Layoffs & Widespread Panic

I came in to some bad news at work today. There are going to be layoffs over the next two days, “deep cuts” due to erroneous budget forecasting for 2008. 20% of the entire company will be laid off. That’s 50 people. I could easily be one of them since I have only been here for 3 months.

There is widespread panic, rumors, conjectures, and otherwise a poignant silence. Silence because we all fear if we draw attention to ourselves we will be chosen for the layoff. In my department of six, three of us are single parents and the sole support of our dependents.

This morning my coworkers and I stood around whispering and speculating, our faces absolutely white with fear. To a person, we’re all convinced it’s going to be us. One said he’s sure he’ll be let go because he was hospitalized last year for a bad back and it’s put a hit on our insurance premiums. I said it’s me because I am new and my twins had ear infections and trips to the doctor these last two months. One said it’s her because of a domestic dispute against her ex that our boss’s boss knows about. That’s the level of paranoia we’re dealing with here. At the same we’re trying to comfort each other by saying, “No, it won’t be you. You’ve got too much experience” or “Everyone likes you, they’d never let you go.”

I even went into my boss’s office and shut the door and begged him to tell me if my job is safe. He does not know and in fact is as worried as I am; he’s a single parent too, and has been having chest pains all weekend over this.

It goes without saying that I will be devastated if I lose my job right now. I just had to deal with this in September when I lost my job of 4 ½ years. I can’t go through that again right now.