I can't remember how the old quote goes -- something about if your neighbor gets laid off it's a recession, but if you get laid off it's a depression.
This week, my own place of business felt the nip of the executioner's ax, and for me it means I have to make some adjustments.
I got the word Thursday that our two newest employees will see their hours trimmed from 40 to 30 per week, as things have been beyond slow. A straight seniority thing, and what bites is that I'm the newest one there. Performance has nothing to do with it, the boss said (and I know he can't fault my performance, broken ankle or not, and he let me know he wants me to stick around). While the work I do says otherwise, in reality I'm low man on the totem pole.
It's not as bad as it sounds. At work, 30 hours is the magic number that keeps the benefits cooking, and that's the real incentive for working there. The pay, in truth, isn't that good, but the health insurance they have is all-league.
Anyway, there's no real news in all this because these cutbacks are happening all over. Business is dropping everywhere. Companies large and small are circling the wagons. South Carolina is particularly getting nailed -- projections have the unemployment rate doubling to about 14 percent by summer. And this is South Carolina, where the unions are not as strong and there's a cheap labor pool. Every time you open the newspaper there's more bad news -- another company folding or downsizing, more people out of work.
Right now, if a person has a job, even a piece of a job, he'd be well advised to keep it. This is not a real good time for upward mobility. Or any mobility. Changing jobs would be a mistake at this point. Even if it's for a better offer, positioning is everything now. Why ditch a so-so job where your position is established for a better one that puts you on the bottom of that totem pole? Seniority may be the new coin of the realm. Go for a second job if it's needed, but don't lose that position.
Getting back to the personal angle here. Of course I'm not happy at losing 10 hours a week. That represents money that used to me mine. Of course I'm ticked off at Bush -- he's the man in front, but I'm particularly ticked at all those baboons in Congress who set the policy that triggered this financial flameout. Bush, well, he was there, like the figurehead of a ship, and was every bit as effective.
On Friday, the mood at work was pretty somber. Most of us saw this coming, but ... well ... this is hard to swallow when it strikes so close to home.
We have a good crew at work, and each of us has a role in the chemistry. Mine, as I see it, is that I ignite things and keep the folks loose. I'm blessed with a high energy level even with my breaking-down body. Working on crutches like i have been is setting something of an example, too.
But on Friday I had a few things to say to the crew:
- "These are tough times, but it could be a whole lot worse. Some of y'all might be looking for second jobs, but you're not going to find this kind of health insurance anywhere else.
- "If one person leaves, that will probably solve the problems of reduced hours. I know it'll be tempting to make this into a reality TV show, but this isn't going to happen. Not around here. No one's voting anyone else off this island.
- "This is a good crew, and I want to see it stay together."
Pretty harmless stuff. Did I speak out of turn? Probably. I know the other crew member who saw her hours trimmed is particularly upset. She's looking for a second job. The rest of us are concerned she may leave and we're doing what we can to keep her around. As I wrote this, one of the other crew members was trying to reach her by phone. But on Monday, everyone was back on the job, and she's decided not to ditch this job.
We're not being altruistic here. Although we do come to work for the money and benefits (duh!), that's not the whole of it. Although I don't think any of us see this job as the be-all end-all what-I wanna-be-when-I-grow-up job, it's not half bad. We have this crazy idea that working in a place you enjoy, with people you like, and with bosses that are good people, is worth a lot. Especially now.
I mentioned some of our folks may look for second jobs. I'm looking at a few personal adjustments myself. I spent part of Thursday evening mapping out my personal strategy. This is from my notes:
Making up the shortfall (in order of appearance)
- Through budget cuts (stopgap)
- Through any extra hours I can get (stopgap)
- Through any freelance work (long-term)
- Sipping into savings (stopgap & limited)
- Second part-time gig (way down on the list)
I've already tinkered with my budget and squeezed most of the water out of it. Admittedly, it's easier for me because I'm single and my dog is happy with Kibbles & Bits. Someone with a family might have to use a pocketknife to cut the budget; I can use a machete. I do have savings enough to cover any shortfalls for quite a while if needed, but I'd rather not go that direction.
Freelance work looks like it'll be a key step for me, and it was part of my long-term strategy anyway. Maybe these tough economic times will give me some incentive to act here; I do have a problem in paying attention and staying focused sometimes. A second job is an option, but if I go there it means everything else is in the toilet, swirling clockwise.
Oh, did I mention I have a little time on my hands?
No comments:
Post a Comment