would you rather get laid off, or leave before it happens?

[hans007]

so

i work in web development and the company i work for just recently merged with another one. so as part of the merger agreement, our chairman of the board became the new one, and their CEO is the new ceo. the new CEO picked his own people, and apparently offered some terrible positions to our execs so no one wants to stay.

anyway this monday the new CTO and CMO (chief strategy / marketing officer) came to visit us. the CTO was a pretty decent dude, but the Cmo is some sort of asshat, so he told us all our office would be closed (we are in los angeles, company is based in texas, and other dev offices are in texas / boston) and they are now doing damage control to try to keep everyone from leaving right away.

anyway, this company merged to try to cut costs. the company we merged with used something like 70% indian offshore consultants, while we have a mostly los angeles based workforce. our systems are far more updated than theirs, while theirs apparently are using SDKs and APIs that are 5 years old. but given the new management structure, they seem to keep saying they want to keep their systems and not use ours, or only port small bits or making some statements saying we need talent to grow etc (so our company's digital revenue grew 35% a year for the last 2 years, their similar group... 0%, yet somehow we are probably gonna get screwed).

anyhow, the merger closes in 50 or so days, and we get minimum 60 days notice if we are to be laid off (probably wont gbe right away so lets say 140 days). anyway they say they would want to repurpose us and made some idiotic statement that they wanted to aggressively cut costs while growing new development (impossible), but all the management we've worked with seems like they will leave and it might get ugly.


so effectively i have about 140 days. now I COULD get some sort of job that pays around what i make fairly quickly probably 4-5 weeks, but it probable won't be the ideal job. on the other hand i could just stick around for 5 months, collect my pay and be somewhat productive (like work on random side projects) and then if i do get laid off, collect a small severance package and just be unemployed...

anyone been in this type of situation and have any advice? i know a few friends who took the first semi decent job they could get, instead of a lay off and some regret it. i'm kind of leaning towards just doing a bunch of interviews while im still employed and just take a job if it seems really good and not just acceptable, and take my chances being actually unemployed (not sure if it affects my hireability all that much )

 

[BoomerD]

Polish up the resume...start sending it out. Find out what kind of interest there is in your skill set. You never know...this might be the time to jump...or not.

 

[lxskllr]

Haven't been there, but I'd start looking for a job. I'd try to find an awesome job, and not a 'make do' position. Ya never know, you might get lucky. See how the wind blows, and if you need to jump, you can get less discriminating as ax time approaches.

 

[IronWing]

Jump if you can but if you can't then wait to get fired. Don't quit without something lined up. No unemployment benefits for quitters.

 

[2timer]

Jump if you can but if you can't then wait to get fired. Don't quit without something lined up. No unemployment benefits for quitters.

This.

/thread

 

[Farang]

Use this as time to search for a new job. You can be more selective since you're currently employed and it will also give you more leverage in negotiations. Spin a reason you're leaving, you don't necessarily need to go into detail about the shitshow.

I don't see any benefit in quitting unless you wanted time off.

 

[hans007]

yah im not planning on just outright quitting, cant collect severance either, i've never been unemployed so maybe it would be a nice break even .

i'd been ignoring a bunch of recruiters and already talked to a few so i think it'll be ok. just hate this situation. i actually got a promotion 2 weeks ago!

apparently the first guy wasnt supposed to say all that... and they have been trying to get everyone like the new CTO, our old CTO, former board members, etc to keep everyone from just going apeshit.

 

[Rifter]

I've had that happen to me a few times, when a merger or buyout happens and then the new guys bring in all their own people.

Every time i have trusted my gut feeling and if that feeling was im going to get canned then i always leave immidiatly as soon as i can, usualy within the first week. Why make the new owners lifes easy when they are going to can you anyways you owe them nothing.

I have done that twice in the past both times other co-workers were convinced everything was going to be fine and they stuck it out and i left. Both times all my old co-workers got canned and new management brought in all new staff.

That said NEVER leave untill you have a new job lined up, take a week or two to try and find a suitable job and then jump ship as soon as you can.

