Have you been "right-sized?"

[Ciao Mickey]

Instead of down-sizing or laying off, companies have now come up with a new gentler expression.

My husband's company is now in the process of "right-sizing" their staff.

They have right-sized over 120 people two weeks ago and will continue.

I have also noticed that companies are not laying off in large blocks of people anymore. I guess they don't want to draw attention to the situation and want to stay under the radar.

Fields that I always thought were safe are no longer. My son's friend just got a pink slip and he works for a very large pharmasuetical company.

Scary times for sure.

 

[Muushka]

My husband has been 'right sized' a few times. He is OK for now.
They called it downsizing then, and I doubt the new term would have made him feel any better.

This is some recovery......

 

[*Seanaci*]

In the school districts here they're calling it RIF (reduction in force).

To me, it doesn't matter how they say it, RIF, lay-off, downsize, right-size...it's still good people losing jobs.

 

[jgreco]

Some of some of the pharm people I know that are being laid off are due to the patent running out on some drugs and opening the door for cheaper generics. It's a catch 22, cheaper drugs = lost jobs.

 

[tinkmom2]

Yes. Walgreens just did this to all of it's assistant managers. They are now called Store Team Leads. My hubby has been an employee of Walgreens for nearly 30 years. He was told he would have to take a $6.00/hr pay cut or loose his job. We didn't know exactly when the paycut was going to occur and found out by surprise last check. His paycheck is cut in half. But yet Walgreens can pay millions to advertise and sponsor on national television. It's a shame that the employees that built that company are being shafted!

 

[momxx5]

When DH lost his very good job of 12+yrs in early 2009, it was call "job elimination".
His company first did a "early retirement to those 58 and over. Then each week of that year starting in Feb they started "eliminating jobs" that fell in certain wage categories. He lasted many weeks, even reassigned work from others who would eliminated(which gave a false sense of security, especially when they give you new long term projects and take you across the globe introducing you to all your new contacts).
But ulitimated they elminated the final 10 and DH was one of them. Not even his direct boss, but a supervisor came into his office at lunch, said job no longer needed, please put all your stuff in this box and Mrs. HR will walk you to your car. Oh and please sign this "no compete" contract before you go.

Gee thanks.

Sadly, it is still happening at other companies in our county. We are def on the negative job growth end....our county as a whole.

Our plans to stay here were to ensure our children would be able to graduate with the best possible opportunities. Many had talents that would not really be transferrable to other schools.
Positions like Drum Major, valedictorina, varsity starter footbal (all county and all region, and now my 2nd Drum Major.......you simply cannot transfer to new school and walk into those positions, understandably they are earned over years of hard work. So we still have 2 yrs to go and it is an extremely hard day-to-day struggle to keep afloat.

The term "RIGHT SIZE' while might be more kinder and policially accepted does not leave the one losing their job feel any better about it.

I am sorry that this has happened and I pray that your family will find a new path, a new chapter to continue your happy ending.

I certainly would not wish our situation on anyone.

 

[NYCDiane]

Yes. Walgreens just did this to all of it's assistant managers. They are now called Store Team Leads. My hubby has been an employee of Walgreens for nearly 30 years. He was told he would have to take a $6.00/hr pay cut or loose his job. We didn't know exactly when the paycut was going to occur and found out by surprise last check. His paycheck is cut in half. But yet Walgreens can pay millions to advertise and sponsor on national television. It's a shame that the employees that built that company are being shafted![/QUOTE]

Your husband has been working there for 30 years, is an Asst Mgr, and is only making $12/hour?!?!??! Something is VERY wrong there!!!!

If I were in your position, I would be on the phone with every media outlet and do an "anonymous" interview about Walgreens and what they're doing to their loyal and long time employees!!! That is a disgrace!!!!

 

[jgreco]

Let me tell you about how my old company did mass layoffs- they would send out two emails to two different sets of people to report to a specific room. They would tell the people in "Room A", "you are safe", while the people in "Room B" were getting their severance packages and escorted to clean out their workspace and out of the building. We could not return to our desks until the newly unemployed were out of the building. It was terrible, there were about 5-6 rounds of that.

 

[tinkmom2]

Yes. Walgreens just did this to all of it's assistant managers. They are now called Store Team Leads. My hubby has been an employee of Walgreens for nearly 30 years. He was told he would have to take a $6.00/hr pay cut or loose his job. We didn't know exactly when the paycut was going to occur and found out by surprise last check. His paycheck is cut in half. But yet Walgreens can pay millions to advertise and sponsor on national television. It's a shame that the employees that built that company are being shafted![/QUOTE]

Your husband has been working there for 30 years, is an Asst Mgr, and is only making $12/hour?!?!??! Something is VERY wrong there!!!!

