Preparing for a layoff

Layoffs are always hard.  Especially when you can feel them coming but are not sure what to do to prepare.  When we were discussing employee shortages and surpluses I thought immediately of layoffs and I wanted to know more about how to prepare in case of a layoff.  Two years ago I was laid off from my place of employment and it was definitely hard.  It was hard because I was not prepared and I did not know what to do next.  It was especially difficult because of how they told me.  One day I was driving to work just like any other day and I received a call from the Las Vegas office.  They told me that I was laid off and that I no longer needed to go in for that current day or any other day.  They said sorry and that it was nothing I did and had nothing to do with my performance.  They said that it was simply something to do with the current company.   So I drove home and immediately began to research unemployment benefits.  The other day, while researching for another class, I found a blog that talked about some ways to help prepare you for a layoff.  I want to talk about a few of them.

The first thing discussed was that if you suspect a lay off coming your way anytime soon, start looking for a new job.  Don’t give up your current job for something inferior, employees looking for a job should take their time to find a job that they love equally and do their best at.  Make sure to look for jobs that fit your qualifications.  They also talked about working towards a solution for the company.   All employees of an organization can contribute towards the company's success.  It might help you to start working on a plan to find a way for the company to start making more money or to cut expenses.  If an employee is satisfied with the current job they hold, they should work hard to keep it alive.  Another tip, was to save your money.  Saving money is always good advice no matter what you’re doing.  The final tip was to "ignore most rumors".  They gave an example about a company where there were a bunch of rumors flying around about potential layoffs.  The only time the statements were true was the day of actual layoffs.  Unless you as the employee learn of a potential layoff directly from someone reliable in the company, or you yourself have access to actual data or numbers, don't believe everything you hear.  When rumors start in an office they usually get over told and changed up.  Just make sure that you are prepared if you hear of a layoff coming your way.  It will help with the shock and with the actual layoff.