Author Topic: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?  (Read 7463 times)

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Offline alpherTopic starter

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Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« on: March 26, 2020, 08:20:36 pm »
I'm on "temporary"unemployment now after 26 years with the company,  :(
Who else?
 

Offline Fred27

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2020, 08:37:15 pm »
I'm on a 9-month temporary contract until July. It's with a great company and the job's been going well, so I was hoping they might ask me to stay on. However, the industry they're in (AV for big events) has been hit really hard - as in everything cancelled for the foreseeable future. My job is safe until July but very unlikely to be able to keep me on after that.  :( I'm not worried about finding more work, but it was the perfect job for me.
 

Offline Stray Electron

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2020, 09:49:09 pm »
I'm on "temporary"unemployment now after 26 years with the company,  :(
Who else?

   What kind of work if you don't mind us asking?
 

Offline Kasper

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2020, 10:30:55 pm »
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can get something going soon.

All my side gigs are not looking good now but I was able to get extra hours at my main job so I guess I should be happy about that.
 

Offline alpherTopic starter

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2020, 10:57:16 pm »
I'm on "temporary"unemployment now after 26 years with the company,  :(
Who else?

   What kind of work if you don't mind us asking?
Middle management at "manufacturing" company in GTA, but it doesn't really matter, as everyone else got their papers too. fck.
 

Offline thm_w

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2020, 11:13:50 pm »
Middle management at "manufacturing" company in GTA, but it doesn't really matter, as everyone else got their papers too. fck.

~25% pay cut at manufacturing company in Vancouver. I expect layoffs to come in a month or so.
US economy is going to be a disaster.

Make sure you get your appropriate level of severance, if not, look up a lawyer.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2020, 11:15:28 pm by thm_w »
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Offline alpherTopic starter

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2020, 11:29:17 pm »
Middle management at "manufacturing" company in GTA, but it doesn't really matter, as everyone else got their papers too. fck.

~25% pay cut at manufacturing company in Vancouver. I expect layoffs to come in a month or so.
US economy is going to be a disaster.

Make sure you get your appropriate level of severance, if not, look up a lawyer.
Talked to a lawyer already, if the company goes under WHILE government tells them to do so, you're fucked. I mean you can go after what remains from the company assets through the courts, but it'll take years and in the end you'll be left with the lawyers bill and the dick in your hands.
 
 
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Offline Red Squirrel

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2020, 11:33:26 pm »
Sorry to hear.   Sucks that companies are so greedy. So many people getting laid off over something temporary.  The job market has always been crap it probably is even worse now though grocery stores and fast food places might possibly be hiring I guess...      Even airlines have been laying off like crazy from what I hear.  Lot of pilots are going to be manning drive thrus I think "Welcome to McDonalds this is your capt... err, uhhhh, may I take your order?".

As much as I don't like still having to go into the office, I'm lucky I work in something that is essential so there is a rather low risk of me being laid off.   The company stock is taking a dive though - all stocks are, I just hope this does not actually trigger layoffs even though it will go back up.
 

Offline Zero999

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2020, 11:37:49 pm »
I can sympathise but I'm glad I'm not yet in that position.

I haven't been told for sure yet, but I'm 99.99% sure I'll be given 2½ weeks unpaid leave, but will get 80% of my pay from the government's compensation scheme. The 20% pay cut will be less than that, because I'll pay less tax. I've had the last week off sick, with no more than a common cold: colleagues noticed I was frequently coughing and was told to not come in the following day, so hope to get sick pay for that. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to take the time off as paid leave from my usual holiday allowance which I often don't use up anyway.

It's possible I could lose my job, but it's more secure than other jobs such as in the catering and hospitality industry. I remain positive. I have savings to last me for months, few overheads, other than the mortgage and bills and I'm fit and healthy, so if I do get the virus, there's a good chance I'll survive it. Many others where I work aren't so lucky: they have families, underlying health conditions, are unfit and obese.

