quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
One of the bad ones that I've heard is everyone who keeps their job called into a meeting and told everyone outside the meeting room door lost their job. If anyone in the room sets foot outside the conference room door they join the unemployed. The people who didn't pee before the meeting were in rough shape waiting for the rest of the building to get cleared.

Rookie mistake, you always pee before a meeting.

It’s a checklist item, ISO9001.

And WRT layoffs, it’s a part of the business. If you wanted a guaranteed job, you should have joined the military or government - even then RIFs have happened from time to time, but it’s much more secure.

When I worked for a heath care outfit, they called us into a "staff meeting" and told us that the Security Dept. was being eliminated and they would be hiring minimum wage rent-a-thugs to replace us.
Way cheaper, they explained.
But the real bite on the ass? I looked outside and the parking lot was full of police cars. They were afraid of us! And all of us were retired cops.
Pretty evident that I was working for assholes. No more loyalty for me. Lesson learned.

quote:

Originally posted by satch:
Cold baby.

And gutless.

I used to work for a software company. One of my colleagues had been there from the beginning (her employee number was #09),

One Saturday afternoon she was trying log on to do some catch-up administrative work and was locked out of the network. She called tech support and they tried but could not log her in either.

The guy at tech support said the only time access is so completely cut off is when an employee has been fired. She called her boss. He said "Oh yeah, I've been busy and forgot to tell you that your job was eliminated".

quote:

Originally posted by blueye:
This happened about 15 yrs ago. My sister's neighbor worked for GM engineering and ready to retire in about 6 months. Mgr. called her group into conference room for pizza/Xmas party on last day of work before Xmas break. 1 hour into festivities announces all in attendance are laid off indefinately and not allowed to go back to their desks. Exit door was shown and their belongings were outside the door in boxes with ribbons attached.

I've seen some pretty callous moves, but this is the worst. Fired during the Christmas party? Attaching ribbons to their boxes of their personal items? That is beyond cold or callous, it is evil.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:


And WRT layoffs, it’s a part of the business. If you wanted a guaranteed job, you should have joined the military or government - even then RIFs have happened from time to time, but it’s much more secure.

No, I get it. RIFs are the way of the world and often necessary.

But, notifying people that they just lost their job in some of the ways described here is gutless and shameful. I believe that you always treat people with dignity and respect - especially when you are letting them go.

The first megacorp I worked for back in the 90s (Motorola) had very specific policies about this. If they needed to let someone go, the manager was required to try and help them find another position within Motorola. If there wasn't anything and they were going to be cut loose, the company provided outplacement assistance.

More importantly, the manager and HR met with that employee in person to make the process as painless as possible, given the circumstances. If the employee felt he/she was not being treated square, they could ask to meet with progressively higher levels of management, up to a meeting with Motorola's CEO.

In my mind, that was the gold standard for treating people with respect, and people appreciated it.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
When I worked for a heath care outfit, they called us into a "staff meeting" and told us that the Security Dept. was being eliminated and they would be hiring minimum wage rent-a-thugs to replace us.
Way cheaper, they explained.
But the real bite on the ass? I looked outside and the parking lot was full of police cars. They were afraid of us! And all of us were retired cops.
Pretty evident that I was working for assholes. No more loyalty for me. Lesson learned.

Shortly after the ‘14 oil downturn there were layoffs industry wide for embedded/staff contractors (work right alongside us) and employees.

One of the most gutless was for a staff contractor of more than 5 years. The department head and a few others went out to lunch (out as outside of security at a real restaurant). As they were walking back to their cars (note the plural) the staff contractor received a phone call from his staffing agency and everyone else jumped in the manager’s car and drove off. The phone call was his termination notice. He had shown no violent tendencies but they knew he owned guns so they arranged to do it this way.

I feel like I'm reading script proposals for "The Office."

At least they were notified ahead of time.

Back in 2013 a local to me dairy company, Golden Guernsey, shut down with no notice what so ever.

Literally, workers got off shift Friday night and when they came back to work Saturday the gates were locked with security guards basically telling everyone they no longer had a job. Over 100 people plus all the dairy haulers that were showing up to pick up for their normal deliverys.

Also left several hundred local schools hanging as they were the only supplier for their milk.

They were originally owned by Dean foods but were forced to sell by the federal government under a settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit. The company was bought by a non dairy/farming company in California, some private equity firm, in 2011.

Their was no explanation for it then, and as far as I know still none all these years later.

I've been RIF'd three times. The first was at a large electronics equipment manufacturer. I was offered another job within the company. It was a sucky job but I took it because the economy was shit at the time and NOBODY was hiring. A couple years later they RIF'd me again, no fallback job this time. I was out of work for 8 months.

The third time, 10 years later, I'd already been looking for a different job because the company was going in a direction I wasn't interested in. So one day I find out they've got me scheduled to attend a training seminar. I decided to take the high road and told my boss that I had two outside interviews in the next few days and probably wouldn't be there much longer so they should probably send somebody else instead. Neither one of the other jobs panned out, and three weeks later I got The Notification. So much for trying to do right thing. I wound up going to work for one of that company's clients and I've been there for 17 years now. Hopefully I can stick it out until I can retire, there's not a lot of demand for 60+ year old engineers these days.

