is health care costs. They are skyrocketing.
If health care keeps rising, an employer must do something, as the rising costs indeed effect the bottom line. Do they keep all the employees and cut their benifits? Or do they keep benifits the same and cut manpower.
Many companies have delt with it initially by restructuring benifits and putting some of the healt care cost burden back on the employee. But that will only work so far. If costs continue to increase, you can't simply keep cutting benifits on the total workforce because pretty soon your workforce will downsize itself. Lots of people are there for the benifits to begin with. You cut that and they will be gone.
So, what do they do? They reduce the workforce and allow those left the benifits.

Torte reform, government regulation/taxation, and health care costs have to be addressed in this country, or we are going to see more of this.
A good CEO knows its the workforce that makes the dough.
Only a CEO who's company is a failure, and going down, would plunder whats left.

I honestly don't think Enron is a model for ANY company, nor do any good business plans really subscribe to such actions.

 

[dirty~d~]

If you want to try law enforcement my parents said that they received a letter for me from Oregon State Patrol the other day requesting I re-apply now that they are hiring again. :) (Sad part is I applied three years ago.)

Good luck with the job hunting. Try not to get frustrated with the lack of response. Keep showing your face and sooner or later someone smart will snatch you up. :thumb: You know how to reach me if you need an ear to chew on.