How is everyone's work situation these days??

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Are things getting better??? worse??? dealing with cutbacks?? dealing with paycuts??

im just curious...

My work situation (at the moment) is fucking GREAT!!!! actually i feel like i have won the lottery...

we picked up some new accounts recently....and i am getting 8-12 hours a week of overtime(knock on wood)

how about everyone else????

Im just happy....but i know that could change at any given moment....

Indifference71

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Are things getting better??? worse??? dealing with cutbacks?? dealing with paycuts??

im just curious...

My work situation (at the moment) is fucking GREAT!!!! actually i feel like i have won the lottery...

we picked up some new accounts recently....and i am getting 8-12 hours a week of overtime(knock on wood)

how about everyone else????

Im just happy....but i know that could change at any given moment....

I survived the first round of layoffs. But I have a feeling there will be more coming once the new fiscal year starts in September. They cut our OT, but I'm just thankful to have a job at this point.

xavier mcdaniel

In flux, underemployed through no fault of my own. I was doing decent last year with two part-time jobs, but then one company that I was working for at games got swallowed up by a competitor, whose sole purpose was to eliminate them. I have a few things going in the sports and non-sports industry, even in the civil service sector, but the waiting for people to get back to you is really annoying me.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Indifference71 wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Are things getting better??? worse??? dealing with cutbacks?? dealing with paycuts??

im just curious...

My work situation (at the moment) is fucking GREAT!!!! actually i feel like i have won the lottery...

we picked up some new accounts recently....and i am getting 8-12 hours a week of overtime(knock on wood)

how about everyone else????

Im just happy....but i know that could change at any given moment....

I survived the first round of layoffs. But I have a feeling there will be more coming once the new fiscal year starts in September. They cut our OT, but I'm just thankful to have a job at this point.

"thankful to have a job"

I HEAR YA MY FRIEND!!!!!!

mfc2006

mine's a little shaky at the moment.
i'm an editor & client contact for an oil & gas publication firm.
i work remotely (at home--the office is in another city) which is great.
but the financial crisis has started taking it's toll. with companies eliminating "extra spending", a lot of companies have postponed or even canceled their memberships with us. two of my really good friends at the office have been let go recently, and they are going to trim some more before it gets better. we had a brainstorming conf call to come up with money saving ideas about 3 weeks ago. my idea was to re-locate. we're paying an insane amount of money just to have a certain address in the energy district.

in any case, b/c of slightly dwindling memberships, there is less work coming my way. i'm still working as much as i can, but it may get to the point where it isn't enough. this is the perfect job while i finish grad school. i can work anytime i want at whatever time of day i want & it really fits with my course load.

i'm thankful that i'm still working, but i'm also worried b/c i know that it'll be hard to find another job that offers this level of flexibility with school.

Jennytree

I still have a job. I actually got a good bonus this month too. There are a few people leaving today, voluntary redundancies, but that's actually making me quite busy as I've to collect the leftover pc's and reghost/redeploy them etc. I am on a pay freeze, but to me that just means the government get less of my tax. I still get to do as much overtime as I want to.

ETA: I actually have a few extra quid these days - my rent has been reduced, food and other goods are cheaper... I hope I get to keep my job through this!

Flagg

I work for an HVAC manufacturer. Yes we are hurting due to the housing crisis since most of our business deals with new construction, both residential and commercial. You know how that has dried up.

However, we horded a tremendous amount of capital. To the point where Wall St. analysts were downgrading us for not investing or holding on to too much cash. Then the financial crisis struck and we are way better off than most of our competitors. We are also hopeful that some of the stimulus money and tax breaks people and corporations get for going green will prompt them to upgrade their HVAC systems.

We have had some layoffs. Mostly in sales and customer service and at the plants. We have shut down a couple of smaller plants and moved them to Mexico. That really sucks. I had to travel to Mexico to train some of the new hires there. Nice people. Scary travel though.

