Off Topic That whizzing sound you hear....

[adouglas]

...is the bullet I just dodged.

The downturn has finally hit close to home. Three people at my company got laid off yesterday. I was one of two full-time staff writers at a brand strategy/marketing firm.

One of those who lost his job was the other staff writer. I'm bummed but relieved. Survivor guilt.

In the course of cost-cutting my company (not a big operation...about 5.5 million revenue) did something really excellent. Senior management all took a 10 percent pay cut and left the rest of us at full salary. That's a class act, because it proves to us that they really do care about the employees.

We may be asked to make similar sacrifices, but it really does a lot for morale to know that people of this caliber are the ones running the company.

 

[iamcatwarrior]

In the course of cost-cutting my company (not a big operation...about 5.5 million revenue) did something really excellent. Senior management all took a 10 percent pay cut and left the rest of us at full salary. That's a class act, because it proves to us that they really do care about the employees.

Thank your lucky stars that you have your job. Some of us here at my work have been laid off, partly out of cost-cutting measures.

As for your managers, I'm glad that they see the importance of keeping the best talent and finding unselfish ways of making ends meet. I sometimes wish the management at my own job was equally accomodating.

 

[AnthonyD]

10% of my organization was let go last week...

Not good for a lot of folks; may be good for me.

Problem is, there be more bullets to follow - more bullets to dodge.

 

[the unrepentant]

Damn, it's nice to know that some of the guys higher up actually do give a **** though. I wish i could find a job in the first place....

 

[spychocyco]

Glad you survived. It's like that everywhere right now. My company cut 10 percent of its payroll in December nationwide. I felt relieved when that was done, and I was still there, but then a few weeks later they announced that everyone in the company had to take a week off without pay in the first quarter. I'm just hoping that we don't lose another week in the second quarter, because that might seriously put my Axis in jeopardy.

 

[nashman]

If the senior management where I work took a 10% pay cut - they would still be making 4x what most others make.

 

[five7]

It's bad in denver, I just bought a 1972 tele for $156.00 so the guy could waste it in the stock market.

 

[Caca de Kick]

We have been cut down to 4-day work weeks, and cut our medical bene's which sucks when you have small kids.

 

[adouglas]

Before this came along I was formulating a strategy to keep my job should the worst happen, taking the long view.

My attitude towards debt and the wisdom of always living within your means is no secret around here. It's in times like these that buying a small house in a lousy neighborhood and owning it outright suddenly makes a whole lot of sense.

I have enough in the bank to survive for months given my modest lifestyle, and on top of that I've got a safety net...my wife has a secure job (she's a nurse...if they start laying off critical people like nurses we're REALLY screwed).

A forced furlough would be a pain, but it wouldn't be a crisis. Had they laid me off instead of the other guy, I would have volunteered to take an unpaid leave of up to three months with a non-compete provision, in exchange for a guaranteed recall and maybe some extra vacation time in the future.

 

[SquidLizard]

It is pretty rough out here. I took a 25% pay cut along with all the other management folks in the construction company where I work. The field employees get laid off when there's no work so I think it was only fair that we shared the pain. We're still getting work but the jobs are fewer and smaller.

Mark and I have changed our entire household economy to start saving twice as much. With a pay cut this means we're spending much, much less. It's amazing how much you can easily cut out when your mind is made up. And I've found savings in all kinds of places I never thought about before. I'm pretty edgy about work now, so my goal is to complete the recommended six months of net pay in the bank. Then I'll go for twelve. Then maybe I'll relax.

I think cutting out the consumer mentality is probably not good for the U.S. economic situation in the short run, but in the long run it makes sense to me in many ways. Though we've cut back, we adopted two shelter cats because the place was overcrowded and cats are living there for months. I guess the bad economy has been hard on pets, too. Now we have two dogs and four indoor cats. LOL. So we don't have to go to the movies or expensive night spots anymore -- this clan keeps us amused.

 

[Jimmyb]

I've always been very reluctant when people talk about taking pay cuts to keep their jobs. I've heard of too many people who did it, only to be made redundant 6 months later, with the severance pay based on the lower amount.

My industry (electronic security) is heavily reliant on construction of new builds and we're seeing the knock-on effects from the down-turn.

Hopefully it will turn around soon.

 

[mrpackerguy]

I'm glad it was that and not the sound of this loser : Man accused of relieving self on restaurant floor

 

[iamcatwarrior]

I'm glad it was that and not the sound of this loser : Man accused of relieving self on restaurant floor

...Ew.