 

[Broheim]

My mom was in a similar situation, they got a new CEO and rumors quickly spread that they were going to outsource her department so she started looking right away, a week later she was hired for a sort of "make do" job, she took a small paycut and had to do general accounting instead of the more specialized field she had been doing for 20 years, her commute also got longer, but she'd rather have jobsecurity so she took the new job and left the old one as quickly as possible, sure enough, they announced they were going to outsource her department and tried to entice people to stay but everybody left and their outsourcing went to shit.

 

[Colt45]

I'd wait, get laid off, get my severance.

Then go on UI for a while, get somewhat caught up on things I've been neglecting for years, while looking for new work.

 

[sze5003]

When I did development for the school district here they cut funds drastically. I think this was in the summer of 2011. Good thing was I liked the place I could code how I wanted and I did everything sometimes even the design. Well they let us know about 6 months into the job funding was gonna be cut. I was getting payed more than I am now and lived near the Delaware area so little taxes. Take home pay was awesome.

Within 2 months of them laying people off I finished the last website and put out my resume. Luckily I found the job I'm at now. Much much bigger company, huge and very corporate. Different language and structure I wasn't too psyched either as the pay was less but more than other offers. Mind you this was right out of school so I didn't get many offers because of the little experience.

I took it and have been there almost two years now. Recruiters still call me even though I have taken down my old resume. Hell I've done so much at this new company I have no clue how to put it in words on my resume if I was to update it.
I hate recruiters. Waste of time. Drive like 45 min to meet with them sometimes they over sell you then drive back for the interview and then another interview and not get picked. I have so many calling me still I don't answer them. A few I told I have a job but they find me on linked in and send me updates on things in case I was going to look for something else.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I work for a company that sees a lot of mergers happen. They are ALWAYS ugly. The parent company always ends up cutting down/chopping down the subsidiary.

Sucks, but it's just the way it is.

Save as much as you can.
Start working on your resume.
Start looking for a new job.

It sucks, but don't think of it as the end, think of it as a new beggining.

Good luck

 

[IndyColtsFan]

There's a shock - big executives from different companies merging their companies and taking care of each other while shitting on everyone else. Color me shocked!

OP, the easiest time to find another job is when you are currently employed. Start looking. With any luck, you'll get an offer just as they lay you off and you'll get a severance to take with you. That just happened to a friend a few months ago - his company said his position was being eliminated on 12/31/12 (they told him over the summer) and he had until then to transfer internally if he could find something. He got a job offer in late December, got a nice severance, and then started his new job in January.

EDIT: I just saw you say that you can't collect severance. Bummer. In that case, start looking at any and all options and when you leave, tell them they can contact you with questions for $200/hr, minimum of 3 hrs per incident.

 

[vi edit]

If you start looking now while actively employed you'll look/feel a lot less desperate than when you've been unemployed for a couple months and happy to take any offer that lands your way.

If the severance is a tiny amount (one or two paychecks) it isn't worth sticking around. If they are going to cut you 6 months of salary that's a different story.

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you start looking now while actively employed you'll look/feel a lot less desperate than when you've been unemployed for a couple months and happy to take any offer that lands your way.

If the severance is a tiny amount (one or two paychecks) it isn't worth sticking around. If they are going to cut you 6 months of salary that's a different story.

Unless he negotiated that deal prior to employment (which most people don't do as they don't really have any ground to stand on and it's not exactly the nicest way to go about with new employer)......it's really up to them.

In this case, I doubt they really give a crap since the merger is already making people feel shitty about the company....

 

[spaceman]

no way hans
make em make a decision
roll on the unenjoyment
u quit and theyll screw ya

 

[disappoint]

I'd like to get laid...then leave.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Couple of things... For one, being bought out isn't an automatic death sentence. In my experience, the 'top / best' 10% of people end up in much MUCH better positions than with the previous company. The remaining 90% of slackers etc are the ones let go. These things are almost always VERY rocky, so rumors etc don't account for anything at this point.

Second, management leaving doesn't mean much. Management is typically the most redundant part of a small business, and a large company will generally sweep the floor when they come in. If you're a regular production employee it's not an automatic death sentence... IF you're that top 5%.

Third, a CTO/CMO saying an office might close, or hinting at it, doesn't mean jack. I see CEOs/presidents last second call stuff like that off ALL the time, and your statement of "(so our company's digital revenue grew 35% a year for the last 2 years, their similar group... 0%, yet somehow we are probably gonna get screwed)." makes me wonder if your group will actually be shut down. Keep in mind that the CTO of both companies get together and discuss that kind of crap, the CEO likely won't know until down the road. Again, not a death sentence.