I am a trainer in the IT department. My IT department was already 27 positions short when all of this started. We have a lot of people stretched very thin at the moment. There are only 3 other trainers. We are responible for every facility in the country, so I am actually still pretty busy. In fact I am writing a giant help/training document right now with a May 4 deadline so I am sweating it.

We are currently under a hiring and salary freeze.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Flagg wrote:

I work for an HVAC manufacturer. Yes we are hurting due to the housing crisis since most of our business deals with new construction, both residential and commercial. You know how that has dried up.

However, we horded a tremendous amount of capital. To the point where Wall St. analysts were downgrading us for not investing or holding on to too much cash. Then the financial crisis struck and we are way better off than most of our competitors. We are also hopeful that some of the stimulus money and tax breaks people and corporations get for going green will prompt them to upgrade their HVAC systems.

We have had some layoffs. Mostly in sales and customer service and at the plants. We have shut down a couple of smaller plants and moved them to Mexico. That really sucks. I had to travel to Mexico to train some of the new hires there. Nice people. Scary travel though.

I am a trainer in the IT department. My IT department was already 27 positions short when all of this started. We have a lot of people stretched very thin at the moment. There are only 3 other trainers. We are responible for every facility in the country, so I am actually still pretty busy. In fact I am writing a giant help/training document right now with a May 4 deadline so I am sweating it.

We are currently under a hiring and salary freeze.

be careful in mexico........

12345AGNST1

Im only 20 but I recently found a new job about a month or so ago. I went from getting paid $7.50 at a Quiznos to $12 being security at a girls jewish high school (haha).

Crazily enough, the quiznos I worked at just went out of business last Saturday. If I didnt find that job, I would've been fucked.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im only 20 but I recently found a new job about a month or so ago. I went from getting paid $7.50 at a Quiznos to $12 being security at a girls jewish high school (haha).

Crazily enough, the quiznos I worked at just went out of business last Saturday. If I didnt find that job, I would've been fucked.

$4.50 raise??? GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

mfc2006

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im only 20 but I recently found a new job about a month or so ago. I went from getting paid $7.50 at a Quiznos to $12 being security at a girls jewish high school (haha).

Crazily enough, the quiznos I worked at just went out of business last Saturday. If I didnt find that job, I would've been fucked.

$4.50 raise??? GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

agreed! that's awesome, man!

decides2dream

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Are things getting better??? worse??? dealing with cutbacks?? dealing with paycuts??

im just curious...

My work situation (at the moment) is fucking GREAT!!!! actually i feel like i have won the lottery...

we picked up some new accounts recently....and i am getting 8-12 hours a week of overtime(knock on wood)

how about everyone else????

Im just happy....but i know that could change at any given moment....

ain't that the truth!
certainly wouldn't want to jinx myself, but thus far....things are good. i have more work, more responsibilities, our group within the firm is doing spectacularly well, the firm itself is still doing well, but they are preparing for the storm. many, many wasteful practices have been cut, lots of streamlining, etc. we get many emails about no staff cuts, but they can make you nervous too. :oops: i think at lower levels, security, workplace serivces, etc....there have been cuts, just none in client service.....yet. we have cut fees for our clients, simply to work with them and sure, some of our clients have gone bankrupt, or gotten bailouts, etc......so it's tenuous in that sense. i do feel good tho that my group has remained relatively unaffected, most especially in regards to profit margins, which bodes well for us all. now my husbands job.....i'd like to think he's 'safe' but thousands have been cut and more to come. he has 20 plus years in, government, yet there still is no safety in that. *fingers crossed* and all that! oh and overtime? yikes......3 times a year i get sick OT on top of my salary. while i could definitely live without it b/c it is truly grueling, the extra $$$ definitely is nice. it coincides nicely with the 2x a year we pay our car insurance.



*oh and yes, we too more than likely are at a salary freeze as well. see once our fiscal year ends, but it seems a no-brainer. bonuses will still go out to those deserving, and those getting promotions also will get their respective raises....and amazingly, we are still hiring, tho not as many as we did in years past - which personally i think is a good thing. let me keep my good job and i am more than happy to wait out another year before i see another raise, no problem.

