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Old 10-08-2013, 04:49 PM   #61
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The threat of layoffs, and having to lay off people definitely had a positive impact on our FIRE.
Yes, they had the same impacts on me.

After my 2nd layoff in 2006, I tried to start my own business. Eventually, I found my niche in domain business. And this contributes significantly to my current finance.
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Old 10-08-2013, 09:01 PM   #62
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Laid off twice in my 14 year working history. One was for a job I never should've accepted as a part-time, then per diem Executive Assistant in 2009/2010 (was making $550-900/mo off the books). The other was at a glass company in the DFW area that went under after 49 yrs in business. Now earning over 50% more in under a year and a half so maybe there's truth to the saying everything happens for a reason.

I've learned success is a combination of hard work and the right timing.
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Old 10-09-2013, 01:59 PM   #63
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Technically twice for me, from the same megacorp (as I sarcastically call it generous electric....very unethical company IMHO), but one of those I was able to get a transfer to a different division and location, so it would be one official layoff. The second one I was wanting to leave and they just beat me to it. Have survived layoffs at other companies, even a bankruptcy at one where I was held on as one of about 5% left to keep things going OK until a buyer was found. I found another job before the buyer, so left on my terms.

I know lots of people from aerospace field where i used to work that layoffs were just a routine part of the field. Most would land on their feet with something better in a reasonable time and they would go on, repeating the cycle.
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Old 10-09-2013, 02:25 PM   #64
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Four. The third one hurt and changed my attitude from "I used to think to think I wanted a career" to "it turned out all I wanted was a paycheck." Won't happen again though. I will FIRE first!
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Old 10-10-2013, 10:29 AM   #65
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In my professional life, once. That launched my early-early retirement. I have laid off people over the years, a few truly deserved it and I wish I could have made it sooner for them (I didn't hire them, I "acquired" them, AKA, "we're going to move John over to your area").

And some were really really great people, very capable, did a super job, easy to work with, trustworthy, never a problem with them, a real joy to work with. And I had to lay some of them off, too. When I had to bring one of these folks into my office and tell them the written schpiel, I was so sorry, and I had wet, but not drippy eyes. They knew it was not my idea, and that I had done everything I could to protect them up to that point. I hated it and the politics that went with it. Economics is one thing, politics is another. Some people really suck.
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Old 10-10-2013, 10:32 AM   #66
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0 for me. I think this was mostly luck. Now a nice ER package would be a blessing and make the decision of when to RE easier.
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Old 10-15-2013, 10:30 PM   #67
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In my 35 year, so-called aerospace engineering career, I've worked for 11 different companies, 8 no longer exist (bought, acquired, hostile takeovers, moved to se asia, etc.). And luckily laid off only twice, once early, once late in the career. But, missed several (by moving to other opportunities) by only days, maybe even minutes. I only wish I would have figured it out early on and been a dentist like my mother wanted me to be. Someone earlier said it succinctly, I really should have focused on the paycheck and FIRE, not the so-called career. Gratefully, its now almost water under the bridge.
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Old 10-16-2013, 04:09 AM   #68
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Once, 10 weeks ago, took a voluntary layoff as the severance was enough to allow me to ER. After 100 years (30+ for me) the company was bought out, changed from a quality emphasis to a money emphasis. From an employees perspective the continual layoffs to cut corners changed it from from enjoyable to pressure cooker.
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Old 10-16-2013, 06:54 AM   #69
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I really should have focused on the paycheck and FIRE, not the so-called career. Gratefully, its now almost water under the bridge.
Wow. That's a pretty powerful comment. I feel the same way, thanks for sharing.
FIRE takes care of most things.
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Old 10-17-2013, 01:10 AM   #70
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Only laid off once back in 1998.

But the 8 jobs I had prior to my current jobs, none of them exist today. The companies do not even exist anymore due to mergers and industry change. So If I haven't left, I would have been laid off.

Currently looking to get laid off again so I can get servance and unemployment!!! I need that 1 year paid vacation!!! PICK ME PLEASE
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Old 10-17-2013, 10:38 AM   #71
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I almost had my first layoff last week. I literally just found out they were letting people go when my boss walked up to me and asked "do you have a minute". I felt my heart pumping and I just knew this was it for me (I've been with the company for 15 years).

