I remember one co-worker (Peter) who got 'Riffed' back in about 2002. Of course some of us who had been there for 20 plus years knew the routine. Layoff day approaches, lots of rumors about where and who were targeted, but never knowing with 100% certainty until the much anticipated, feared, talked about day arrived. Back in those days, layoffs only happened once every 2-3 years, not like these days when they seem to happen twice a year. So, the newer employees who had not been there for previous layoffs did not know what to expect. It began pretty much right away in the morning. 8:30am? People going about their everyday routine, thinking theyre safe but never completely sure. Trying to keep their mind on the that days work, but always waiting to see if out out the corner of their eye a person entered the room, or a figure would appear in the cube doorway behind them. Your boss...'Hey John, can we talk in my office for a minute?' Nope, this isn't going to be a conversation about the great job you did on that work flow study. People were prairie dogging in their cubes. Observing as this or that manager would walk from their office to a persons cube, or to the lab, and then the two of them would walk back to the managers office. People coming back to their desk doing the brave zombie stare. Observers morbidly gravitating to the cube...'I got it' ('it' = axe) ...says the person as they absently gather their belongings. Sometimes theyre walked out right away and other times theyre given as much time as they need to exit the premises. The later in the morning it got, the higher the odds were that you were 'safe'. People would gather in little groups and compare names of people who got it. Friends, people you've worked with for many years. People you thought were valuable or untouchable. If Scott Supertech got it...then no one is safe. Anyways, ...Peter. Its probably 11am the day of the Riff....('rif' = reduction in (work) force). The event is pretty much over. If you have not heard by now, youre probably safe. A small group of us were quietly comparing names of people and in walks Peter. Hes a good guy, had a doc apt that morning, seems somewhat oblivious to the events of the morning and comes into the lab asking if the network is down and if anyone else is having trouble logging in to their computer. We all give him a little sad smile and a shrug to his question about the network, suspecting hes also been riffed but has not heard the word yet. Sure enough. 5 minutes later there goes his manager...heading to Peters office.
Another layoff...there was a story about an engineer at a different building who hid in a bathroom stall all morning, apparently of the belief that if they couldn't find him, he couldn't be laid off. Haha.
Me? I had slowly grown tired of my 24+ yrs at Seagate, had considered quitting to find a different job, and was morbidly wishing for the layoff. Gotta be smart about it afterall. I had been there long enough that I would leave with a 1 year severance package, and of course receive unemployment benefits. I did go out the door in a 10% across the board action. I actually smiled at my boss as he delivered the news. I wonder how many times that has happened? It was touch and go for a little while as I searched for a job, but since then I have never been happier.