No big surprise--American Airlines was one of their clients. Luckily, I had restocked the store room and we have a little cushion--not as big as before, but should see us through. Sweetie already has an interview tomorrow, thank God, so that softens the blow a little bit.

Well, here we go again.

Shit.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Answers

Bummer! Grrrrrrrrr

apoc

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

I am so sorry! What a low blow. Have something really good for dinner. The job hunt can commence tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Oh Sh!t! Wish you weren't getting so much practice at this.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

I'm so very sorry!

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Oh, Helen. I guess you and Mule Mike will have to come and stay with me for awhile. Our unemployment is still holding at 3% although I expect that to change with next month's figures.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

I don't feel he'll be off long...but it is a worry till he is signed and locked in again! good luck, will say a prayer....(Dan is also coming to an end of a contract).

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

(((((((OG))))))),

I'm sorry to hear the news! Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll be "back in the saddle" again soon.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Damn. I join everyone in wishing your Sweetie the best of luck.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

So sorry to hear that... if your in IT or Telecom, it's a full blown depression... I'm a little over three months, with nothing but part- time contract work to fill the gaps from California's paltry unemployment... probably ok if you live in the low rent valley areas, but sucks in the high rent coastal area where I live...

Funny thing, have an interview Thursday to install and train on a vertical software app, kicker is FREQUENT travel, all over the US... guess they lost a few due to cold feet about flying a lot; the recent crash didn't help...

Haven't discussed salary yet, but they'd better have hazard pay... right now, I'd take it...

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Well, that's certainly a kick in the head! You know I completely understand what this is like, having gone through it more than a few times myself. Keeping my fingers crossed and good vibes flowing your way. . .

[Aside] . . .

It occured to me recently that over the last 27 years I've worked, I've had 16 full time employers. That is a LOT! All but 3 of my job changes were due to mergers/downsizing/companies going out of business. Sometimes I had adequate advance warning that I was able to find another job before the "curtain dropped", but not always. What is even more astonishing is that of the 16 companies I worked for during that time, only 4 are still in business, and even as such, they are not the 'same' organization they were when I worked there (they've managed to retain their former name, but have merged, acquired/been acquired several times), but are still "in business". The others are NOT. Think the others were small potatoes, "Ma and Pa" places? Think again. Most all were multi-million dollar a year companies, many were publically traded as well. Lots were in health care, but not all, by any means. Truly staggering to look at your entire work history and realize that unless you've kept in touch with former managers/associates throughout the years, you are out of luck with regard to having any sort of reference, at all. And staying in touch with former managers is tough, too, because most all of 'those' people have had to change jobs, several times and often move away.

Coming from a family where my grandfather and uncle both retired from Phillips Petroleum with over 40 years service apiece, and another uncle retired from Goodyear with over 40 years, (and his wife retired from a state .gov job with over 20 years) this is the complete other end of the spectrum, wouldn't you think?

I once took this very personally, even though I almost always earned promotions and was in the top 5% of sales. Just have to pick up your sticks and go on, and realize it's NOT fair, not "right", and that it ISN'T the same "ballgame" . . .

Another aside. . .I honestly can not for the life of me understand how ANYONE who has ever lost a job can feel 'comfortable' having only a week's worth of 'stuff' in the house! You would think planning for contingencies would be uppermost in anyone's mind who has been laid off even once, but sad to say, that's usually not the case. Glad you were able to top off your pantry, OG. (Of course, I would have fainted if you hadn't . . . [G])

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Brooke,

Funny you should say that, I was thinking the same thing about my situation... only my most recent employer, besides Lucent, is still alive as the original entity I worked for, and the part of Lucent I worked for is now Avalya, or something like that, and every supervisor I had has long left that...

Is it a statement of the times? My mother retired after 25 years with Moore's Busines Forms, everyone I can think of in my family that didn't own their own business worked for the same company for decades till retirement...

Transient marriages, jobs, lives; bridges that dissolve almost as soon as you cross them...

Is that the new norm, and was/is it worth it?

