This sucks - voluntary unpaid leave of absence at work

[tontod]

Today, the department and HR manager called a meeting of the group I'm in (Hardware Engineering) and said that a voluntary leave of absence was going to be instituted. From June 1 - June 30, they requested that people take a voluntary leave of absence for at least a week with approval from their supervisor. What do you guys that have been in the workplace and have seen this kind of thing think? I think after June 30, layoffs are coming when they see the 2nd quarter sales figures weren't good.

 

[BigSmooth]

Forced vacations are BAD. They are obviously a somewhat drastic cost-cutting measure.

I'd start shopping around a bit for a new job so you are prepared if and when layoffs happen.
I don't mean to be harsh, but it's not a good sign.

 

[Alienwho]

Yeah, I just lost my job about two weeks ago. dotcom bust...

 

[Pretender]

Forced vacations occur in management in many large corporate banks, generally 2 weeks per person per year to ensure that the person isn't involved in any embezzlement. Although I should note that it's not as sudden as it is in your case and the person gets to choose what 2 weeks of the year at the beginning of the yr. You sound screwed, sorry

 

[tontod]

Yeah, its been coming for some time. We got an email a couple of months ago that gave a couple of hints.

She (HR Manager) said it was completely voluntary, but I dont see why anyone would voluntarily take a leave of absence. I'm afraid its going to become involuntary pretty soon.

At least I've been looking the past few months, nothing has come up though.

 

[UberNeuman]

Yeah, I'm currently on a "vacation" but I'm able to use my v-time to cover it, so I'm not loosing any money... Everyone seems to be panicking at the corporate level..... Sucks...

 

[tontod]

Anyone been through this recently? Guess this is one step beyond a hiring freeze.