It's a bugger living on my own and not being able to see friends and family, but it's a positive, since as long as I stay at home, it's virtually impossible for me to catch Covid-19.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 09:03:37 am by Zero999 »
 

Offline Electro Detective

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2020, 12:55:25 am »
If the C thing doesn't dry up and blow away SOON, buckle up for an epic 1000+ pages of wail and woe,

posted by countless shafted EEVblog members reporting job losses and business belly ups   


 

Offline nctnico

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2020, 01:37:21 am »
There are probably lots of companies still looking for people. And travel restrictions offer all kinds of new opportunities. Over here we have a lot of people from abroad working in agriculture. Now they can't come. However with the cafes & restaurants closed there are plenty of people to work in agriculture.
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Offline alpherTopic starter

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2020, 01:48:44 am »
Sorry to hear.   Sucks that companies are so greedy. So many people getting laid off over something temporary.  The job market has always been crap it probably is even worse now though grocery stores and fast food places might possibly be hiring I guess...      Even airlines have been laying off like crazy from what I hear.  Lot of pilots are going to be manning drive thrus I think "Welcome to McDonalds this is your capt... err, uhhhh, may I take your order?".

As much as I don't like still having to go into the office, I'm lucky I work in something that is essential so there is a rather low risk of me being laid off.   The company stock is taking a dive though - all stocks are, I just hope this does not actually trigger layoffs even though it will go back up.
It's not the companies being greedy, it's the government giving them an easy way out.  If the government has the power to order the private enterprise to shut down under emergency circumstances, it should  be prepared to bear also the legal consequences. I really hope that there is a charter challenge cooking up somewhere.
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2020, 01:55:44 am »
I'm my own employer so not concerned in that way, but I've already noticed that a couple companies I routinely work with have put some projects on hold due to temporary uncertainty, so lack of work will happen if the crisis lasts for more than a month or two more.

Anyway, good luck.


 

Offline alpherTopic starter

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2020, 02:14:36 am »
Thanks, people.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/a2f4db51-075e-407f-95e3-f98ea7933aa1#emXTSnMSS.copy
Just sold my roadtrek camper today, so I'll be financially OK. for awhile.
 8)
 

Offline james_s

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2020, 05:58:14 am »
Sorry to hear.   Sucks that companies are so greedy. So many people getting laid off over something temporary.  The job market has always been crap it probably is even worse now though grocery stores and fast food places might possibly be hiring I guess...      Even airlines have been laying off like crazy from what I hear.  Lot of pilots are going to be manning drive thrus I think "Welcome to McDonalds this is your capt... err, uhhhh, may I take your order?".

As much as I don't like still having to go into the office, I'm lucky I work in something that is essential so there is a rather low risk of me being laid off.   The company stock is taking a dive though - all stocks are, I just hope this does not actually trigger layoffs even though it will go back up.

I don't think it's greed, a lot of companies have pretty thin margins so if revenue dries up and expenses don't shrink to follow then things can get ugly pretty fast. It might be temporary, I think everyone hopes that it is but due to the nature of these things it could take many years to recover. It took a major world war to pull us out of the Great Depression. Unfortunately you get a positive feedback loop, something happens and people get nervous so they cut expenses. This reduces revenue and companies start laying people off, the layoffs make people more scared and they cut back further which causes more revenue drops and the cycle repeats.

This could get really, really ugly and the worst part of it all is the uncertainty. There are several different likely outcomes, none of them good. We could shut down too much too long and cause the whole system to collapse, we are not immune to the sort of total collapse that hit the former Soviet Union. We could lock things down, start to start things up again and have another big outbreak requiring another cycle of lockdown and several cycles of this could lead to a major collapse and/or give the virus a chance to mutate into something worse. The effect is a bit like taking antibiotics just long enough to feel better than stopping before finishing the prescribed doses. As people in the US get laid off, many of them will lose their health insurance, then we'll start seeing large numbers of people who get sick and really do need medical attention deciding to play the odds and hope they recover at home rather than risk being bankrupted by medical bills.

