Happy New Year….We’re Laying you off

[earthworker]

Three years ago today, I was led into the back office and ‘downsized’ along with many other mid-managers at a supposedly ‘progressive’ design firm that had continually told me we were a ‘family’.  I have since realized that the New Year’s lay off is common for firms.  Did anyone get the New Year’s back stab this year? 

Sincerely,

The 99% (aka: former middle class tax payers)

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

No, but three years ago at this time I was very concerned about being laid off because I could see that we were slowing down. I work for one of the nicest people I have ever worked for – not all warm and fuzzy in your face nice, but a person who quietly does extraordinary things for you kind of nice. He did layoff a couple of people. Fortunately, I was not one of them. 

He did not do it because he used them up or out of greed. He did it because the company had to survive in order for there to be any jobs for any of us. It is not about stabbing anyone in the back.

I fully expected to get laid off because I was the newest hire and I knew there was not enough work. There would have been no resentment to my boss if I had been.

I wish I could hire someone, but the reality is that I can’t afford to. We’d both be out in the street in no time. Does that make me a scum bag because I choose to keep my tiny office alive instead of sharing the wealth? What if I had hired someone and I found out that the situation was unsustainable? What are the choices? 

What about my previous employer before the one that I mentioned above? Did I stab him in the back when I moved on to a different company after he invested years of pay and training to take me from working a shovel to being a capable site planner? Should he resent me? Well, he doesn’t.

A work place is not a clubhouse where membership is the goal. It is the goose that lays the golden eggs and the first order is to keep the goose as healthy as possible so that it keeps laying.

It sucks that you were one that cut, but if they laid off no one and went bankrupt, what good would that have done? If they kept everyone while others downsized to reduce overhead, how could they remain competetive to get more work coming in? It is not only about having money to meet payroll today, it is also about being able to compete with leaner offices for the next job and those after that. Management is not all fun and games, but companies can not exist long without it.

[michael damico]

I am 3 years removed from receiving my MLA and I have already come to realize that this is a dog eat dog world and that most of the time, the individual willing to sit back, will be taken advantage of. Unfortunately, I have more of an ‘old school’ mentality with dedication and loyalty first on my mind. 

I currently am going to be walking away from my job with a golf course design firm to hopefully find employment so that I may pursue my license. I don’t think that this is the same working environment as the previous generation had; it is more cutthroat and one that requires the employee to not necessarily worry about loyalty to one company, rather worry about one’s self.

[Leslie B Wagle]

The environment wasn’t all that good for a lot of the “previous generation,” either depending on where they found themselves at what point, etc. But be careful about the leap…wouldn’t the golf course design work keep feeding your search and count as experience in pursuit of a license? Even at partial credit? Try to be sure any other bridge employment is at least as relevant if it’s a case of driving you crazy for some personal reason in case the ideal job doesn’t show up right away.  (Needless elder advice, I know).

[michael damico]

actually, I was under the influence that the arch. had her license; the firm is based out of CO and they were one of the final states to require licensure. She did not fill out the appropriate paperwork to be grandfathered into the license. I feel as though I am treading water in my professional career pursuing golf architecture in an extremely small niche of a profession that is struggling.

I have several years experience with maintenance and construction, but that is only half credit, not to mention an extreme pain to prove all of it to the state. I am looking to head back to NY, where a license there would carry more weight than most other states. The problem is shifting without a job, not hearing back from an employer seeking an entry level LA, and settling for the design/build/maintenance firm that would essentially leave me in the same position as I am now, just 1600 miles closer to my girlfriend

[Leslie B Wagle]

It’s probably all in how you can justify the shift in resume retelling, but needs to be shown as some kind of career move with as little gap as possible (hide private life quality factors). Moving for “license credit” itself would be worthy looking but like you say, that’s less convincing if you’d still only get partial credit. Try to mask any “only using this for a stepping stone to make next step in search easier” motives.