That being said, I would not want to be laid off or risk being laid off. As much as many will argue with this, there is a stigma to it... You go to apply elsewhere and they will know you were in some way disposable. Hopefully due to downsizing etc, but many MANY layoffs are just a way to cycle out crap employees. Yes with the economy there are more layoffs so it's more common..... There is still a stigma.

Given the situation, I would personally start looking immediately. If you find some amazing situation then perfect, problem solved. If you find something just 'decent' then go to management and see if they will give you a bonus and contract to stay for 6 months or whatever and keep looking for something better.



For good employees these types of situations are rarely a bad thing. I guarantee you will look back on this in 5 years and all will be fine.

 

[aceO07]

Start actively looking now. Look at all the job board at least a few times a week. There's a higher chance of finding a decent place if you're constantly looking. (You don't have to leave, but you'll have options.)

I never got laid off, but I was with a company that did a major layoff and I survived but took a pay cut. After a couple of years without a raise or restored salary, I spent a few months looking and got a new job. It took a few interviews at different places to find the right place.

 

[Tweak155]

Couple of things... For one, being bought out isn't an automatic death sentence. In my experience, the 'top / best' 10% of people end up in much MUCH better positions than with the previous company. The remaining 90% of slackers etc are the ones let go. These things are almost always VERY rocky, so rumors etc don't account for anything at this point.

Second, management leaving doesn't mean much. Management is typically the most redundant part of a small business, and a large company will generally sweep the floor when they come in. If you're a regular production employee it's not an automatic death sentence... IF you're that top 5%.

Third, a CTO/CMO saying an office might close, or hinting at it, doesn't mean jack. I see CEOs/presidents last second call stuff like that off ALL the time, and your statement of "(so our company's digital revenue grew 35% a year for the last 2 years, their similar group... 0%, yet somehow we are probably gonna get screwed)." makes me wonder if your group will actually be shut down. Keep in mind that the CTO of both companies get together and discuss that kind of crap, the CEO likely won't know until down the road. Again, not a death sentence.

That being said, I would not want to be laid off or risk being laid off. As much as many will argue with this, there is a stigma to it... You go to apply elsewhere and they will know you were in some way disposable. Hopefully due to downsizing etc, but many MANY layoffs are just a way to cycle out crap employees. Yes with the economy there are more layoffs so it's more common..... There is still a stigma.

Given the situation, I would personally start looking immediately. If you find some amazing situation then perfect, problem solved. If you find something just 'decent' then go to management and see if they will give you a bonus and contract to stay for 6 months or whatever and keep looking for something better.



For good employees these types of situations are rarely a bad thing. I guarantee you will look back on this in 5 years and all will be fine.

Lol. I waited til I was laid off no issues finding the 3 next jobs (I took an entire month off). It isn't some death sentence.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Lol. I waited til I was laid off no issues finding the 3 next jobs (I took an entire month off). It isn't some death sentence.

With your reading comprehension being laid off is the least of your worries.

 

[SunnyD]

Well, if you're sure it's going down that way (talk to management, make sure they have no "other plans" for you), what I'd do:

- Take the next couple weeks of OTJ time to polish up and distribute your resume.
- Schedule interviews and whatnot as needed.
- Slack off doing the bare minimum to keep a positive reference at work whilest being able to screw off otherwise.
- Collect adequate offers from other potential employers.
- ...
- Profit!

 

[Kreon]

Haven't been there, but I'd start looking for a job. I'd try to find an awesome job, and not a 'make do' position. Ya never know, you might get lucky. See how the wind blows, and if you need to jump, you can get less discriminating as ax time approaches.

I came here to say this.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Get laid off. "Look" for work for a couple months, beachside with your laptop, get bored with that then find another job IMO.

 

[DrPizza]

Depends on the size of the severence package. Sometimes, those packages can be fairly significant. If you're sure you can get another job within 4 or 5 weeks, then wait until you have that 60 day notice. Line up another job, with your start date set at the day after your last day for the current company. Collect severance, continue receiving a paycheck. Personally, I wouldn't wait until I was laid off to start looking for a position. Don't forget - your coworkers will also be in that pool of people looking for a job in that field.