It was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life because so far it has only happened to me once in over 30 years. I worked for a manufacturing firm for 12 years. I had a job I enjoyed very much and was very good at. One day an all-plant meeting was called and we went to find out what was going on. The Plant Manager announced that due to patent infringement issues on one major product line and loss of patent exclusivity on a couple of other products, our plant was going to have to be downsized by 30%. He said the layoffs would be announced in about 3-4 months.

It was a long 4 months, but the day finally was approaching. I had thought about the upcoming layoff quite a bit and realized that my chances of surviving it were only about 50% because every job in the plant was being rated for criticality to ongoing production activities. My job as a project manager was definitely not directly related to manufacturing, therefore, at risk. As a planner by profession and by nature, I had come up with some ideas of what I would do if I were laid off. I hoped I would not have to implement any of them.

One morning when I got to work, there was a note on the main door saying for everyone to report directly to the main conference center. This could not be good news. When everyone was seated, the Plant Manager told everyone that the time had come. We were all to go to our workplaces and wait there. The supervisors would come and get those that were to be laid off. I went back to my office and started doing some paperwork as I figured I might as well make myself useful.

Suddenly, I looked up and my supervisor was standing there. He said, "Come on Dave." My fears were realized after all. We went up to the Plant Manager's office and they sat me down and explained what my severance package consisted of. It was actually a pretty fair offer, so I shook their hands and left. My supervisor was to walk me back to pick up any personal items and then walk me to the door. On the way, I looked at him and saw that he was very depressed. I asked him if he was doing okay. He said, "No Dave, I'm not, but I should be the one asking you that question." I told him not to worry about it as I figured this must be a sign that it was time for me to do something new.

I could never say that it wasn't hard to lose a job I enjoyed so much, but there was a bright side. The layoff took place in May. I decided immediately to take the Summer off to enjoy time with my children while I explored the options available to me. I spent the rest of that day trying to decide how to feel. I also looked up some of the other people that were in the same situation as myself to make sure they were doing okay. Frankly, most of them were not as optimistic as I was.

When I went to bed that night, I was still amazed at the situation, but honestly felt that things were under a reasonable amount of control and that I would approach this situation the same as any other in my life. Take it as a personal challenge and find a way to win.

Looking back at it now, I do feel as if I have won. I am working, keeping the bills paid and my family together, so things aren't too bad. Would I like to be doing that job or a similar one again some day? Yes, I would. Hopefully, the stars lead me in that direction again when the time is right. In the meantime, I work, play, and now, thanks to Helium, write.

Learn more about this author, Dave Kemp.
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