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Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

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Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#61

Post by loco5niner »

nostrademons wrote: post #48
arethuza wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the unusual experience of having everyone else in the office being summoned to an HR meeting and me left at my desk as I'd already resigned...

I once got called at home the Monday after I'd left a company to hear that I'd been "laid off". The previous Friday had been my official last day (planned exit, I was going off to college), but I had banked a bunch of unused vacation days, and they were calling to let me know that they wouldn't be able to pay out the remainder of my vacation pay. Much later, when I got into the workforce for real, I learned that I co…

Even worse, when I worked at "chip manufacturing plant", the construction crews would _regularly_ be laid off, unemployment would be drawn, then magically re-hired months later. Working the system...

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#62

Post by robalfonso »

stronglikedan wrote: post #44

There was this one time that I suggested cross-training to reduce the bus factor, and management went with it. I was being sincere, but I have to admit that it was amusing watching everyone think they were going to be laid off when we implemented it.

I am big on cross-training to avoid the bus factor! But everyone gets paranoid, the problem is it needs to be ingrained in the culture to thats "what you do" and not have it just pop up all of a sudden, thats what gives people trepidation.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#63

Post by southphillyman »

When higher ups who barely acknowledged your existence suddenly become very interested in your future availability. Companies love to settle group layoffs in 1 swell swoop. My multi week vacation may have bought my team more time and more importantly another month of health insurance.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#64

Post by myth_buster »

gtrubetskoy wrote: post #49
myth_buster wrote: post #15

When you try to enter office's multi-level parking but your access key doesn't work. When the Director/VP/Head says "even though the market has turned, we have _no_ plans to lay people off" When you receive a notification that your privileges have been revoked. When you see a voicemail (or tweet in case of Twitter) from HR around Friday afternoon/evening or early Monday morning. When you apply for vacation but the re…

>> When you see a voicemail (or tweet in case of Twitter) from HR around Friday afternoon/evening or early Monday morning. Not quite - layoffs usually happen on Thursdays (so that any problems/issues can be sorted out on Friday), last week of the second to last month before the end of the fiscal year (so that severance pay is booked in this fiscal year), but never on a payday week (too much work for payroll).

I was partly referring to this https://twitter.com/bartt/status/653946266938818561

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#66

Post by khaolak »

LanceH wrote: post #45
someone7x wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a casualty in room A must be devastating. I've been a survivor in room B 3 times and each time I resented the turmoil of being happy for me and sad for them.

Company wide meeting called. Survivors were warned beforehand and told to sneak off to lunch. While in the meeting they locked us out of our computers. For bonus points, do it on the 31st of the month so nobody has health care the next day.

Assuming you're in the US, that's not how healthcare works.

You'd still be covered by your current plan as part of the provisions of COBRA. You have 60 days to elect coverage, if you had a medical need at any point during that time, you could seek care immediately and then deal with the paperwork later.

If you get laid off today in the US, you have two full months to either 1) sign up via COBRA to stay on your old plan 2) sign up for a new individual plan or 3) start a new job and move to your new employers plan.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#67

Post by hwstar »

When you are asked to sign a non-compete agreement, or agreement to use binding arbitration where no such agreement was in place before.

When your supervisor isn't interested in keeping you busy.

When suppliers call you instead of accounts payable because no one in accounts payable is answering the phone.

When you can't get approval from the top for ANY large purchase requisition.

When the VP of HR is extremely busy just before really bad quarterly results are announced.

When the CEO of a California-based Corporation is overheard in the hallway bitching about onerous employment laws.

When there are lots of unfamiliar people walking around the place in suits, and a lot of closed door meetings.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#68

Post by ac29 »

nostrademons wrote: post #48
arethuza wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the unusual experience of having everyone else in the office being summoned to an HR meeting and me left at my desk as I'd already resigned...

I once got called at home the Monday after I'd left a company to hear that I'd been "laid off". The previous Friday had been my official last day (planned exit, I was going off to college), but I had banked a bunch of unused vacation days, and they were calling to let me know that they wouldn't be able to pay out the remainder of my vacation pay. Much later, when I got into the workforce for real, I learned that I co…

>if I'd played my cards right, I could've been drawing unemployment for my first year at college.

What state was this in? That is certainly illegal in California, and I would assume most states, though people do get away with defrauding the system.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#69

Post by electrum »

nostrademons wrote: post #48
arethuza wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the unusual experience of having everyone else in the office being summoned to an HR meeting and me left at my desk as I'd already resigned...

I once got called at home the Monday after I'd left a company to hear that I'd been "laid off". The previous Friday had been my official last day (planned exit, I was going off to college), but I had banked a bunch of unused vacation days, and they were calling to let me know that they wouldn't be able to pay out the remainder of my vacation pay. Much later, when I got into the workforce for real, I learned that I co…

A number of states, including California, require accrued vacation to be paid out in the final paycheck: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/layoffs-plant-closing...

Unemployment is covered by taxes paid by the employer. You should absolutely collect it if legally allowed: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Fede...

Additionally, California has additional protections for workers, such as requiring immediate payment for all wages, including accrued vacation, upon termination: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_paydays.htm

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#70

Post by joezydeco »

jakejake wrote: post #25
joezydeco wrote: post #17

When all your external vendors and subcontractors are told to stop working and ship back all materials.

Also when external vendors start dropping hints to you that they haven't been paid for their previous invoice (and you are not responsible for finances).

That's a great one.
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