One place I worked, the server would shut down, and then the floor managers would come out and hand out envelopes then go upfront. The letter inside said you either ARE or ARE NOT laid off. If you were, it said you had 10 minutes to gather your shit and get out. Then the office workers would get it, and then the managers would get it from the directors. They even hired a company to tell them it was best to fire everyone on Friday. That way there is drama for the afternoon after those who were whacked are gone, you have the weekend to ponder it, and back to business Monday.

One person was on vacation. They actually posted a new org chart on the wall with his name on it, then whacked him when he got back the next week, and put up a new one with him removed.

quote:

Originally posted by PakRatJR:
At least they were notified ahead of time.

Back in 2013 a local to me dairy company, Golden Guernsey, shut down with no notice what so ever.

Literally, workers got off shift Friday night and when they came back to work Saturday the gates were locked with security guards basically telling everyone they no longer had a job. Over 100 people plus all the dairy haulers that were showing up to pick up for their normal deliverys.

Something like that happened here a few years ago, although not to me. A dress shop downtown just up and closed. No notice, employees showed up for work one day to find the place locked up and dark. It made a stink because a bunch of local women were waiting for their wedding gowns to be made at that shop, and they had to scramble to get them done elsewhere, some with only a few days before their wedding dates.

One place I worked, I put in my notice that I was going to a competitor. Our shop foreman tried to talk me out of it, you have a bright future here blah blah blah. Don't forget bonuses are coming up and if you leave now you won't get yours, blah blah. I said thanks but I'm out.

30 days later they closed the shop and all shop workers were whacked. He knew it was coming and still tried to to talk me out of leaving. Bastard

On the other hand we got a reginal Manager who liked to fire people saying it would save the company money in benefits and retirement it had to pay out and would make the others work harder. It took a while but the higher ups got wind of this and gave him 90 to change his ways,he didn't take it and resigned. Some A--holes never change no matter what.

Going back a few years, my cousin that worked at Blue Cross in Newark, NJ was given a letter before Christmas saying he was to receive a $5,000 bonus. After Christmas break he was told it was a mistake and lost his job. Luckily he was able to find a job with Blue Cross in Philly PA a few months later.

Layoffs happen......but....do it cruelly and you wonder why the place got shot up later.

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
But, notifying people that they just lost their job in some of the ways described here is gutless and shameful. I believe that you always treat people with dignity and respect - especially when you are letting them go.

That's the crux to all of this.

Another place I worked for, one of the company officers (it's been awhile but, he was a high-up working out of the exec offices) was traveling around the country, explaining the layoffs and presenting compensation packages to the various offices. The packages were generous so that softened the blow and an outside agency was brought-in running workshops on how to prepare for interviews, resumes and other resources...job sites didn't exist back then. After all of his travel, he ended up resigning, word was the stress of it all affected him pretty badly. You could see it on his face when he told us of our release. Can only image what it was like for him when he went home or, looked in the mirror in the bathroom.

Auto dealerships are pretty cold when the axe falls. The general manager of one I worked at in the 1970's ordered the parts manager to terminate one of the parts delivery drivers on Christmas Eve.

Another "famous" act was to terminate a person on Friday. The amount of stress that would cause especially when they were young people with families, mortgages, car payments. At least if it was done during the week they could start looking for employment immediately. When I was in management and had to "do the deed" I tried to do it in the early part of the week for just that reason. I saw enough of those guys (and gals too) come to my parts department on Monday all tensed up from the weekend of unemployment, not pretty in some cases.

I always laughed at the two week notice that some employers tried to enforce. For instance, I was looking for another job while employed at a dealership. Was actively talking to two parts managers when a third one popped up out of the blue. I was called on Monday and asked to come in that evening. Very good offer was made contingent upon me starting in one week exactly. One of the premier dealerships in the Detroit area back then, early 1970's with opportunity to advance which I did while working there.

So Tuesday I went in to tell the parts manager that I was leaving on Friday. We were a Union shop, he stated the line "You have to give me two weeks notice per the contract" during a heated conversation between us. I replied to him "So, you would give me two weeks notice if you are going to fire me?"

He got quiet, looked at me, started to laugh and said "You've got a point there!" I started the new job the following Monday.

The boss wanted a 2 week notice, so I said, "Boss, 2 weeks from now, you will notice I haven't been here for 2 weeks!"

I worked at the Republican National Committee during the 1996 election cycle. A week after Dole's defeat, most of the bldg. was laid off. Nothing unexpected, it's common practice. But the RNC let most of us keep our employee IDs, said we were welcome to come use their computers, copiers and fax machines to look for jobs anytime. That was very classy and I will always remember them kindly for that.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
And people want me to give notice before up and quitting.

Reminds me of a joke by a Comedian (Michael Jr. I think) where the conversation with his boss goes something like this;

I'm giving my notice that I quit.
But you're supposed to give me 2 weeks notice!
Ok, in about two weeks, you're gonna notice that I haven't been here in about 2 weeks.