This week was hellish for everybody. Instead of spending the weekend wondering "why him and not me" or wondering how bad the future is going to be without some of the people who were let go, try to relax and spend some quality time with your family. There's no use in obsessing over things you had no control over. Make sure you take care of your mental health because the last five days and the month before certainly did a number on us all.
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@thy - umm, you were laid off twice and thus couldn't save money? I suspect that you're falling into the trap of blaming what happened to others as why you can't can save. You're missing the entire point that when there are massive jobs every few years that you want to make sure you don't have to worry about housing payments when that happens to you. The goal is to get where you have at least 3-6 months of expenses stashed away, and then pay down your mortgage quick as you can.
@thy+1ipe6fzA I am not saying it is easy to pay off your mortgage. It takes planning. It took us almost 7 years to pay off our house, plus 3 years of savings for the down payment.
Since then, it is easier for me to go through these lay offs. Yes, I still have the emotional toll to see buddies let go, to go through the messy reorgs, but I am at peace regarding myself. When my turn comes, and it will, with the tap in the shoulder, I'll also get paid a couple of months to find another job. At my current levels of expenses, that money could stretch for a while longer, enough to get something else. Knowing this, that is my peace of mind.
Good luck!
The sooner you realize automotive is not your friend, the better your future will be. By that I mean continue to make money, but always have a plan. A layoff fund. After being laid off damn near a dozen times in my career, I finally decided to do something about it permanently. I won't go into the details of that plan, but it put more money into my pocket today, than all of my monthly salary.
The corporations don't give a rats azz about the employees. This much is known. So, take on an extra layer of protection that provides an income should your job go away.
Hard to pay the house off like you recommend when going thru a layoff every two years. This one at Ford is my second layoff in 5 years.
@OP. I used the week to decompress. I spent quality time with my family in the evenings, and I didn't work too hard during the days. Nobody was actually doing any work anyway. Most folks were holding their breaths, and following the lay offs around the company. My manager was too scared to give a f!ck about my work, my coworkers were worried sick, the company seemed to stop during this week.
There is no-one indispensable, no matter how great the skills are. Once you know this, you'll realize there is no job safety: you can be replaced anytime. It doesn't matter if the next guy/gal cannot deliver the same quality work that you do. After all, most managers don't care about that.
That's why I have worked hard on saving money, taking care of my family, exploring other career options and paying my house. I was making myself as financially independent as I could.
I am also taking care of me first at work: no free OT, no extra responsibilities, always ready to leave. Keeping the stress level low is important: I don't want to be another sad story of a guy dying at work, or shortly after retirement.
Once you pay your house off and start living with no debt, you'll realize the company has no hold on you, your stress goes down, you feel more comfortable at work knowing you can walk away anytime. Try it! It is a great feeling!
Better yet take the weekend to work on your resume and LinkedIn and begin apply for jobs to leave this Sh1thole of a Company