PureandEasy

So far so good. I’m technically in health care – work for the Red Cross and there is always a need for blood donations, so I’m pretty confident.

And quite thankful that I am gainfully employed. Don’t take that for granted one bit.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

PureandEasy wrote:

So far so good. I’m technically in health care – work for the Red Cross and there is always a need for blood donations, so I’m pretty confident.

And quite thankful that I am gainfully employed. Don’t take that for granted one bit.

I hear ya....

only a short time ago i would read on these boards .....statements like...

"i can go get a job anywhere"
"my company would never let me go"
"my company needs me"
"i dont care if i get fired, i will have no problem finding a job"
"the best thing that happened was my company letting me go" (thats my personal favorite)

its funny how things change in a years time.........

Flagg

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

be careful in mexico........

Yeah, I already told my boss I am not going back. This isn't Cancun or Cabo. This is shithole town up in the desert mountains. Big manufacturing city. I told her she can take me to HR if she wants but I am not going back. I don't get paid enough or do an important enough job to warrant it. I am not saving babies or anything.

But the way my job works, once we implement a new location and train up everyone, we rarely if ever go back. So it may be a moot point anyway.

dcfaithful

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im only 20 but I recently found a new job about a month or so ago. I went from getting paid $7.50 at a Quiznos to $12 being security at a girls jewish high school (haha).

Crazily enough, the quiznos I worked at just went out of business last Saturday. If I didnt find that job, I would've been fucked.

Nice man! I worked at a Quizno's when I was 16...good times, except I was making a lot less than $7.50, but my first job was at a local amusement park when I was 13 and I made $4.75. I guess we all have to eat shit somtimes. I'm 20 right now as well, soon be 21. I work for a pharmaceutical company that's based in Corona, CA but there is a plant here in SLC. I was hired last April 30th, and just got my first of two bonus's for 2009, and a raise due to my performance from July - December 2008, now I'm over the $13 and hour mark, yay! It's not bad right now...but I'm getting a lot of things in line like trying to get my own place, investing money in the equipement and good needed for getting my photography portfolio afloat. My girlfriend and I are looking at her school on the horizon (she's older and needs to get started sooner).

I'm just glad I'm not still working two jobs at Circuit City and Petsmart...Circuit City went under, so I won't even explain the aftermath...and Petsmart...I LOOOVED working with dogs/cats/animals in general, but the pay sucked for having to clean up piss and shit and most likely get some on you.

xavier mcdaniel

I'd kill for something boring if it was full-time with benefits, which is why I put in application with Social Security Administration last week when I met with a guy at a job fair.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Flagg wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

be careful in mexico........

Yeah, I already told my boss I am not going back. This isn't Cancun or Cabo. This is shithole town up in the desert mountains. Big manufacturing city. I told her she can take me to HR if she wants but I am not going back. I don't get paid enough or do an important enough job to warrant it. I am not saving babies or anything.

But the way my job works, once we implement a new location and train up everyone, we rarely if ever go back. So it may be a moot point anyway.

well, if you need a bodyguard....i know a few guys...who know a few guys....hehehehehe

DAMNED RIGHT YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK!!!!!!!

wtf?? that must make your wife sick to her stomach worrying about you....

QuarterToTen

shaky at best.

every minute of labor and paper clip is being very closely scrutinized.

i've never, ever seen it this bad before.

i am very thankful to get the hours and more importantly, the benefits that i do.

decides2dream

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

PureandEasy wrote:

So far so good. I’m technically in health care – work for the Red Cross and there is always a need for blood donations, so I’m pretty confident.

And quite thankful that I am gainfully employed. Don’t take that for granted one bit.

I hear ya....

only a short time ago i would read on these boards .....statements like...

