It occurs to me that as I am spending more time than most around looking for work and layoffs, it might be useful to provide a perspective on what a "modern" layoff looks like. I say this because the perspective has changed.
Once upon a time, layoffs were conducted essentially invisibly. Perhaps it was something that was known nationally, like a major manufacturer, or perhaps unrecognized except to the local community. It was known to the family and possibly friends, although this might not be as true as one might think: even as an adult, I remember having to have a conversation with Uisdean Ruadh letting him know that it was okay to talk about the fact that he had been laid off as it happened to lots of people anymore and was not some kind of "black mark" on your permanent record. One went about and found a replacement job quietly, combing the want ads of papers or looking out for the signs in windows.
As with everything else, it is not like that today.
Oftentimes it will start with a post on social media by the individual, running something like thus:
"The news is true: I and XX number of my fellow employees were laid off at Company Y today. Hard to believe it was already z years. We did so much together in our time there. We are (surprised/shocked/in disbelief/not surprised) at this. Such an incredibly talented group of of people.
That said, I am now #Opentowork.
I have n number of years doing a, b, c and am looking forward to providing a future employer with the same level of (service/innovation/excellent work) that I have to my former employer.
Looking forward to doing great things with someone else."
This - or a version of this, there is essentially a template now - will be posted on LinkedOut as well. If one desires, one can put a small "#Opentowork" sidebar in one's photo.
The whole thing interests me on an intellectual level (beyond the personal level, of course) because of the public nature of it - in fact, people almost seem to transition from the last minute at the office to posting online.
Full disclosure: When I got laid off in Hammerfall 3.0, I did make a post on The Book of Face - not so much to advertise for work as to inform friends and family of the fact (sometimes these things are rather public; better to allay fears now), advertise for good thoughts and prayers, and re-emphasize that we are fine (essentially what I do here as well). But I did not do the same on LinkedOut, other than indicate (invisibly to the public) that I was looking for a job. Perhaps I am simply old school, but the point of this is to find a job, not to make a fuss about it.
In our social media world, this seems to be less of a concern - as with other things, the idea that we put everything in excruciating detail of our lives out for the public to see is present here as well.
I will be fair that for most of the posts I have seen, denigrating one's former employer is hardly ever done. That makes sense to me of course: in essentially advertising one's current status, the last thing a future employer is likely to want to see is one tearing down one's former employer - makes the new employer a bit concerned, not doubt.
How does this end? I am not sure. As layoffs continue to accelerate and become more public, I do not wonder that this sorts of personal informational update posts will take on a more Spartan and informational nature: "Laid off today. 25 years experience in x. Looking for work in the following industries". Part of that, I suspect, is simply that people will want to simply stand out in a world of general updates.
The other part, of course, is that at some point continued economic pressure means the push will be to secure employment - not necessarily the employment one "wants" but the employment one needs.
Perhaps times have changed. When talking casually, I have always said "when I left company X" and never referred to being laid off. Some of that may be due to the mental stigma I assigned to being laid off but at least for me, much of it was the context. The first time I was laid off in round 7 after nearly 8000 (out of 10,000) had been laid off before me so it really wasn't much of a surprise. The second time, I was already contemplating leaving the work force for good to cash out my stock options before they were rendered worthless by other forces.
ReplyDeleteOverall though, I don't associate any shame with being laid off anymore. It seems like companies are very tied to the bottom line and that means adjusting their work force. It isn't like in my youth where it meant much of the time you were just a slacker that the company wanted to unload.
Ed, it certainly not the stigma it used to - nor should be, in my opinion. Actually, it goes a long way towards explaining short stays at companies.
DeleteIn terms of stigma, it is much more difficult to determine if someone was fired as most companies will only confirm dates of employment and titles. So the question has to be gotten at other ways.
Social media raises the curtain of a person's life for everyone to see, unlike anytime previously. Like you TB, I prefer to keep the walls of social media life opaque for almost all matters though I am glad this platform is here to visit.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, there was an interesting article a couple of days back that asked the question "When is it too much". People share everything, including things likely should not be shared and certainly would not have been shared in previous periods.
DeleteBeyond just being in poor taste, do you really want to become known as the person whose disaster was on display for all to see?
The internet has changed so much. So different than it used to be.
ReplyDeleteYou don't mention the Employment Security Commission which, as far as I know, is used for official employment/unemployment statistics. That never quite made sense to me as it doesn't seem like an accurate picture.
Leigh, it is very different. People share things now that I would never had shared back in the day (nor intend to).
DeleteTo be completely honest, I have given up on official government employment statistics. They have had to be revised down for most of last year, which is always done quietly and without the fanfare of the initial release.
Re: social media... It seems to me that many in my generation (baby boomers) are more comfortable sharing personal stuff online, than our sons' generation (young millennials, & gen Z depending on where the dividing line is). Maybe they did listen to us when we cautioned them about posting too freely to FB as they were heading off to college. I have a FB page that has a different name than mine, and I only use it for finding information and reading others' experiences (lately it's been useful for health issues) and for IM'ing my sons occasionally. I'm normally a pretty private person, but I have shared some things this last year on my blog that makes me question my wisdom occasionally in that department. Every once in a while I think about deleting some of it...
ReplyDeleteBecki, I think our children's generation is just as likely to not post because it is "uncool" to be on the same platform as one's parents (certainly my children have said as much). Also, there are more ways to connect now in social media, so there is less need for a single platform.
DeleteI, like you, have a Book of Face account that is not my name here. There is some use to it, and for years it helped keep my parents updated on my life. I usually only post travel pictures, iaijustu pictures, and pity statements there anymore.
As to the blog - I can certainly understand the concern about oversharing. On the other hand, sometimes what we feel we have "overshared" are some of the most personal things which can be of the greatest help to other individuals (thinking of some of your posts on your cancer treatment, for example).
Thank you for that encouragement, TB. The line seems very fine between oversharing and sharing enough to being helpful. My readers (that I know about) treat me very well, so it's easy to feel it's safe and appropriate enough sharing. I'll probably give it some more months before I go back an reevaluate what I think about what I've shared.
DeleteBecki, I am a great believer in authenticity. It is what makes writing real. We can certainly overshare things, but I wonder if in our modern world we mistake oversharing for simply communicating honestly and in a heartfelt manner.
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