On Wed, 11 Dec 2002, Jeffrey Sharp wrote:
I'm extremely saddened to hear about Megan's
and Ethan's layoffs. Though my
unemployment is ending, I really haven't had a stable, decent-paying job
since July of last year. Trust me, I know how you feel, and I know it
doesn't feel good.
But why would companies pick the holidays of all times to lay people off? It
doesn't make sense. This is the time of year I would guess people spend the
most money. Why rid people of this resource at the time they need it most?
It's just so cruel.
Not that I'm attributing any notions of generosity to companies, but
they could certainly have picked a worse time for layoffs. Although
early December can psychologically be a horrible time to be out of job,
imagine if you were laid off in January after you'd just blown a lot of
money on the holidays? There is some consolation to be had in knowing
that you can save some money by scaling back a bit. It still sucks,
but you can at least avoid a little debt.
The timing certainly has more to do with fiscal quarters and the end of
the fiscal year.
-brian.