Two months ago, a friend of mine was laid off after 20 years of employment at a company with a national presence. Not only did he perform his job well, but he was the top sales producer in the country. To say he was shocked would be the understatement of the century and no amount of backpedaling praise from his boss made him feel any better. New management as the justification for his role being eliminated also didn’t sit well with him. He felt betrayed. And, when his boss said his annual bonus was forthcoming, well, that was the final, incongruous stab in the back. What the heck? Is there no loyalty anymore, he wondered?
Offering to review my friend’s resume, I made some spiffy tweaks to it so that it would be more attractive to prospective employers. I am an executive recruiter by day and a novelist by night so sprucing up resumes is not only a delightful endeavor for me but one of my specialties. He was grateful for my efforts even though I wouldn’t be able to help him attain his next role. I recruit exclusively in the aerospace engineering sector and fill only those types of positions for my clients. Sadly, our areas of expertise were mutually exclusive.
I don’t doubt he will land his next role sooner than later, but it has been a frustrating journey for him compounded by the fact he is not a young buck, and he fears ageism may come into play. Fortunately for him, he has a great work ethic and an exceptional attitude, always tilting to the glass half full.
Labor Shifting into Lower Gear
Unfortunately, there are way too many stories like my friend’s these days about massive layoffs and not enough new jobs being created. According to a report in The New York Times this past week, “The labor market appears to have shifted into a lower gear, reinforcing concerns that businesses have little appetite to hire as interest rates weigh on investment and the path of consumer demand remains uncertain.”
In August, employers added only 142,000 jobs “on a seasonally adjusted basis,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with “a weaker-than-expected showing for the second consecutive month.” And the totals for June and July were revised downward.
Like my friend, I maintain a positive attitude in life, though it is tempered by reality. I try not to have wild emotional swings in either direction, as experience has taught me that everything works out in the end; there’s no good reason to worry about what might be because it may never happen. However, this past week, my outlook was put to the test when I found out that three valued staff members at my place of employment were duly laid off. Two were junior recruiters and one was our seasoned office manager. And like my friend’s performance, all three of my now former co-workers were performing remarkably well.
So, what precipitated these layoffs?
Building Your Dream
My boss bought out his two partners, and in the process, started trimming the fat. Or more precisely, he cut out non-essential luxuries. For the time being, he said. He would eventually and slowly hire more senior recruiters when he deemed the time was right. All seven of us remaining recruiters would gradually become remote workers as my boss waits out the end of his lease on the expensive office space. He did not come to this decision lightly, though he said he had wanted to be unencumbered by his two partners for a long time. He had done a lot of thinking, meditating, praying and planning for this change, utilizing life coaches and distinguished business mentors in making his decision. He built his dream, but in the process, a few sacrifices were in order.
When my boss first shared the news with me—he called the remaining lucky few individually to deliver the news—I was shocked and felt like I’d been sucker punched, yet strangely thankful I’d made the cut. Still, the unease of knowing how things can change in the blink of an eye remained with me. And it still does. I could have been laid off as well. Maybe next time?
Clearly, I know intellectually that staff reductions—or company reorganizations—are business decisions to impact the bottom line and they should not be taken personally. Yet, the recipients of these “reductions” are victims, as most have no capacity or interest in starting their own business. They rely on paychecks to support themselves and their families and despite any possible severance packages offered, being jobless even for a short amount of time these days can be damaging not only to their pocketbooks, but to their souls and emotional well-being.
We’re all familiar with the famous quote—attributed to the motivational speaker, Tony Gaskins—who said, “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help build theirs.”
Or they may let you go in the process of rebuilding theirs.