stephanie is: 
so yea. i’m laid off. i guess it is only “fired” when it’s cause you’ve been bad? well we havn’t really had any client work for a couple months so it isn’t surprising. it’s kinda pointless to pay three of us to do internal requests, and since one of us was already taking care of most of that…
mid-morning i get two emails… on addressed to only select people calling for “scrums” (what they call their just-checking-in meetings) and one for a surprise company meeting at 3pm. both were very wierd so i new something was up. a coworker and i started half-joking that we were going to be laid off. half-joking cause i really think i have sensed this all week. our department head came in a little after two and asked that me and him follow him to a training room. you could almost hear the death march playing. we both called back to our other co-worker ‘nice working with you’…
as we entered the room they said the board of directors demanded they “reduce their work force due to the major slowdown in the economy”. so it stopped being so much of a joke. we sat down with our dept head, a vp, and the head of hr as they brought in a few more people (i think they laid off 40% of the company). a tear ran down my cheek. hr guy started to talk about a folder of info he had for us. i decided it wasn’t worth trying not to cry and just covered my eyes and started sobbing. this made everyone real uncomfortable real quick and i didn’t care at all. dept head guy led me off to someone’s office and kept trying to give me his hanlerchief. i opted to snort the snot till i passed an office with tissues. so he brings in vp guy who insisted i go stand outside with him. he chats me up until i stop crying say crap about how it isn’t about me or my preformance (yes i know, that is not why i am crying dumbass – i have a mortgage) blah blah blah. we re-enter the building to find hr guy. i start crying again. they can’t find hi so vp guy leaves me in hr girl’s office. she walks in to me crying alone and is surprised that i have been dumped on her. she tries to go over the folder info with me. my creative director had found out by then and tracked me down to give me hugs and support. we move to hr guy’s office where he goes over the folder. i am officially unemployed in 2 weeks, though i don’t go back starting now. he tells me i can just go home and come back for my things. i say “no, i don’t want to come back.” they give me two packing boxes from the pile they had ready and i go pack my stuff up and delte my personal files from the computer why the company meeting goes on. afterwards the two people left in my department come back and sit in shock while i continue to pack. hr girl comes in to say that the president of the company will loan me money if i need it. i say “no.” my creative director said that they might have part time work for me (yea right) and i say yes to that. then then my whole department carried me and my coworkers things out to the cars and i cried as we said goodbye. then i drove home.
danny and i walked china when i got home cause i needed it. i think i will shower now cause i feel gross.
anyone need freelance work done? it seems i am suddenly available…
🙁
i am sooooo sorry to hear the news stephanie. I hate to start spitting out cliche’s, but here goes: when one door closes, another one always opens. and most times it is a bigger, better door.
best of luck, and if i have any work, you will be the first i call.
-mattie
I hope everything works out for you. I left my last company in the midst of sweeping layoffs that let 90% of the company go. I still feel lousy about it, the way all those people had to find new work. Anyway I guess I’m not being very cheerful.
Hope you feel better, and score a better job soon!
I would never want to see you cry.
I hope something comes up real soon for ya.
We know you have the talent.
B.
Oh Miss lady.. I’m so SO sorry. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.
I hope you demanded the money for referring Rob to the company.
Damn, that sucks…
…to be honest, I experienced for myself a lower amount of jobs this year (smaller jobs, no big 3D-animation projects like in the last year), my only luck for that year is that I have more of these 3D-animation teaching-jobs at a multimedia-school.
But I know a designer with your talent, will find a new better job or clients very soon.
PS.: I’ll join again stvlive the next days, to support you, I’ve only fix up some things with Paypal 🙂
I would hire you in a second to design a cam section on my site if I had $. Of course, I would love to have your help if I do get the $ for it…
I am so sorry- I don’t blame you for crying- would be hard not to. {hugs}
re-posted from prior thread
I wasn’t sure if you would be reading the last thread (pretty long now) so I’ll repost the important part of it here.
The jist of it is, that work you and I discussed a while back may be coming up.
Hang in there Steph, your talented and strong (yes, more than you will admit) and it will work out.
J
Hopefully it will turn into an opportunity for you to do what you really wanted which is to freelance from home.
As soon as the budget approval comes through for the work we talked about (briefly) before I’ll let you know. I may also have 1 or 2 hosting jobs for you as well.
Personal note: If you need anything, let me know and I’ll do what I can.
From the I Ching:
Chaos – Where great dreams are born –
Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos.
sorry is not going to cut it….
at times like these…you don’t know what to say to someone when they lose their job…all I know is your one smart intelligent woman…and danny is your husband and all your nanimals love you …and right now..lean on them…because very soon you will be out there knocking everyone on their ass making more money than we all imagine..or have for that matter :))
great big huggles to you 🙂
::::huggs carrie::::
it’s bad all around right now.. best wishes for you too.
Hi –
I’m a friend of jadedheart’s.
I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about what happened, and am hoping things get better for you on the job front very soon.
Try to keep the faith that this is all part of the universe’s plan for you to arrive at the very best place in life for you, an even better place than where you were before.
Be strong now. Hold onto the hands of all those who care about and love you.
**hugs**
I’m sorry there’s not much I can do for you, especially not really knowing you and all..
something will come around, hang in there!
Has happened to a lot of people .. even me. And its never fun.
Probly not a good time for sage old man advice, but:
Get your former bosses to commit to giving you a good reference. They will feel honored and obligated. A letter in writing in always handy.