If I were in your position, I would be on the phone with every media outlet and do an "anonymous" interview about Walgreens and what they're doing to their loyal and long time employees!!! That is a disgrace!!!!

He was making nearly $20.00/hr and got cut down to $14.00. With our medical insurance and our deductions his check is about half of what he used to bring home. It seems like it's business as usual in our country. Especially here in Wisconsin. If my husband had a union, this would never have happened to him. It makes me literally sick to my stomach!

I graduate college in the spring and may be the breadwinner for the family.

 

[jgreco]

He was making nearly $20.00/hr and got cut down to $14.00. With our medical insurance and our deductions his check is about half of what he used to bring home. It seems like it's business as usual in our country. Especially here in Wisconsin. If my husband had a union, this would never have happened to him. It makes me literally sick to my stomach!

I graduate college in the spring and may be the breadwinner for the family.

That's terrible pay for a job with such burden & responsibility. Here in Florida, that is about what a high school kid would get paid to do simpleton tasks.

 

[NYCJoshua]

Yes,I was right sized twice in 2008 (March from a major Bank and November from a small software company.) It took me a little over a year to find another job.

 

[momtosam]

Perhaps they need to "right-size" the corporate pinheads who sit around coming up with this terminology.

 

[Swimalie]

Two days before Christmas in 2010, a Reduction if Force was announced at my husband's job. It is normally a very secure employer that people wait months to years to get. Merry Christmas to us Luckily, some retired and they have put the RIF on hold. But now we're in a holding pattern of never knowing when the RIF will come up again.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

My husband came home last week and told me that his company was selling out to a larger company and he may be out of a job by the end of the year. They are supposed to know more by the end of this week. The larger company is only going to take so many of those currently employed by his company and his position (which nobody wants to do, but him) may be eliminated.

Luckily he is a CDL truck driver and there are always larger companies begging for drivers, it's just him being away all the time is difficult and he is an Army Reservist, so the only time he would be allowed home is for his drill weekends.

We have been so lucky with all that has happened to have not had much of a break in jobs, I have been with my company for over 8 years and Dh almost 2 years, when his other job downsized, he snapped one up quickly.

 

[4GoofyCrew]

Our company was bought out over a year ago and layoffs have been the norm. Each week it is 'will this be it'. SO stressful but yet most of us are still hanging on.

Another local company told their employees that they were 'pulling weeds'. How awful is that? Not only are you without a job and means to support your family, but your company called you a WEED! Awful.

 

[Muushka]

That's terrible pay for a job with such burden & responsibility. Here in Florida, that is about what a high school kid would get paid to do simpleton tasks.

Exactly where in FL are HS kids doing simpleton tasks receiving $20 an hour?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Exactly where in FL are HS kids doing simpleton tasks receiving $20 an hour?

I'd like to know that, too. I want one of those simpleton tasks for $20/hour.

I work in a hospital, not directly for the hospital, and the new CEO is showing up in orientation and firing people if they aren't smiling, I think that's pretty sad. I understand they will fire you on the spot if you aren't smiling. There are too many people out of work to be doing crap like that.

 

[StephMK]

I got RIF'd because my school's enrollment was down and the school is scheduled to close in a year. It sucks and I am contemplating various unappealing options at this point. DH has gotten out of 2 jobs about 6 months before his depts totally went under - one was a sinking ship and the other, a start up that eventually failed.

Thankfully, I have a PT gig that can be FT if I want it, it's just not what I want to be doing. However, bills need to be paid so I'll do what I have to do.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

Exactly where in FL are HS kids doing simpleton tasks receiving $20 an hour?

They barely pay that much in the medical field where I live in FL. I am an RN and made more money 15 years ago as a new grad The same job in AZ paid 50.00+ and hour and here it's around 25.00.

 

[jgreco]

They barely pay that much in the medical field where I live in FL. I am an RN and made more money 15 years ago as a new grad The same job in AZ paid 50.00+ and hour and here it's around 25.00.

I meant the $14 wage- Palm Beach. I owned a mail order company and paid our employees $14 an hour to part-time high school kids to pack and ship packages. Sold that company in February, the new owner still pays the same.

I want to add I was not trying to be insulting towards her husband and hope it did not come across that way, only pointing out that Walgreens is totally taking advantage of him.