how many layoffs you got?

[HillCountry]

I was laid off 3 times during my 18 years’ work in electronics design. All due to the companies folded. Actually, all the companies (7 of them) I worked for in the Silicon Valley do not exist anymore.



I am not worried at all, despite of my track record. Actually DW retired in 2008 when we moved to TX. She is taking care of the kids now.

 

[steelyman]

I was never laid off, except by former girlfriends.

But I didn't face the situation that people do now.

 

[ziggy29]

One -- the last one in April after almost 26 years without missing a paycheck in software development and IT. I consider myself "mostly" retired, and anything I choose to do for a few hours and a little spending money is just a "hobby" and for something to do, not a j*b. I can easily leave it if it starts getting unpleasant.

If I can find a relatively casual part-time gig in desktop support and repair for a few hours a week, I'm open to it. But I will never work a full-time corporate IT gig again. Ever. Just knowing I can say that and be OK financially puts a big smile on my face.

 

[MichaelB]

I was laid off twice, both times in college. The first time, working in the dishroom, I thought I'd have to quit school. The other guys on the line each gave up a day so I could stay on, even though they needed the work just as badly, or even more. Never forgot them, or that. It helped shape my views and made a huge impact on my life.

 

[RockyMtn]

Never had any myself. Had to layoff more people than I care to recall though. Happiest days were when I got to bring them back.

Have an ex wife that I laid off too. That one wasn't so tough.

 

[pb4uski]

Never laid off. One time Megacorp decided to move our office to the corporate headquarters but offered those who did not go a pretty generous salary continuation (severance) package. Only one person out of 35 moved and the rest took the package, mostly because they didn't want to move to NYC area.

Actually in the 34 years that I worked, I never had a day unpaid. I had a couple weeks off between the 3 employers I had during my career (4 weeks in total) but I double dipped and collected salary continuation (aka severance) from one employer and salary from another for a couple months which offset the 4 weeks unpaid between employers. Lucky.

I also never had to hire a direct report despite being in management for much of my career. i inherited a lot of good people and few of them left, some were promoted or transferred but their subordinates were ready to move up. Only time I had to fire someone it was where one of our managers resigned, I was appointed acting manager for his unit and had to deal with a problem employee that he was in the process of firing but I did the final deed (didn't like it either). I also had to lay off one person during my career. It was a bit unfair that he wasn't a bad guy - just the weakest link of the chain. I didn't like that either.

 

[steelyman]

This reminds me. My father (steelydad?) was told he had to choose which of two smart guys to lay off. His choice was to retire himself

 

[ziggy29]

This reminds me. My father (steelydad?) was told he had to choose which of two smart guys to lay off. His choice was to retire himself

That probably felt good -- not just because he could afford it, but because it may have saved a job for someone who needed it more.

I was on a team where two people shared the duties of what I did. I know the guy who also did this work needed the job a lot more than I did -- he had a couple of kids, he had a mortgage and other obligations.... none of which I had. So in reality, it was much better that I got whacked than he did (I think the decision on which to get rid of was a pure salary dump, no more, no less).

I would have felt guilty if I stayed on when he was laid off, because I knew hee needed the job much more.

 

[Free To Canoe]

9?, yea that's it. 9.
A little more luck needed for ER with that track record.
ERed in 2007.

 

[steelyman]

That probably felt good -- not just because he could afford it, but because it may have saved a job for someone who needed it more. .

That was his perspective. He was a good man and told me this while we were drinking one later Christmas.

 

[braumeister]

Retired once, quit once (when asked to be unethical), and was laid off once when company was sold.

I guess that gives me the whole spectrum, except for being fired. Boring.

 

[MRG]

0
Never laid off, never quit without a job or school lined up. Till I ERed.

MRG

 

[FIREd]

Laid off once (from my first real job out of graduate school). It was a small biotech startup and we just ran out of money.

 

[KingB]

I never got laid off.