Sign up for unemployment. Its not charity. Businesses pay into the fund to cover people in times of layoff.
Don’t burn any bridges at your old company. Ya never know when the paths will cross again.
Take some time to think through what you want to be doing. I would refrain from immediately shooting out a zillion resumes. Your getting paid for a couple weeks … use the time to focus your thoughts.
Nuff from me. I join the others in the belief you will be working again before you know it !!!
layoffs suck.
Layoff. Whatever. Steph, I almost cried when i read you were laid off. I was laid off by my last company, and I know how you feel. I am sooooooo sorry, if I owned a company, I would put you straight to work!! But, if it makes you feel any better, I found a better company,a job i enjoy more, AND I make more money!! So, since I know you are uber talented, I know you have no worries. sleep well. You are gonna be fine.
Sigh.
My company went through massive layoffs last month, and even though I didn’t get cut, it still really sucked to watch my friends get screwed over. (Particularly since none of the layoffs made sense … argh, can’t go there. NDA. Must repress bitterness …)
The shit’s hit the fan all over, I guess. Whatever happens, never lose faith in yourself.
-XCN-
this sounds odd to say at such a time…
…but you kick ass for crying. i would have cried too, as much as i could. i know you didn’t cry just to make them feel bad, but i believe that it’s ok to do that hehe.
hugs,
katy
so sorry
sorry to hear what happened — i’ve never been actually laid off but a few years ago, when i was at home on maternity leave, i received a call from my boss saying i might be laid off — i remember crying on the phone — which was pretty embarrassing — fortunately, i did not get laid off at that time (i wasn’t aware of it at the time — being new — but it was common practice among DOE contractors to give out pink slips telling the employees that they would be laid off in “x” amount of days and then extend their employment right before the time was up) — the next time a possible layoff came up, i was able to get out with a nice little severance package before i got the ax
don’t know what the point of all that was but i am sorry about your job — good luck on finding something even better quickly
Moving Forward…
Punq..
I know you may not want to move forward yet, but I’ve got two places to hit first:
Ajilon a company that I’ve greatly enjoyed working for (and they have an office that covers DC..)
and of course, there’s always the Monster board.. post your resume there, your phone will ring.
You have such excellent talent.. finding a new job will be a breeze.
-Way. (PS. Mail me if you want more job board contacts.. I have several I use)
you poor, poor, poor girl! i am almost crying for you. i am sooooo sorry that you were laid off. *huggggsss*
i am hoping sooo much that you future gets better. if you like i will but a banner advertising your freelance work on my site?
I am sorry, Punquin! Hugs!!!
I have idea… Ivan is doing what he calls ‘consignment mall’ for the internet. I will ask if he can add your site. No charge.
Usually, consignment charge is 50% of net profit from sales, but I think he will do it for free.
Maybe this will help for you a litttle.
Mall is not up yet, as Ivan only has 20 or so stores, but soon.
Hugs again.
-Lena
Punquin,
Ivan says is OK for mall. Yay!
Is not just banner, he will do whole page for you. (With links to you, of course).
Maybe you can send information you would like to be there?
Oh, if this is all right with you, of course.
-Lena
thank you both – just let me know in an email what you would need..
Guido says :: “you want me i should take care of them boss?”
thats seriously so shitty – 40 fucking percent! gah! i prolly would have not only sobbed like an infant but started throwing things, heh. you know im here if you need to talk. *hugs*
so sorry .
hi, stephenie this is weny”s mom so sorry to hear about the laie off. it well just lead to a better road>>>> ilove reading your pages so keep them comminf. if you need to tlk to some i”m around best of luck.
wendy”s mommy
p.s ask her i”m so bad
well that sux
GF i am so sorry. Damn. If i had my own company I would hire you.
Wow….
YOU ARE LOVED!!!
{{{{{stephanie}}}}}
{{{stephanie}}}
sometimes there just aren’t any words. so all i will say is that you are loved in virtual and real realities. and that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
lots of hugs,
cyka.
we’re really sorry to hear about you being laid-off today. hope things work out for you real soon.
jim & jen
web work
i need to get some things done with my website and what not soon… i wrote to danny on his lj about it once last weekend… i wish i could say i had lotsa money so i could get some super duper work right now… i don’t how much you charge but i am sure someone with your talent deserves alot. i know it wouldn’t take too much work on your part to please me 😉 so at least it wouldn’t be a lot of time out of your day! lol
but i will most definitly talk to u some more about it! just email me!!! [email protected] i know it’s not bigtime, but it’s something i’ve been wanting anyways… loaf you!
x0x0x{{{{stef}}}}x0x0x
That kind of sucks … if it’s any help The Watcher mentioned a while ago that he was looking for someone to do some web work. Might be worth contacting him.
{{{steph}}}
Okay, it’s official. The 24-minute drinking marathon starts this weekend!
🙁
Sorry to hear about the setback… I was reading back when you got your job. You’re a talented chick… This too shall pass. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your news.
You are a talented girl, though, and I am sure there will be job offers very soon.
Don’t let it get you down. Try to see it as a cool opportunity instead of a setback.
Hoping things go well for you from here on out.
dawn marie
oh hunny, i don’t know what to say…except that i am very sorry and i can sorta empathize with how you might be feeling. but you seem like a determined, intelligent girl and i know you have the strength to move onto bigger and better things.
good luck
xoxo,
~faerie