500 Pink Slips

My company had a difficult month. As a result of a shrinking economy and a bulked up staff from several property openings over the last few years, we downsized by 25% over the course of the last two weeks. Most people were notified last Monday or Tuesday and encouraged to come to HR for exit interviews (turn in keys, be notified of changes in benefits, severance pkgs, etc.). As a Service Quality specialist under the HR umbrella, I was quickly trained and asked to help HR with the hundreds of people who would need to come through HR for exits. I was happy to oblige.

Two things made the last two weeks very stressful:
1: Besides the fact that we knew a ton of people were going to be out of work, we didn't know how many, or who they would be, but we did know there were terminations in every department. There's nothing worse than answering the phone with your friend on the other line calling to schedule an exit interview ...

2: Unless you don't know if you'll be calling tomorrow for one yourself. Because of the large number of people needing to be processed, the HR team was one of the last to know the status of their job/loss. We finally found out on Wednesday that our department had completed its cutbacks. But until then, we just didn't know ... and that made it harder in every degree.

I know that a poor economy leads to job loss, and I recognize that in a community of affluence, our cutbacks are still not as dire as many in other industries. But, this was my first experience, and all I can say is that it sucked. It sucked for the people who were let go, and it sucks now for the people who have to stay and pick up the pieces.

But, despite the stress and difficulties of the last two weeks, I felt very much supported and uplifted during the hardest parts. I feel very, very lucky to have a job. In a department that produces no revenue, it's really just luck that keeps me from getting "voted off Sea Island" as my mom put it (she's a die-hard Survivor fan, can you tell?). I know that many people had to make sacrifices for me to stay, and I'm very grateful.

I also felt that even during the most tremulous times that we would be okay. I knew that the Lord would take care of us, and we would do what needed to be done. A scripture from the Doctrine & Covenants has gone through my mind like a ticker: "all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good."

So, starting tomorrow, I say goodbye to my wonderful boss of the last year and hello to the HR department proper. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but I'm open to learning a new skill set and diversifying my resume. I know that it will all be okay, and I'm looking forward to putting this behind us. But, we will miss those 500, there's no doubt. You can't dig a hole that big without feeling it for a while.