By: Ron Bennetts
Wow. It’s been five years since the dark days of that first layoff. I looked back in my archives to check the dates, and promptly got depressed reading the posts I wrote back then (and embarrassed at my typos etc – I should really fix them up).
But things are very, very different today than they were back then. Let’s see:
We have enough to live off
Today, I’m working full time and can support both of us for now. In 2009, I was a strung-out, neurotic, hot mess of a final-year student barely holding it together as it was, and definitely not earning enough to support two people. I don’t remember what my savings account looked like back then, but I know the balance was a lot lower than it is today.
We were blindsided
Well, not totally – the pessimist in me felt like this was all too easy, too good to be true (and kept holding off blogging about his new job, apparently for good reason). However, emotions aside, realistically, this was a shock. Sales can be cyclical, though, and much like the ups and downs of life on commission, I was aware that stability might be not guaranteed. And logically, the newbies are usually first to go.
Back in 2009, T’s hours kept getting cut back and the company was clearly struggling; in hindsight maybe he should have jumped first, but then again…
The economy is in a totally different place
Will 2014 be a rockstar year for NZ? I think that’s a little over-optimistic, but things are looking up overall.
Back in 2009, it was all turning to shit, so even if T had cut loose of his own accord, it would most likely not have done us any good.
T is in a different place, too
While he’s changed industries since 2009 and so doesn’t have, say, another 4-5 years of accumulated relevant experience, he DOES have more experience overall – and more confidence. By the time I got home on the day of reckoning (he waited until that evening to tell me rather than upset me halfway through the workday, bless his heart) he’d already applied to multiple jobs and reached out to various people.
Back in 2009, he had less work experience, fewer contacts, and was facing a tougher economy. It’s definitely a much better time to be job hunting right now.
How equipped would you be to deal with a layoff (your own/your partner’s) right now?
