By Joanne Eglash
Some human resource professionals prefer to use terms such as "realignment of staff" or "reduction of redundancies." But whether you call it a "layoff," a "pink slip program," or the always-charming "downsizing" (which I suppose is the reverse of a fast-food clerk's suggestion that you "upsize that order of fries to an extra-large"), it still isn't easy for anyone involved.
You say it could never happen to you because your job is safe? Or because you don't work for a dot-com? Read these tales from the layoff trenches for a wakeup call.
(Note: To protect their privacy, many of those interviewed requested to remain anonymous.)
Online Gaming Isn't All Fun and Games
A recent victim of a layoff from a gaming Web site described her situation as "miserable." Responsible for managing the site's content, she says she became concerned about the site's future when, at weekly meetings, they were told "that there still wasn't any funding."
She discussed this situation with other employees, she says, and what "seemed an obvious outcome for the company" soon became a reality.
When she was finally dismissed, she was informed of it by the CEO, who "offered a severance and a good reference should I need one."
Lessons for the Future: "My personal experience with start-up companies is [that] in many cases management personnel are young, in their 20s, and lack any real management experience." She is also concerned about working for another dot-com because she feels that they tend to give employees big titles, "yet by no means does this necessarily qualify these same individuals with business acumen and know-how to sport such responsibilities."
She also notes that at a startup "the stress level can get very high because of constant growth (or not)."
