Quiz re: layoffs
 

Just curious... How many times have you been laid off in your life?

(Either staff-reduction or company going bankrupt kind of layoffs. Does not include jobs that were seasonal or of short duration to begin with, or being fired.)

It just suddenly occurred to me to wonder how often it happens over time.

Zero. I've never left a job by a means other than quitting. When I was 18 I had a boss try to fire me but I talked her out of it.

I expected that streak to end when WaMu collapsed but for reasons I'm still not entirely sure of was kept.

Never happened. In the early 1990s I worked for a struggling small company and there was a company wide 10% pay cut, but that's about as close as I've come.

Not ever. I have had to lay off people, though. That is very tough.

One company I was with ceased trading, the other was a large American credit card company who closed down the section of the business in which I was employed.

During counselling, I was told the average wage earner starting in the workplace can now expect at least 6 redundancies in their career.

Never been laid off. Thought I was under the chop blade this year, so far so good.

Once from Mattel when I was 19 or 20.

Once, from my first job. I've survived 3 rounds here.

Once from a Company that had to cut personnel for financial reasons....I think I was 20 then.

1 1/2 times.

(The second time I was immediately rehired for a lower paying position with the same company.)

Nope. My jobs were with small companies, and with cities, during economic times which did not need layoffs. It's still rather hard to get laid off from a union/gov't job.

The last firm I was at laid me off, along with everyone else, because they went out of business. I almost forgot that was an actual layoff, because I stayed in their suite working for a few of the other attorneys who stayed put, so to speak, and started up their own, much smaller firm on the same premises.


Another firm I was with laid off all the high-paid employees (incl. me), and replaced us with unskilled workers.

I've been laid off from three jobs:

1. I managed a movie theater in Woodland Hills and was the odd man out during a consolidation.
2. I worked technical support (phone and email) for Quarterdeck (remember them?) in Marina del Rey as a contractor and was laid off when all support was moved to Missouri.
3. I was laid off from Internet Security Systems when they moved all Northern California operations back home to Atlanta.

well, Ive had two companies disappear from under me, and one 'official' layoff.

but I clicked the wrong thing before reading the qualified responses.

Really? Which theater?

Topanga Theatre, 6360 Topanga Canyon Blvd (at Victory). This was in the early 90s.

There's a Crate & Barrel there now.

Aww, I miss Topanga Theater.

They finally tore the building down a few years ago after it spent many years serving as various clearance houses, halloween costume shops, etc. Now there's a 2 story Crate & Barrel on the location.

Awww!!! I went there in the early 90's all the time, as it was walkable from Canoga High. In the years after it closed I daydreamed about turning it into a rave/dance location.

Does that really count as Woodland Hills? ;)

Well, according to Crate and Barrel's web site it is.

But according to Andrew's Google link, it is the city of Los Angeles "(near Woodland Hills)"

Yeah, Victory is the borderline between Woodland Hills and Canoga Park. South side is Woodland Hills, north side is Canoga Park.

So Crate and Barrel would be "Canoga Park Adjacent?"

I've always had this weird mental block about N/S directions in the West Valley (I spent the first 20 year of my life in Chatsworth); I always want to think that Canoga Park is NORTH of Chatsworth and Woodland Hills being NORTH of Canoga Park. I don't know why, but in talking about this, I had the thought again.

One of those weird things I can't seem to shake.

I've always had the same perception. Partially because my childhood house faces south, so my mental map is oriented that way.

OMG, I think I saw the Santa Claus movie there (the one with Dudley Moore)

huh, I saw Rockey Horror there once. Wasn't as interesting as the Nuart.

What about that funky Golf company - or did they even really hire you?

I'm not sure if I can call going to work to find the office deserted being actually laid off.