Not Working Nation: Tales In Transition

Carolyn, 37, Consultant in warehouse management

Where do you live? Arlington, VA

What was your job title? Senior Consultant

In what industry? Warehouse Management Consulting

How old are/were most of your coworkers? Early 20s to late 40s

How did you find out you were losing your job? Someone in the firm leaked info to the media, which alerted me to layoffs happening in the firm. I got a call from my manager the next day, which came as no surprise to me because I had not been significantly staffed with a client in over a year.

Did you have to leave immediately, or did they give you a few weeks to get used to the idea? They gave me 30 days notice. They also gave me 26 weeks severance because I'd been with the firm for 14 years.

Tell us a little about what you did: Celebrated! It was hard work and 100% travel. Not having been assigned to client work for about a year made me get used to being home every night. I wanted to quit, but was never able to get the courage to do so. The lay off forced me to leave and reevaluate my life and what will make me a happier, more satisfied person.

 What was your favorite part of the job? The team work. Every few months to a year you moved on to a new project with new teams. Sometimes you worked with people you knew, sometimes new teammates. The majority of the folks I worked with were amazing and made being away from home fun. I also enjoyed training the client staff and seeing them grasp concepts and then apply them. (I also must say hotel points and status were good as well.)

What was the worst part? "Go lives." I did not enjoy implementing software in the warehouses that usually were 24/7 facilities. Many night and weekend shifts would be necessary, with multiple weeks away from home rather than going home for the weekend.

Did you like going to work? Sometimes. When a project was staffed with people and good project management work was great. When there was even one bad element to the team, the work could be brutal and the thought of seeing that person for 12 hour days could induce insanity.

Did you feel like you were making a difference? Many times, yes. However, sometimes the client would take the work we had done and destroy it once we left.

What have you done since you've been laid off? Got a dog, started doing midweek social outings, stopped eating at restaurants because I could cook at home, started concentrating on my marathon training, decided to take some time to myself! I traveled M-F for ten years and missed out on being social during the week or being able to have a pet or sleep in my own house on a nightly basis, etc. It's nice to be home M-F!

How do you spend your days? I'm trying to write a novel, which is a dream of mine, so I do some writing. I play with my dog. I watch TV and movies. I relax. I'm completely not productive right now, and I don't feel guilty in the least! I'm living on my severance.

Have your spending habits changed since you've been laid off? (Have you cut back on anything? Given up coffee?) I've cut back on spending a little, but not as much as I had planned because it is hard to completely cut things out when you enjoy them. I use coupons now and look for sales - something I never used to do. I think twice before buying unnecessaries. I have not started buying different foods or shopping at cheaper places, etc. I have tried to keep my life mainly the same.

Do you have any financial worries? Just mortgage and condo fee which was based on what I could afford as a high paid consultant. Not sure my next job will pay as well, but I cannot keep this place if I do not make at least 75-80% of my last job's salary.

Do you have a spouse who works? No.

How many jobs have you applied for since you've  been laid off? Zero. I'm taking 6 months to myself. I deserve it.

What kind of job are you looking for next? Will it be in the same field or a different one? Why? Not sure, hopefully different. That's why I am taking a break. I don't want to travel M-F for work. Adopting a dog forces me to have to not be able to travel. I'd like something that involves writing or training (which was the best part of my consultant job).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lita, 38, construction project manager

Where do you live? Arlington, Virginia

What job did you most recently hold? Construction Project Manager for a local Real Estate Development firm.

How old are/were your coworkers? I was on the younger end for the company as a whole but in my department I was the youngest; in the company I think there were a few younger but the rest early-mid 40's.

How did you find out you were losing your job? President of Operations came in my office told me the company had lost a contract and some people were going to lose their jobs. Turns out I was one of them.

Did you have to leave immediately, or did they give you a few weeks to get used to the idea? I was given 2 weeks before my last day; many others (total of 22 laid off) had a month or 6 weeks. Package was generous.

Tell us a little about what you did? The company I worked for owned or managed various commercial properties in the DC Metro area. I had 10 properties that I was the lead Construction Manager. If a suite needed renovation for an existing tenant, future tenant or to make marketable I managed the project. My responsibilities included all steps of the construction process.. design, budgeting, contracting with architects and engineers to prepare drawings, obtaining permits, distribute and analyzing competitive General Contractor bids, manage tenant and property managers expectations, oversee construction, process invoices, punch list and project close out. I managed 4-10 projects at a time at different stages of the process.

What was your favorite part of the job? Working with the different tenants, small businesses and large corporations. It varied and since in most cases construction was new to them and I was there to guide them through the process and deliver a new office/ retail space.

What was the worst part? Management at the company did not include the staff in anything. After the lay off most functional companies would have a complete staff meeting to calm fears and boost moral. This company acted as if it was a privilege to work for them and there was no need for downward communication. Not to mention one of the owners often yelled and was verbally abusive in meetings.

Despite that, did you like going to work every day? Yes, I started with this company 4 years ago because I wanted to work; I did not necessarily need to work but I wanted to be productive and I like construction. For the first three years every day was great the last 12-18 months was work.

Did you feel like you were making a difference? Yes, I was the go to person for much of the staff I supported, brokers, property managers and even my direct boss. I helped small businesses negotiate the construction process that other Construction Managers do not take the time to do.

What have you done since you've been laid off? Nothing!!! Went to the beach with kids for a few days but nothing useful.

How do you spend your days? On the internet? Job searching? Hanging out? Drinking coffee? Since camp was all paid for before I was laid off the kids are still going to camp full-time. I wake around 8am to get kids ready for camp. Husband takes the kids around 8:30am, Read the paper and eat breakfast, Check e-mail, maybe look at job stuff, Walk the dog for an hour, Do an exercise program on demand, shower, spend 2 hours on the internet mostly looking for jobs but I wander, run errands, walk dog, kids get dropped off at 4:30pm, give snacks and entertain, get dinner ready, eat, put them to bed and hang out with the husband for an hour and go to bed by 11pm.

Have your spending habits changed since you've been laid off? (Have you given up coffee?) Depends who you ask. I think I have but my husband may disagree. I now do all the food shopping and kid stuff but I have really tried to cut back on the side stuff.

Do you have big financial worries -- kids in college, etc. Not until Oct or Nov

Do you have a spouse who works? Yes, he is a reporter for a local radio station (good money but not enough to cover it all)

How many jobs have you applied for since you've been laid off? Two to Three a week -- thank you unemployment insurance

Are they in the same part of the country or a different part? All local

What kind of job are you looking for next? Will it be in the same field or a different one? Why? I have no idea. I have been applying for Construction Project Management positions but I am not sure I still have my heart in it... Management at my previous company was soul crushing at last job not sure I want to try that again.