"i can go get a job anywhere"
"my company would never let me go"
"my company needs me"
"i dont care if i get fired, i will have no problem finding a job"
"the best thing that happened was my company letting me go" (thats my personal favorite)

its funny how things change in a years time.........

to be fair, i think a lot of times those sentiments were echoed by more youthful members here....so lower on the workchain, lower paid, etc.....so just didn't care as much. also, usually, lot less responsibility/worries. also, depends on your work and education experience, and MOST especially - your field. even in this climate we have seen many leave with no qualms, b/c a few years here in this field gives many carte blanche elsewhere. always has been like this, always will be. sadly, not for me ....hahahaha. my field of expertise and education looks good on paper....but doesn't do much else for retention. so you bet, i never take for granted being employed...tho a few years back, with enough $$$ saved...i walked out of my job/career to start over and i still don't regret it, even with 2 rocky years in there...i think i am better off in the long run where i landed now. definitely 'more to lose' as you get older.....house/mortgage payments, retirement savings, etc, etc......

12345AGNST1

mfc2006 wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im only 20 but I recently found a new job about a month or so ago. I went from getting paid $7.50 at a Quiznos to $12 being security at a girls jewish high school (haha).

Crazily enough, the quiznos I worked at just went out of business last Saturday. If I didnt find that job, I would've been fucked.

$4.50 raise??? GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

agreed! that's awesome, man!

thanx dudes. yea Im doing pretty good, although my dad wishes he was making more because of this terrible economy.

CHANGEinWAVES

I finally have a job... Though I hate it. I go to work reminding myself that it's the only way to get payed now and to suck it up and do my job.
I do apply for new jobs daily though.

*I just keep in mind that one day I'll have enough money to finish school and be an art teacher... And LOVE my job!

ajedigecko

my job is great.

when i went to college and informed my family i would like to teach.......they all said why, you will not be rich.

i said......my hobbies/goals in life do not require me to be rich.

ajedigecko

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

I finally have a job... Though I hate it. I go to work reminding myself that it's the only way to get payed now and to suck it up and do my job.
I do apply for new jobs daily though.

*I just keep in mind that one day I'll have enough money to finish school and be an art teacher... And LOVE my job!

i do not know you....but i wish you lived in wichita. my wife's school will be short 3 art teachers and it is a top performing school

dcfaithful

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

I finally have a job... Though I hate it. I go to work reminding myself that it's the only way to get payed now and to suck it up and do my job.
I do apply for new jobs daily though.

*I just keep in mind that one day I'll have enough money to finish school and be an art teacher... And LOVE my job!

Been there before. Keep it up, you'll get where you want. It's all about hope. I'm in the same boat as you, waiting and working towards being able to complete school so I can get closer to getting an actual photographer job. I can sell my photos, which I don't refuse, but I'd rather have somethign steady...

decides2dream

ajedigecko wrote:

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

I finally have a job... Though I hate it. I go to work reminding myself that it's the only way to get payed now and to suck it up and do my job.
I do apply for new jobs daily though.

*I just keep in mind that one day I'll have enough money to finish school and be an art teacher... And LOVE my job!

i do not know you....but i wish you lived in wichita. my wife's school will be short 3 art teachers and it is a top performing school

too bad i don't live in wichita......i gave up teaching art - and i taught it for 10 years - b/c not enough hours, and no even half-way decent public school has been hiring in like, forrreeeeevvvvveeeerrrrrr. where i am it's all who you know on the school board b/c schools around here have amongst the highest salaries in the country, so you've got to wait out reitrements or deaths for an art position to open and then it's given to someone's niece or nephew in any case. :P i taught in private schools, but the hours and pay were soooo lacking. i finally decided to change careers. i changed a lot more drastically than i had initially intended, haha, but far more work and $$$....and i like it well enough.

