Economy Caught Me - Job Ending 12/31

ocdart, sorry to hear of your job loss, it's all too common these days.

And as far as the "how" that people find out, the guy getting the news at the Christmas party is just wrong, totally wrong.

I worked for a large, very large company for 15 years, left them just over 14 years ago for a small company, very locallized to my area, but same business, computer service. The other company was a big , worldwide company, Manufactured their own systems, sold them, sold software for them, and serviced them, I worked in service.

When times got especially lean, oh, about 16 yrs ago, they started their first ever layoffs. What I didn't like, was the means they used to inform people. A worker would be @ his/her desk, and get a tap on the shoulder, turn around, and there would be their manager, along with a security guard, to escort them to Personnel for their exit interview, where, they would be shown the door from there. All of their possessions would be gone thru, and boxed up, then shipped to their house.

I worked 3:30-midnight, and used to show up @ 3:15 or so, but as moral started circling the drain, I would show up @ 3:25-3:28. ONe day, when I arrived, some co-workers informed me that the other second shift worker had been taken to personnel as he entered the building for his shift.

Made for a great working environment, never knowing which Monday you might get the "Tap".

I rode it out, and eventually got a couple of phone calls from very good friends at the company I am now with, telling me to make the call if I wanted to get out of the big company environment, and I made the call, got a great offer, and have never looked back.

FF