Funny how our brains work. Every day, we wake up for work and think, "Man, I wish I could just stay in bed and take the day off." What? Is that just me? Oh no, there, I see some hands in the back.
But then, when you and few thousand co-workers get a company memo suggesting you consider a brief vacation -- unpaid, that is -- in order to potentially help prevent more layoffs at the company... well, it just doesn't bring the satisfaction you might have hoped. That's the letter that employees at computer maker Dell recently received, as the company struggles with soft consumer spending on big-ticket items like computers.
Of course, I suppose when your company is in the final stages of an 8,900-person layoff, a memo proposing a five-day break doesn't seem so scary, relatively speaking. If nothing else, the break would give employees a little free time to look for different jobs.
Unfortunately, Dell employees aren't the only folks a little nervous about their paychecks these days. A private report estimated US companies eliminated 157,000 jobs in October, the largest single-month drop since 2002. I've been reading of layoffs and/or bankruptcies among restaurants, auto dealers, pharmaceutical companies, retail chains, and manufacturers, to name a few. And, in particular, I've seen announcements by some major manufacturing companies planning more major layoffs and plant closures in the fourth quarter this year, in preparation for what they expect to be a tough 2009.
Why am I getting all business-and-economic-newsy on you? Mostly because it freaks me out a little bit. It's a rather scary time to be having a baby. Knowing that my paycheck comes from those big banks and investment banks that keep making headlines for their failures, I get a little uneasy at times. If I were to lose my job, the fact is I have few if any marketable skills beyond writing and editing, and I'm afraid those aren't the types of jobs that companies consider indispensable when budgets are tight.
I'm not asking you to lose any sleep over me and the fam, though. My company keeps reporting decent sales numbers, including 13% growth over 2007, so far this year. And I haven't heard any buzz of layoffs -- although I don't work in an office, so I probably wouldn't hear it if there were any.
It's all just a little weird to me. At age 28, this is the first time I've ever heard people talk about being in a recession and looked around me and seen how it could very well impact me directly, without much warning. Let's hope not.
And good luck to the Dell folks. Enjoy your days off, but I'd recommend you spend at least a couple of them sending out resumes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Yes, certainly good luck to the Dell people. At the same time, I hope to be getting a new laptop for Christmas, so...
I would think that you have some level of job security with all the turmoil in the market right now. I've read far more articles about the economy this year than I ever had and a lot of companies in strong financial position are looking to profit off those less fortunate while the price is right - which I would think makes your readers want to read your product even more.
Ah, but you do have a marketable skill. Schools are still hurting for teachers. The work sucks, but you're not getting laid off either considering that you'd have to teach an academic core subject. If something happens and your publication goes the way of Dell and you could just teach out the recession.
Glad to hear your company is doing okay for the time being.
Taking five days off is much less fun when you're not getting paid. I'd definitely be using that time to send out resumes.
These tough economic times scare the shit out of me.
Yeah, it is really scary. Working for a private college, I feel like I have a little job security, but if these parents decide they can't afford to send their kids here, we'll be screwed. I'm guessing that Hope scholarship looks better and better these days.
Let us not go the way of the Dell! (P.S. Apple doesn't seem to be hurting as badly... just sayin')
Well hey- worse comes to worst you could always eat the baby.
What, Courtney? That's sick and inappropriate?
Yeah, she's probably right.
But maybe you could just sell it instead.
Still inappropriate? Dammit.
You'll figure something out, I'm sure.
(Boy I hope I haven't underestimated your sense of humor or overestimated my own.)
You are sick, Mickey.
I was just gonna use the baby for going to public parks and picking up attractive young women, whom I would then sell into the international sex trade.
Post a Comment