CHANGEinWAVES

decides2dream wrote:

too bad i don't live in wichita......i gave up teaching art - and i taught it for 10 years - b/c not enough hours, and no even half-way decent public school has been hiring in like, forrreeeeevvvvveeeerrrrrr. where i am it's all who you know on the school board b/c schools around here have amongst the highest salaries in the country, so you've got to wait out reitrements or deaths for an art position to open and then it's given to someone's niece or nephew in any case. :P i taught in private schools, but the hours and pay were soooo lacking. i finally decided to change careers. i changed a lot more drastically than i had initially intended, haha, but far more work and $$$....and i like it well enough.

So you think this is a career choice I shouldn't make?

youngster

I am currently unemployed, since March 13th. I am a construction worker and got laid off after finishing a job I was running. The company laid off the entire crew on that job which was 5 people. Said they were cutting back. Come to find out they laid off 14 people total that day. Sucks but I'm getting by. I've been calling other shops seeing if they are hiring but nothing yet. The company I used to work for has a bid in on a building in Cambridge, MA and said he'd hire me if he gets the bid. Can't bet on that but it's something. Things will get better I'm sure. Fingers crossed.

bigeye21

Worked in building materials outside sales for the last 7 years and got laid off in January. Victim of the awesome economy and slumping residential market. Still looking for another job but the online postings have been particularly paltry the last few weeks.

Kind of frustrated too cause I feel like I hosed myself a bit. I had been on the safer, cushier manufacturing side for some time but left only a year and a half ago to work on the dealer side which has more commission potential but fewer perks and benefits. It also takes time to build your clientele -- usually 2-3 years for most guys before they are really making good money. Basically from the time I started there, the economy was in a recession. To make matters worse, I had taken a significant cut in base pay and benefits. Never really got the opportunity to prove my worth before getting laid off cause I was the newest sales hire -- first in, first out. To add insult to injury, for a variety of reasons (which all seemed good and reasonable at the time) this last job was my 3rd in 4 years. Two of those I was recruited for better offers and the one before I left because I was being pressured to move (something I wasn't willing to do). But the net result is the same today: I look like a job-hopper on my resume in one of the worst economies in history and in one of the hardest hit sectors.

I'm willing to do other things but it's so competitive right now that you won't be considered for most positions if you aren't a companies' dream candidate with exactly the experience they're looking for. I've thought about going back to school to do something else but don't want to make that kind of time and money commitment again unless it's something I really want to pursue.

Thankfully, my wife is still working and we've always been thrifty so I'm getting by on unemployment benefits for now but those will run out eventually. The worst part is staying sequestered in my house all the time continuing the hunt even though most days it feels pointless. A lot of old colleagues and associates never call these days even to check in; guess they're afraid to catch unemployment. You really discover who your friends are in times like this. To some extent, that's probably one reason why my activity on this board has accelerated lately -- before then, I was mostly a full-time lurker. I miss that daily human connection.

If you've read this far, thanks for allowing me the opportunity get all that out.

pjtradeking

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Are things getting better??? worse??? dealing with cutbacks?? dealing with paycuts??

im just curious...

My work situation (at the moment) is fucking GREAT!!!! actually i feel like i have won the lottery...

we picked up some new accounts recently....and i am getting 8-12 hours a week of overtime(knock on wood)

how about everyone else????

Im just happy....but i know that could change at any given moment....

Same here, and I am almost ashamed to post this reply what with everything going on.......In the last 2 weeks, I have received a new car....a BIG bonus and was told to be expecting a raise the 1st of May.....Just shows how much I am appreciated at this company....Even in these trying times, he has ALWAYS taken care of me. I have never had to ask for anything here...He just simply handed me the keys and a check, and said...THANKS!!

yoke

Well I have a Municipal job.. I am a garbage man, we keep hearing rumblings of layoffs etc but to be honest its hard to tell in that place because rumors fly around like nobody’s business. I just heard that we are good for this year but who knows for 2010. The town is cutting back on a lot of things while trying to keep the services needed to operate from what I understand. If we do have cutbacks we are a Union shop so the last 10 hired are the first 10 fired and I am #7 on that list. It won't be the first time I have been downsized and I am sure it won't be the last.

This is one reason why I am back in school getting my certifications.