Anatomy of a Layoff

I should have seen the signs.

Kiddingly, my colleague yesterday had told our East Coast manager not to drop in on us without warning. Californians know that can mean only one thing: layoffs. Our boss had responded, "Don't worry. A lot of people are getting on planes, but I'm not one of them."

This morning it hit home. M, a close friend of mine at work, came by my desk early today. She was holding the infamous severance "package". Her East Coast boss's boss had given her the word only that morning.

Although she had been hoping to get a few more years in, her husband has a good job and her only son is now in college, so she thinks she'll be okay. Still, it's a shock. And she only gets two more weeks. Her last day is February 15th.

She also said: word is the local Hilton is swarming with East Coast managers here to do layoffs. And shortly after we received word that five people in our eastern colleagues department had also been laid off. So it was not an isolated incident - layoffs were happening in technology across the country.

At one o'clock came the obligatory all hands meeting to discuss what everyone already knew: layoffs had occurred. Business priorities had changed, market conditions were bad, and if you were associated with an initiative that had its funding pulled...oh well.

As to the question on everyone's mind: no, they are not done. Additional positions will be cut with the goal of everyone notified by March 31.

I feel like a soldier on the front. Today I survived. Not everyone made it, but I did. It's a relief.

Unfortunately, the war is far from over. And a new battle looms.


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