Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I’ve been laid off 2 times coincides with 2 recessions. The first one I just graduated from college. But I had contract jobs after my oldest child was born and I was between jobs many times. It’s part of the territory. I’m still here(putting my Barbara Streisand voice), that has always been my motto. Nothing could hurt me. I was always prepared. And now enjoying my retirement. Best of luck moving forward.
In 1993 the handwriting was on the wall pretty much. People were being escorted out the door with very little time getting their personal things together. I felt it was only time before that happened to me, so decided to move out of state for a job with the same company. A few days before my start date, a phone call informed me the job was no longer available.
In 2006 I was working for a medical office doing a new type of job for me. I was on this job for 9 years when I was called into the office to learn I had a choice of early retirement or being laid off. This came a month after being awarded employee of the month. Another employee who had worked there 30+ years and was same age as me, also was given same choice, early retirement vs lay off.
So, yeah I've gone through this twice. It's never easy or fun.
Sometimes I wonder. Are we loyal to our employers or just to lazy to look around and get a better job?
Very insightful.
In my life, it's been only men complaining that their loyalty to the company wasn't rewarded. I think that for men of our generation, loyalty has almost been part of their DNA. Maybe that comes of being raised by the so-called Greatest Generation. I don't know.
On the other hand, I've seen a lot of complacency in the workplace, too, and wishful thinking.
Sometimes I wonder. Are we loyal to our employers or just to lazy to look around and get a better job?
You'd first have to define "better" job and then have to ask yourself if such a thing exists.
I watched my father ride the declining airline industry all the way down, layoff after layoff and move after move. Then they gave him a choice of early retirement or early retirement. And he was well known: if my sister or I traveled, someone would invariably come out and ask us if we were his daughter and lead us to some better area and make us feel special. Corporate jobs place no value on the value of people.
Unfortunately, I am seeing this exact same thing happen more and more often. As others have said, it is no wonder that so many younger people have such a "bad attitude" toward the mainstream working world -- many corporations deserve it!
And, to the OP, I can certainly empathize, as my 63-year-old husband was in a very similar position about three years ago. We are doing okay -- he is now employed by another company and doing well -- but we are definitely counting the days (literally!) until he -- hopefully! -- retires, and we can put all the corporate BS behind us!
First of all, I have to bring up a pet peeve of mine. I'm old enough to remember when "layoffs" at the steel mill where Dad worked meant, "There's not enough work for you right now but we'll call you back when there is". I know the OP mentioned being let go and re-hired but that's a different process- no guarantee that they'll select you. When the message is, "Go home and don't come back", that's NOT a layoff. It's a firing.
Anyway- OP, it sounds like life has thrown you a curve ball but you're prepared. I'd planned to retire at 65 but got sick of the toxic politics and left at age 61. That was 2014. I know I've been blessed by a good market in those years, but when I look back at what I would have accumulated over the 4 years till I hit 65, I don't think it would have changed how I live now. Life is good.
Enjoy the next phase of your life!
I remember those days too, when the term "lay-off" meant a temporary suspension from work, but those laid off would be called back to work at a later date.
And later on, when terminating employees became a norm among employers, mostly for reasons involving the employer's short term profit, and/or changes in management, I thought perhaps the term layoff implied that at least some terminated employees *might* be called back to work if things changed, or at the whim of the employer. But yeah, most often the employees were dismissed and couldnt count on coming back to work there. Or in my case (I was "laid off"from two jobs in my 42 years) I wouldn't have gone back under any circumstances).
They were "fired", technically, though I always thought the word was associated with being terminated for cause, and wasn't used in a situation where employees were terminated without cause, no fault of their own but because of management decisions for the financial benefit to the company. Being "fired" comes with a connotation of wrongdoing on the part of the terminated employee as the reason for termination.
Another expression I've heard for these mass "layoffs", or terminations is "RIFed". The definition states RIF is a termination of employee (s) due to lack of funds, work (or whatever) with no expectation that the employee will be recalled because the position itself has been eliminated. While it may or may not be the case that positions are eliminated (more often these days seems they're just filled by people willing to work for less) RIF seems to be the most applicable term to use in these circumstances described by the OP.
Just got laid off today, upon returning from a week's vacation, by my Fortune top 10 employer. Been with them since May of 2003, except for a 10 month gap in '16-'17 when I was also laid off by them. Felt fortunate to get rehired in Feb 2017, since I was 61...and they matched my former salary.
Soon to be 64 and my plan was to retire sometime between April 1 and August 31 of next year. I don't get the sweet severance as in '16 but I do get a couple months. Severance, plus six months unemployment, am thinking I can string this out nicely and ride off into the sunset almost as planned.
Frankly, I will be happy to give corporate America the finger. I am set this time (no pension, but me and the spouse have really good ss benefits and solid 401Ks). But that was not the case when laid off by other employers in '82, '97, and '03. The whole layoff thing gets tiresome. I feel for the younger generations who have to deal with the same garbage. It's hard to be loyal to an employer when they will dump you in a heartbeat just to meet some exec's budget, likely due to their own mismanagement.
Any other soon-to-be retirees encounter similar BS?
As a retired engineer, layoffs are part of the career. When projects come to an end, the company may or may not have another project for you to join. If not, there are other companies who generally will have something. It just goes with the territory.
Yeah, the same thing happened to me. "Laid off" (downsized) in 2003 after returning from vacation. I was re-hired 18 months later when they realized my position really was essential. I held them up for restoration of my sick leave and a raise. Laid off again in 2011, and I told them, "Don't call me, I'll call you." I was very marketable, and had two half-time job offers in weeks. Retired for good in 2015.
I totally understand how you feel, as one of the things I most looked forward to in retirement was no longer worrying about job security. I lost my job in 2000 due to a restructuring and, like you, was fortunate enough to be rehired a few years later.. That was a real stroke of luck, as I worked there enough additional years to achieve full pension status. Unfortunately, it also included job insecurity, as reductions in force and restructuring were a constant. The anxiety really gets to you.
We worked hard to prepare for retirement financially as best we could - which also meant that we eventually reached the point where if one of us got laid off, it wouldn't be the catastrophe it felt like when each of us had a job loss in our younger years. To be honest, by the time I ultimately left the workforce, I actually wished I'd get laid off so I'd get a severance and could collect unemployment. The irony is that after all those years when we both worried about a job loss, we were each probably never more secure when we relocated and retired. I have a younger sister who has experienced a lot of job instability over the years and still going through it. She is so happy to be nearing the end of her working years so she can let that worry go.
You'd first have to define "better" job and then have to ask yourself if such a thing exists.
I watched my father ride the declining airline industry all the way down, layoff after layoff and move after move. .....
Second point first: being a pilot can be very well paid, but it a dead end job with skills that have no relevance outside of the specific industry.
I think it is easy to define a "better" job but each of us is likely to have different priorities and interests. For me some of the main factors would be:
pay and benefits
work environment
job security
location
learning opportunities
opportunities for promotion and growth
references and reputation for future job opportunities
scope of responsibilities and empowerment to accomplish them
independence and freedom of action
flexibility
You can also note that almost none of these apply to being a pilot. Pay aside, it is a dead end job, like being a high paid truck driver. It is the same job year after year with little or no growth or opportunity.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
