Redundancy
Your Pink Slip is Showing!
It seems just like any other day. You take your regular route to work and arrive just in time. First order of business—coffee in the break room, a little chit-chat and you’re ready to start your day. Then everything changes. There’s a note from your boss on your desk with those dreaded words—“Meet me in Human Resources as soon as you arrive.”
You know you’re not getting a raise or promotion, so this doesn’t sound good. And it’s not. You’re being laid off, caught in the economic downward spiral that is taking its toll on a lot of businesses. All of a sudden, you’ve moved from a valuable member of your work team to one of the 13.1 million unemployed workers making up 8.5 percent of the total workforce. People are talking, but you can’t hear anything except the loud pounding sound inside your head. Laid off. No longer employed. Expendable. Not needed. As you walk back to your desk, your former co-workers are beginning their day. Your only task is putting your belongings in a cardboard box and making your final exit.
“It’s Not My Fault!”
In today’s distressed economy, layoffs are no longer a result of poor performance. Too much overhead and not enough revenue means cutting expenses, and people cost money. Technology is taking the place of manual labor and data-driven processes that can be done online. Mergers and acquisitions mean duplication of positions and talent. One of the controllers or HR managers has to go. Management looks at performance reviews to make decisions and keeps the cream that rises to the top to fill the available positions.
Know Your Employee Rights
Companies with union representation have to abide by their contract provisions, which often mean that layoffs and call backs are done according to seniority. Without an employment contract, an employee has little to say about the decision. Since most states are “right-to-work” states, meaning you can be terminated without cause, an employer doesn’t even need a reason for termination. Companies still must avoid discrimination and abide by other legal obligations, such as the WARN Act, which requires 60-days notification prior to a plant closing.
If the only employees laid off are all over 40 years old or are of a particular race or gender, there may be cause to file a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Resolution of the complaints can take time, and future employers may be reluctant to hire someone who has already sued a previous employer. You can consult an employment attorney, or do some research on the Internet for a course of action. Even if the EEOC determines there was no discrimination, you can still file suit in civil court.
No Defense Necessary
Whatever your course of action, stay positive and don’t take it personally. You’re in good company, one of millions of talented, employable, valuable people who happened to become a statistic. Take an honest look at your performance and use this time to improve your skills or learn some new ones that will make you more valuable to your next employer. Put your effort and determination into finding that next, great opportunity. Look at this situation as a gift. Instead of bravely sticking with a job that wasn’t the greatest, you now have time – with severance and unemployment compensation benefits – to re-examine and reinvent yourself and career. Make the most of the situation and you may find your dream job and a new career path for the future.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, spent over seven years as a human resources director and is a career coach, consultant and freelance writer focusing on how to land your dream job in a tough employment market.
