I repeat them to myself every day.
I lost my job at Fox Home Entertainment two years ago in
October. I was shocked yet equally unsurprised. Fox had periodically laid off a
few people here and there since I had started in 2007. I never felt secure,
even when I started with a three-year contract. I had not recovered from the
real life-altering jolt of being laid off from NBC Universal in October 2006
after 13 years. Honestly, I don’t know if I ever will recover from that job
loss. I had thought I was a lifer there. Having
a job is a privilege.
I feel like I’ve hit a survivor milestone in these two
years. I have collected unemployment, free-lanced, started my own business,
sold items on eBay and Amazon and applied for “real” jobs. I’ve become a
professional water-treader, of sorts. Unlike the California landscape,
sometimes the water level of a professional water-treader can get precariously
high. And I'm not the only one. I know several people who were laid off around this time who are doing the same juggling routine.
I’ve always been a loyal employee, staying at my jobs at
least five years. I always had corporate jobs with benefits (that I never
thought much about at the time.) I’ve been fortunate enough to have a temp assignment at
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for the past year. I get monthly assignments
and find out a few days before the end of the month if I will be extended. This
creates a tremendous amount of anxiety until I get that ping in my email. This
perpetual limbo keeps me afloat, yet hinders me from moving forward. I am
constantly reminded of my temp status, both in the work I do and the monthly
health benefits I pay out-of-pocket (now I know how people who lease their
Mercedes feel.) Having a job is a
privilege. Boy, do I know.
Lay-offs are now pending at Warner Bros. and a whole new batch of dedicated employees will have their lives irrevocably altered. They'll get severance packages and unemployment benefits to soften the blow, but the jobs they were so good at for so many years will be gone. They too will eventually join the treading water world of the unemployed and underemployed. My heart goes out to them.
Many of you know that I’m a big proponent of LinkedIn and
often coach people on their profiles. I always warn people to be careful about
updating their jobs in the experience section as it often sends out an unwanted
“Congratulate Lynne on her new job!” notice. I’m glad it doesn’t send out
“Lynne’s celebrating her two-year anniversary at Unemployed!”
Maybe I should add “Drought resistant” to my skills and
expertise list on LinkedIn. Would you endorse me?