He brought me to a conference room, where the head of HR was already sitting. She broke the news to me that my position has been eliminated, however, they wanted to offer me a different position, but in a totally different field than my current role. I do have some familiarity to the position, but it will be learning curve for me.

I really don't remember much of what was said after I heard I wasn't being let go and my pay was remaining the same. I felt relieved and sad at the same time, because we lost a lot of good people that day and they will be missed. I know I feel bad for my colleagues, because my responsibilities haven’t been eliminated, just my position. How does the saying go “doing more with less”?

This only reinforces my dedication to FIRE and doing all the little things I need to do to get me there sooner rather than later. Some of my friends don't get my obsession with FIRE, but they just don't understand that you can't put a price on being in control of your life and being able to say "Enough already, here's my 2 weeks!"
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Old 10-17-2013, 12:50 PM   #72
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Never laid off. Although if I had stayed on with one job I would have eventually been laid off. The company filed Chapter 11 and later bit the dust.
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Old 10-25-2013, 01:05 AM   #73
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Never laid off, but was fired once. Looking back on it, I was upset at the time but everything worked out.

This was my second job out of law school working for a solo practitioner. I didn't like the job at all and after I had been there about 6 months or so I started looking for another job. My boss found out I was looking and fired me on the spot. He did pay me for 2 weeks. However, it was a big shock to me as I was early in my career and didn't have a lot of money. However, I had 2 job offers within 2 weeks and had a request for second interview on another. So, I accepted a job with a small law firm, took a week's vacation first and started work. I've followed the head of that firm to various other firms over the years and even now - during ESR - still work for him (that was 33 years ago).

Oh the other thing about being fired, was that my boss told me that I would do fine, but I should go into a different type of law. I was sort of worried at the time as to whether I should take his advice. However, I didn't and had a successful career without changing as he suggested.
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Old 10-25-2013, 03:33 AM   #74
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I worked for 4 companies between graduate school and ER, two were layoffs.
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Old 10-25-2013, 07:22 AM   #75
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0
Never laid off, never quit without a job or school lined up. Till I ERed.

MRG
+1. Same for me. Although I still have 98 days to go before ER. So there is still time to get a layoff in.
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Old 10-25-2013, 07:25 AM   #76
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For my first career out of college I worked for 2 different state universalities for a total of 9 years and I was never laid off. After returning to school and taking some classes in computer science I started my second career in the private sector working in corporate IT for a Fortune 50 company. For the first 10 years I never worried about the security of my job. However, in 2009 my megacorp announced that they would start laying off salaried employees for either short, or long term periods.

The people with short term layoffs had return to work dates so as long as you could handle a small cut in pay, which I could, you were fine. Those with a long term layoff had no return date and no promise of a job. I was fortunate to only be laid off for 4 weeks, but the day they told everyone what straw they drew was a real eye opener for me. The knowledge that my well paying corporate gig could disappear on me caused me to evaluate my finances to see just how much I really needed to live. I started tracking my spending from that period and one of the decisions that I made was to accelerate paying off my mortgage.

We are going through another round of layoffs this year. I will be off work and on unemployment for a total of 3 weeks, but they are laying off people permanently in the division that is struggling the most. Back in 2009, some of the people who were laid off indefinitely were hired back, but some were not and I think some just decided to retire. Those would be the poor folks who misjudged taking the buyout package that the company offered just prior to announcing the layoffs.
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Old 10-25-2013, 07:26 AM   #77
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Twice -

First was in 1987 when the computer retailer I worked with out of college finally went Chapter 7.

That ended up being a blessing as I went out and found a software sales job where I worked for 21 years. That small company I joined ended up being acquired along the way and then I was RIF'd in 2009 from Megacorp as part of the recession as they eliminated my department.

That was fine too. They treated me well (1 years pay & healthcare) and I was kind of ready to do something else anyway.
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Old 10-26-2013, 05:34 AM   #78
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I have worked full time for nearly 40 years now with only two different employers. Never laid off, never fired, not one day without full-time employment. Now that I am close to RE I wish my current employer would give me a package to "go away" but that won't happen.
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Old 10-26-2013, 06:23 AM   #79
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Volunteered to get laid off when I was ready to ER. Figured I could get a nice severance package and save somebody else's job (for a while) at the same time.
Same here. FIREd as of yesterday
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Old 10-26-2013, 09:51 AM   #80
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Same here. FIREd as of yesterday
Congrats!!
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