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Carl,

Part of the reason I see the workplace being as it is today is because little, if any, attention has been paid in recent times to what I call building corporate infrastructure. In fact, it was very much discouraged and scoffed at as being "dinosaur-ish", "old school", and too much like thinking 'inside' the box to be sexy No, I'm NOT talking about building layer upon layer of many Chiefs and few Indians (although, that sometimes IS a by- product). I'm talking about not taking the LONG TERM view, and seeing what is necessary to make an organization SOLID is in place before "taking the market by storm". I'm talking about having a multitude of 'analysts' and a dearth of people who can actually produce a product or service. Instead of modest yet predictable revenue increases year after year, the thrust was to "maximize profits, NOW", and damn anyone or anything who dared question the wisdom of sacrificing long term stability for short term gains. For example, putting people in positions of great decision-making power who have little or no solid business experience - people who have never actually participated in what I call the "Business of doing Business". People who are quick with the buzz words (doesn't matter too much if they actually can articulate in layman's terms what they MEAN), people who knew how to "create a sensation", but not a solid foundation; people who could not produce a result themselves, because they had no experience. Another example: jumping into unexplored and undeveloped areas at the sacrifice of your core business, just because you 'can' and *everyone* else is. Dot.bomb, anyone? So much emphasis has been placed in the last ten years or so on making certain your organization can "Shift QUICKLY", that it seems this is all some organizations do, and the core product (service, etc.) WILL suffer! It takes a lot of resources to constantly be chasing after one's own tail (constantly rearranging the product line/changing one's business targets/changing the organizational chart), and it eventually starves an organization of talent, money, and the opportunity to become the premier entity in its industry.

I've sat in on too many corporate meetings where the language and wording of the eternally damned "Mission Statement" took far more precedence than did resolving very real and immediate patient care issues. I've done my penance and have repented, btw.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Damn Git, sorry to hear that. Glad he has an interview already, though.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2001

Brooke, if businesses, in general, are going to survive, they've got to start taking longer views of their goals. Besides the problems that you mentioned, which I shorten into "all form and no substance," there is also the difficulty in keeping a good work force where companies and train and promote from within. Too often, "outside talent" is brought for short-term gains. The recent expansions and sudden layoffs at Lucent Tech and AT&T are examples.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

OG, Sorry to hear about Sweetie. I know I keep waiting, but luckily my client is going great and I think I will be staying for some time yet.

I agree that too many companies hired those MBA's fresh out of college with no real world experience and then DID whatever these MBA's recommended. Sorry, too many years working with snot-nosed kids that don't know much of anything and then having to come in and fix their screw-ups - all the while management is STILL saying what a brilliant person this was... arghhhhhhhh.

I could see many years ago that management was no longer looking at a 5 year plan or even a 1 year plan. Next quarter was more like it. And then sales would think that new products could be developed in a few weeks instead of months or even years that it should take.

Most of my career I have stayed a consultant for various reasons - most dealing with money and change. While I am still a consultant, I have been with the same client now for 2 years and their business is going pretty good and I anticipate staying for some time yet. Hopefully, until I make a career change that I am planning.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

You're all absolutely right--short-term thinking. I don't see any change any time soon, either, and more jobs are disappearing overseas. You would think with all the emphasis on foreigners, there might be some work available because of those not willing to go through the new hassles of re-upping a work visa, but it doesn't look that way. Come to think of it, any hassle is worth the prospect of returning to, say, Islamabad.

The typing business that was going to keep me so busy? Only one call all this time and the flyers are still up, so not much hope in that area.

Well, we shall just have to get through it, that's all. Sweetie is amazingly upbeat at the moment--let's hope it lasts! He knows it could be a while. The good thing is that this time he has some notice (we don't know how much yet), and his boss actually got him the interview, whereas last time it was a lockdown-here's-your-stuff situation. Could be worse.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

put that boss on your holiday card list. I've never heard of that being done before! A good word, yes, getting an interview, never.

Hope he wows em, again!

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

Hope he wows em, again!

Me too. Knock 'em dead, Sweetie!

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001