Comments Unfair To Laid Off Employees
Dear Editor,
As a career advisor, I work closely with many job seekers. The clientele I assist include recent college graduates as well as career professionals with numerous years of experience. Many of these people have been thrust into a new job search due to circumstances we have all read about: company closings, organizational downsizing and restructuring.
I was particularly interested in the Jan. 5, 2009 issue of the WBJ headlined, “The Myth of Recession-Proof Jobs.” The reflections of representatives from a range of fields uncovered the reality of current job market conditions.
With the unemployment rate rising, across all industries, to 7.2 percent nationally and 6.5 percent locally, it is clear that no individual, or organization, is immune to this extraordinary economic situation.
Most of us know someone, an accomplished colleague, friend, neighbor, or family member adversely affected by these circumstances. Those affected are compelled to manage the emotional and financial strains, among other consequences, of a layoff.
Among those interviewed in the article, Tanja Hayward provided some practical suggestions to circumvent a layoff. While I agree this is “not the time to be asking for bonuses or coming in late,” I was troubled by some of Ms. Hayward’s other comments. For example, “People who add value are the ones who are going to be kept. The good employees are the ones who are going to keep their jobs,” and, “The ones being laid off are the mediocre.”
These comments are harsh and quite simply, unfair. They consequently misrepresent the general population of those who have been laid off. Suffice to say, there are many highly regarded professionals, considered to be “good employees,” who have been handed a pink slip, solely due to circumstances of our economic climate.
In many cases, there may be no formula for the selection process. It can simply be a matter of “wrong place, wrong time” and certainly not a reflection of an individual’s work ethic. In this market, losing one’s job is not an indication of personal failure.
Unfortunately, generalizations such as Ms. Hayward’s needlessly perpetuate the stigma of unemployment and discredit diligent professionals who have fallen victim to some of the worst economic conditions in nearly two decades.
Sharon Hanna
West Boylston
WBJ Web Partners
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