Turning Things Around: Some Responses to a Layoff
Companies lay off workers in an effort to cut costs and raise the value of their publicly traded stock. News of a layoff, downsizing, or reduction in force (RIF) is usually welcome to a company’s investors, but it is much less so to the people who are laid off.
Here are three people who have changed a layoff into something more positive.
When Life Hands You Lemons
After her husband was laid off from Sun Microsystems in 2008, Katy Dickinson wrote this excellent list of things to consider before and after you are laid off: After the RIF Notice, Before You Leave. Skip the Sun-specific stuff if you’re not an employee of that company, but you may find some of the rest useful.
Add Chutzpah
Laurent Bridenne wants a job, and to prove just how much he wants that job, he’s offering to give the first paycheck to the person who helps him find the new position. If you’d like to keep up with his further exploits in the world of digital media, take a look at his new blog.
Create Bridges to Jobs
In the article East Bay Man Turns Unemployment into Opportunity, journalist
Linh Tat of the Oakland Tribune writes about Chuck Castagnolo, who decided to use his experiences with downsizing to help others deal with unemployment and find new work. In the process, he found himself a new job and a new direction.
Sources
Laurent Bridenne, Welcome to the Program, Nov. 5, 2009.
Katy Dickinson, After the RIF Notice, Before You Leave, Jan. 15, 2009.
Linh Tat, East Bay Man Turns Unemployment into Opportunity, Oakland Tribune, Nov. 9, 2009.
