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Rumors, layoffs and closing...

Engineer

Engineer

Elite Member
Just a little rant/blowing off stem/nervousness...

I've been working at the same company for 16.5 years and the one thing that I've noticed about those years was that every closing of a plant was known by everyone else (as rumor) right before it closed. The plant closing was "always" the last to know.

Well, fast forward to today and we have heard the rumor that my plant is now on the closing list (along with two others).

Is that how it pretty much is at your place of employement? Do you hear rumors of closings before they actually happen? Does the closing places hear about it last?

(I guess I had better go ahead and try to have my hernia fixed quickly before the axe falls, eh?).

🙁
 
I've been at my job for 4 years and in the past I've felt 100% secure. That's not the case anymore... talk is going around about layoffs soon or reduced pay and further budget cuts. Sucks, and I'm getting my backup plan ready.
 
Pretty much. Upper management does their best to make big announcements like that on their own terms, but rumors always get out first.
 
If the rumors are strong, they usually are true (or have some truth to them). Is your resume updated? Networks refreshed?
 
When I had worked for Motorola in Harvard, IL rumors were the plant was closing. Sure enough, 2500 of us got axe'd a month later.

Time to update your resume...... 🙁
 
In my experience, workplace rumors of that type (closing/layoffs/relocation/etc) are not generally accurate, but people always remember the rumors that came to pass.

January: rumors of layoffs
April: rumors of layoffs
August: rumors of layoffs
November: a few layoffs

The water cooler talk was "Yeah, we heard about that months ago, the rumors were right."
The reality was the January, April and August rumors were complete bunk. There was no high-level discussion of any type regarding layoffs until October.

Had there been no layoffs, people would just assume the company changed its mind. They never imagine the rumor itself was a total fabrication.

I will say that there are almost always some indicators you can observe in the workplace prior to a closing. Routine expenses are inexplicably not approved as before. Higher-ups are in many more meetings, often with people nobody recognizes.

My personal trick is to get to know the executive secretaries. Don't expect them to give up confidential information, but if something major is on the horizon, you'll be able to tell a difference in their demeanor.
 
I thought I was going to get laid off this week. There have been rumors that something was going to happen right about now. I have travelling on business for the last three months and my manager set up that I would be in town this week.....
 
30 Years @ Chrysler. Never went a day without someone saying that plant was closing. Also never went a day without someone saying that the powers that be were going to add a 3rd shift.
 
I hate hearing about all these layoffs. I was called into my boss's office yesterday and he asked me to shut the door. I wasn't sure what to expect but he said I was getting a raise and a bonus. It was the last thing I was expecting because I feel lucky to even have a job.
 
Originally posted by: Josh123
I hate hearing about all these layoffs. I was called into my boss's office yesterday and he asked me to shut the door. I wasn't sure what to expect but he said I was getting a raise and a bonus. It was the last thing I was expecting because I feel lucky to even have a job.
Click to expand...
Do you work at Citigroup or Bank of America?
 
Heh - I wish we had gotten that much notice.

We found out when we got calls from like 30 customers asking what they should do now that we were going out of business. Apparently the news went out to our customers before us 😕

 
While not about full plant/building closures, I've actually gotten emails about people about to be laid off from outside our company.
===========================================
Email:
Hey, I heard Bob got laid off today.

Me:
He's right behind me, and hasn't heard anything of the sort.

Later that day, Bob:
I just got laid off.
===========================================

There's a set of loose lips somewhere, and it really annoys me. It's incredibly unprofessional.
 
Originally posted by: kranky
In my experience, workplace rumors of that type (closing/layoffs/relocation/etc) are not generally accurate, but people always remember the rumors that came to pass.

January: rumors of layoffs
April: rumors of layoffs
August: rumors of layoffs
November: a few layoffs

The water cooler talk was "Yeah, we heard about that months ago, the rumors were right."
The reality was the January, April and August rumors were complete bunk. There was no high-level discussion of any type regarding layoffs until October.

Had there been no layoffs, people would just assume the company changed its mind. They never imagine the rumor itself was a total fabrication.

I will say that there are almost always some indicators you can observe in the workplace prior to a closing. Routine expenses are inexplicably not approved as before. Higher-ups are in many more meetings, often with people nobody recognizes.

My personal trick is to get to know the executive secretaries. Don't expect them to give up confidential information, but if something major is on the horizon, you'll be able to tell a difference in their demeanor.
Click to expand...

I've put together similar relationships. I have contacts in legal, HR, Corporate Acctg, Payroll and various other departments. I scratch their backs and they scratch mine. I'm not always the first to know, but I tend to get info pretty quickly that is usually spot on.
 
Originally posted by: Josh123
I hate hearing about all these layoffs. I was called into my boss's office yesterday and he asked me to shut the door. I wasn't sure what to expect but he said I was getting a raise and a bonus. It was the last thing I was expecting because I feel lucky to even have a job.
Click to expand...

i always get that lump in throat feeling when this happens... i hate it. our company didnt give out raises at all this year, but we rehired about half of the guys that got laid off last year. i still got my eoy bonus, so no biggie. i generally dont worry about layoffs too much, i have too many hats here in this company, but i do still get that lump of worry on occasion.
 
Originally posted by: rivan
While not about full plant/building closures, I've actually gotten emails about people about to be laid off from outside our company.
===========================================
Email:
Hey, I heard Bob got laid off today.

Me:
He's right behind me, and hasn't heard anything of the sort.

Later that day, Bob:
I just got laid off.
===========================================

There's a set of loose lips somewhere, and it really annoys me. It's incredibly unprofessional.
Click to expand...

Thats funny and sad at the same time.....
 
I work for a public school system and they have been very up front and transparent about the budget and what is being done as it evolves. Despite that there are lots of rumors being passed around but I just ignore them.
 
Originally posted by: her209
Originally posted by: Josh123
I hate hearing about all these layoffs. I was called into my boss's office yesterday and he asked me to shut the door. I wasn't sure what to expect but he said I was getting a raise and a bonus. It was the last thing I was expecting because I feel lucky to even have a job.
Click to expand...
Do you work at Citigroup or Bank of America?
Click to expand...

Lol no.....I actually work for a drilling company.
 
Yeah, the same way at my old place. Luckily, I had a coworker whose sister worked at our sister plant in Buffalo. It made it hard to keep a secret.

 
Originally posted by: rivan
While not about full plant/building closures, I've actually gotten emails about people about to be laid off from outside our company.
Click to expand...

That's where this rumor originated from. Usually carries more weight, believe it or not.

And for those asking, I work in an "automotive" tooling plant. Tooling has it's ups and downs and usually has little in common with the automotive sales business cycle. We are more about new product development than the sales of new cars.
 
Originally posted by: Engineer
Originally posted by: rivan
While not about full plant/building closures, I've actually gotten emails about people about to be laid off from outside our company.
Click to expand...

That's where this rumor originated from. Usually carries more weight, believe it or not.

And for those asking, I work in an "automotive" tooling plant. Tooling has it's ups and downs and usually has little in common with the automotive sales business cycle. We are more about new product development than the sales of new cars.
Click to expand...

Do you work in or around Georgetown (Scott County), by chance?
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but these days you shouldn't pigeon hole yourself in the same company for that long.
 
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