Did you hear about the manager who have 2 direct reports named Mary and Jack and he has to get rid of 1 of them. He was saying: "I don't know if I should lay Mary or Jack off".

 

[growing_older]

Laid off 7 times myself, although that includes 4 times from one company who kept hiring me back. Finally left there for a job that didn't lay people off so often. Had to lay off people, sometimes including myself 9 times. Was impacted when other layoffs, not including any of my dept, happened while I was working 5 times. Left a company just a few weeks before an entire dept or division I was in was laid off, so just missed those, twice.

Life in computer technology has been tumultuous, so the idea of staying at a company 35 years to earn a pension would be unthinkable. Most of the companies I worked for no longer exist. All the places that laid me off are out of business. Almost all the companies I worked at didn't last long enough for a pension to vest.

 

[Alan]

Never laid off but our office in Houston of 30 folks was closed and most folks laid off. I was one of only 2 that were offered jobs at other sites in other States. I took the job in Louisiana and was there for the next 15years.

 

[MDJO]

Never laid off, but I've been fired twice, and almost fired two more times.

 

[traineeinvestor]

Never laid off, but one employer did try to transfer me to our Bangkok office.

Unfortunately, for a while I had the job of telling people that they had no future with the firm and needed to move on.While there were some people I was glad to see the back of, there were times when it was an aspect of my job that I hated.

 

[brett]

Laid off once, after 25 years with the same company, at age 59. I was thrilled, ready for FIRE, and received an extremely attractive package.

32 years in IT, 25 with the last company through three mergers, I forget how many industry downturns, and literally 20 years of downsizing. Most of it in management.

Changed careers, moved once (best move we ever made) and managed to remain grandfathered in a reasonably good DB plan. I consider myself to be very fortunate.

 

[unclemick]

Twice - 'will the last person leaving Seattle please turn out the lights' and the second during the long grinding mutli-year layoffs post Challenger. Then I became 'an unemployed slacker' until I found this forum and morphed into a born again super duper ER.

Haven't worked since.

heh heh heh - ok ok some temp work about 1 yr total since 1993 - BUT nothing after 1997.

 

[fh2000]

I was laid off twice. Both times found jobs before severance ran out, so I was "double" paid for a short while both times.

I am hoping for a 3rd lay off next year so I can ER.

 

[anethum]

5 times. Once on my first day back from vacation. Another time I had been on the job less than a week and there was some sort of contract screw-up. They asked me back a week later. Then they laid me off again about 8 months later with more contract nonsense. Geez, was that place ever screwed up.

 

[MRG]

This isn't mine, but a coworker quit Megacorp to go to a better Megacorp. In his orientation(or was supposed to be), he's told the project he was hired to work on was canceled. You no longer have a j*b on your first day. Lucky he'd exited the first Megacorp clean so he was welcomed back.

MRG

 

[Buckeye]

Laid off once (from my first real job out of graduate school). It was a small biotech startup and we just ran out of money.

Laid off from a start up because we ran out of money but the CEO was arrogant (bad decisions based on ego) and a crook (running his other company out of our company using our employees). He continues to run his game on others over and over again! Should be in jail.

Volunteered for layoff from a family-owned company so other employees would not be laid off. I was from outside the community and the others were locals. It would have been heartbreaking to see any of them laid off and then for me to resign later.

 

[Lakewood90712]

39 years in the workforce, laid off 3 times by the same Megacorp. (19 years at megacorp). Recalled shortly after layoff 1 and 2.

3rd time, they were asking for volunteers to take the fall. No cash payout, just 6 mo free medical. I took it. It also saved the job of someone much older ,with less time megacorp, who needed just 4 more mo. to qualify for retirement.

Worked out best for everyone.

Was offered recall twice after the voluntary layoff. Didn't go back.

Best career decision I ever made. Should have left years earlier.

Ended up 18 mo later working for "Megacity" making almost double.

Hate working for " Megacity" currently , but the money and benefits make it ok.

( edit post , said 44 years at work , make that 39. 10yo kid with paper route don't count as "workforce"