by AnnMarie

Created on: August 01, 2008   Last Updated: August 26, 2010

Possible job lay off, downsizing...is your pink slip on its way? As a person who has been through a lay off due to the severe downturn of an industry most of us could see it coming, but even then the job market was not the best. Where do you go when your only experience is in an industry that is suffering everywhere. I don't care what anyone says, prospective employers only look at candidates who have the exact experience they need.

As luck would have it I had finally been promoted the year before my lay off to a department with great people and a good manager and I really enjoyed my job. I had been with the company for five years and things were looking up, not to mention I was making the best salary I had ever made. The benefits were great and there were more possible opportunities down the road, so I thought.

The first thing I noticed was the firing of particular people who we knew were not performing, or had absentee problems and this was understandable. Then, they began to increase production and work goals making it more difficult to qualify for a yearly raise. There were many meetings behind closed doors for the management and we knew it meant changes on the horizon. Then, during slow periods they began to ask employees to voluntarily leave early (unpaid) or take an unpaid day off. Work was slowing and we knew that the company was trying to save money, so many of us being working mothers and all obliged.

Then, some of the perks we used to get were discontinued, such as free lunch days provided by the company, various office party celebrations, and any bonus incentives. We even began to supply our own scratch paper, pens and other items to do our job. It was all in an effort to save the company money, but in the meantime many of us were indeed worried and rumors were rampant. Job moral was low and more and more employees were put on written warnings for things that used to be worked out verbally between the manager and the employee. There were new rules on tardies, absences, monitoring scores for our calls, and job evaluation processes all based on the reason that the company wanted the best from its employees to save money.

Memos and training were constant to find more efficient ways to work. New procedures were put in place and styles of work were experimented with and most of it just led to disgruntled employees. However, you were expected to smile through all the changes and make sure to check your attitude at work everyday. I realize now that many

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