[Leslie B Wagle]

Back to Andrew: One of mine in the long ago qualified, and led to a desperate followup state of affairs  (kept under various recessions of past times memories)….but another popular sun-moon-stars alignment is roughly around midyear. I ought to make a list of the months of occurrences someday, including the reverse leave-takings. Widen the topic to relevant (inc. interview etc.) setbacks and I think there are really only few months totally clean. Widen further to include a spouse and the fun covers the calendar 🙂

[Jason T. Radice]

Well, two types of firms have always existed. Some are just contract shops that have high turnover by design. You finish a job, and if there isn’t another one to work on, you are out the door, even in good times. I know a few places like that around here, and almost went there with friends (glad I didn’t). Then there are the firms that value contributions and look for more stable employees. Some want to build a great team of talent and varied skills, and some want to ensure the firm has continuity or redundancy for stability.

 

It also depends on the employee. In this industry you very often have to bounce around every three to five years to get advancement in salary, position, and education. If you are in a company with low turnover, advancement and raises are painfully slow in coming. You have to leave to get ahead. I’ve worked in those places, and I always understood when people left. Sad to lose them, but happy to see them go. That place did have a number of hangers on…some for 20 years. One had been there 10 and was just made an associate at year 9. Should have been at the very least a senior asociate by then. Those who were there for more than 5 years were simply complacent. They had no real drive to get ahead or advance. For some reason, they were even afraid to give out titles like “project manager”. I ran my own dept. of two, ran my own jobs from start to finish, and even saved their a**es on countless occasions when dealing with bad civils, and yet, I wasn’t even officially a ‘project manager’.

[michael damico]

Leslie,

thanks for the advice. I have been ‘selling myself’ as returning home for family, that’s as personal as I have gotten. I have been hell bent and focused on my childhood aspiration of designing golf courses for over a decade now and all experience has revolved around that. I am trying to make the leap into the more general LA arena, with strong opposition, much like I had received all throughout my schooling. 

I am a strong advocate of the design/build philosophy and do not mind getting my hands dirty, just the fact that student loans are a pain and the justification to family, friends and girlfriend on wage levels with a Master’s degree (not to mention justification to myself) is a hard thing to be humble about.

I am finally ready to move on from golf design but am extremely scared to not keep progressing professionally. It’s hard for everyone right now, but with so many already laid off, I don’t know how smart it is to take such a large risk, not to mention trying to go into an extremely small market, location-wise which will pigeon hole me into a position of residential design/build or the few positions as an LA, which are few and far between.

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

Gone are the days of employees being committed to a career in one company. A lot is made about companies not being loyal. But I have to say that during the boom (98-2006) people in all kinds of jobs left for greener pastures at the drop of a hat. There was so much opportunity opening up every day and ambitious people want to move up, so we did. We did it more often and in greater amounts than before, in my opinion. Companies did all kinds of things to attract and keep employees, yet many left for greener pastures none the less. Some companies were very generous and got no loyalty in return – we all understand that with no problem. Now the shoe is on the other foot.

 

Why would we expect loyalty of the company as we are constantly looking for greener pastures?

 

Lack of loyalty is a two way street. It is the price that is paid for being free to hire and fire, or to remain and quit. I don’t think it helps to be emotional about it. Many people on this web site advise people to quit jobs that they don’t think the employee is appreciated enough without that being disloyal, yet any time a company lets someone go for any reason it is disloyal of the company.

 

Both are doing what they need to do. It is something that you have to be unemotional about. If one thing does not work, you try something else. Employees have to work constantly improve their lives and employers have to work contantly to improve their companies. It is the way it is.

 

 

[Anonymous]

I’m loyal to the people that love me and are loyal to me. After busting my tail and being a young company man at my first two jobs, just to be laid off as soon as business slowed down or the boss snorted the payroll account. I learned that there is no loyalty. Since then I’m strictly business weather I’m an employee or employer. If a business relationship makes me money with little stress I’ll maintain it, if not I’ll make a change.

 

It’s all apart of the game. I can say I’ve left significantly more firms than I’ve been let go from. Each move I made put me into a higher paying position. So I can’t remain salty because a firm lays me off. Sad to say that’s the state of things, but it is what it is.

[Zach Watson]

I have been told by several people that just as it is a good thing to switch Universities when going to grad school it is a good idea to move companies every several years to gain exposure to new ideas and different understanding of design.

[Author]

Posts