Walking into the crowded boardroom, I began to notice there were several empty seats along the wall. As I started to walk towards them, I happen to stand in front of JLL's CEO. Naturally, this was a good coincidence since I've been wanting to meet this British fellow, especially after this week's events. So as I shook his hand I almost wanted to ask him directly if I was still going to have a job next week, but I held back and introduced myself. During his inspirational and uplifting speech, about how well our company was doing in the US and worldwide despite the ever failing market, I had a stream of mixed emotions run through my mind. If an outsider was hearing this speech they would have never known that 150 people were laid off earlier that week.
Massive layoffs, store closures and bankruptcy is all too familiar these days and working in the real estate industry, I've heard how entire departments exist one day and are gone the next. Yet, perhaps since my company was hiring so many people many of us did not expect massive layoffs to happen so close to home. Catching everyone by surprise, 150 people lost their jobs on Tuesday at my company. Many of these people had dedicated many years of service and even though in the back of their minds they were expecting layoffs they never thought they would be let go in the most humiliating way.
While covering the front desk three weeks ago, I noticed that HR was in town and was meeting with a co-worker in a conference room. Ten minutes later she walked out in tears; she had been fired. I was stunned and saddened, but in retrospect I can say that she was lucky and was laid off in a decent manner. I think this is at the very least the way someone should find out that they have lost their job. So on Tuesday when I asked my supervisor how she felt, she said that the reason why she reacted so emotionally was because of the way she was informed of the bad news.
Monday night my supervisor received an email inviting her to attend an important conference call Tuesday morning. Leaving late that night after a long work day, she did not expect anything negative about the conference call or the idea of being laid off had not crossed her mind especially since recently her workload had been doubled. The next day after I attended a "Broker kickoff", (which was an upsetting event), I received an email from my coworker telling me that our supervisor had been "let go". I was in shock and troubled. We were all stunned. If anything we expected to be "let go" before our superiors. Later I heard that the conference call my supervisor was invited to was in fact held by the head of her department telling her, "they were letting her go." After she called her boss she found out that they had laid her off as well and all of the administrative department for that matter. "The End", she didn't get a meeting with HR or even a "thank you for all your years of service". That is all she got. Later that day we heard that other people were simply just shut out of their computers and when they called to inquire about their problem they found out they had been laid off. (Absolute dismay.) Yesterday we received an email informing the rest of the staff about the "workforce reduction" that had happened on Tuesday. After reading the two paragraph explanation. I thought it was simply heartless.
So as I sat at the "CEO's Round Table" event this morning, I started to wonder who else was next to be sacrificed to pave the way for the company's survival during this recession, so the "Suits" could keep their stock options and fat salaries. Even though I'm a believer in survival of the fittest, I still think that employees deserve respect and courtesy. Most of the employees have dedicated their lives to this company and I my rundown is that they deserve at least a simple, "thank you". We have no idea how those 150 people are doing and we won't since they "no longer exist" in our company. In the news more and more you hear horrible stories of suicide by people in desperation. Obviously, after witnessing how employees are being laid off, I can understand the madness.
"Move with the cheese and enjoy it!" - Spencer Johnson
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