I'm still not super worried about getting sick myself, it does no good to worry and odds are good that I'll recover but this thing really is spreading at a scary rate. Efforts to contain it may be helping some but not as much as I'd like to see. Uncertainty over the future is making it harder for me to focus on work and being stuck in my house with no particular end in sight is getting to me as well. I'm an introvert and kind of a homebody so if it's getting to me already then a lot of people are going to start to seriously struggle with their mental health. This will be amplified as the unemployment rate picks up, record 3.3 Million people signed up for unemployment benefits today which is the highest in history. Some new protections kick in at the start of April which are not retroactive so I'm betting on another huge wave of layoffs leading up to that. In the short term, companies well positioned to serve people who are stuck at home will do well, but once enough dominoes fall it's going to pull those down too. The $1200 stimulus checks many people receive isn't going to stimulate anything, it's like handing a single bucket of water to someone whose house is on fire.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 06:02:56 am by james_s »
 

Online daqq

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2020, 07:35:48 am »
Sorry to hear about about your job. We'll see what happens world wide :(

Good luck to all affected, will see how it pans out here.
Sucks that companies are so greedy. So many people getting laid off over something temporary.
While I'm sure that there are companies that are 'greedy', many just rely on a constant throughput, and, in normal times that's a reasonable-ish way of doing business. Sadly, not everyone (companies and individuals) has the reserves to function for a few months without an income, nor did they think that such a thing is necessary.

Until a few months ago, a lot of the world economy was running in YOLO mode and being rewarded for it by success. Thereby creating a glorious society full of wonders that can shatter at a moments notice and will require an insane amount of work to stabilize.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 07:37:50 am by daqq »
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Offline Electro Detective

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2020, 09:58:53 am »

If the C thing doesn't dry up and blow away SOON, buckle up for an epic 1000+ pages of wail and woe,

posted by countless shafted EEVblog members reporting job losses and business belly ups
   





If it were not you shitting in every C thread, they would be 10x smaller.


Your math is flawed sir, you imply they'll lose 10x less jobs and business fails if I don't comment?  ???
Please post the pie charts and colored bar graphs to prove that  :popcorn:


Unlike some, tossing stale troll bait my way, I GENUINELY care what WILL happen to ALL EEVblog members, that WILL or already have been shafted by these lockdowns and panic circus,
with so far only conflicting and contradictory 'expert' waffle and BS statistics to back it up.

Rest assured, as before, the cash grabbers pushing this hard will not be out of pocket or a job,
nor will they publicly apologize later for bending the truth or 'we didn't know better'  :-[

Just wait and see when this blown up fiasco eventually DITA, and most people are semi-destitute
with handout drained governments and local councils so far in the red that they'll never recover any time soon

Greybeards and old schoolers here should be commenting on this, not advanced ankle biters, as they've copped it before,

Come on guys, cat got your tongue
or it's just easier to play along and not rock the boat ?  :scared: :scared:

 
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Offline Zero999

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #17 on: March 27, 2020, 10:39:47 am »

If the C thing doesn't dry up and blow away SOON, buckle up for an epic 1000+ pages of wail and woe,

posted by countless shafted EEVblog members reporting job losses and business belly ups
   





If it were not you shitting in every C thread, they would be 10x smaller.


Your math is flawed sir, you imply they'll lose 10x less jobs and business fails if I don't comment?  ???
Please post the pie charts and colored bar graphs to prove that  :popcorn:


Unlike some, tossing stale troll bait my way, I GENUINELY care what WILL happen to ALL EEVblog members, that WILL or already have been shafted by these lockdowns and panic circus,
with so far only conflicting and contradictory 'expert' waffle and BS statistics to back it up.

Rest assured, as before, the cash grabbers pushing this hard will not be out of pocket or a job,
nor will they publicly apologize later for bending the truth or 'we didn't know better'  :-[

Just wait and see when this blown up fiasco eventually DITA, and most people are semi-destitute
with handout drained governments and local councils so far in the red that they'll never recover any time soon

Greybeards and old schoolers here should be commenting on this, not advanced ankle biters, as they've copped it before,

Come on guys, cat got your tongue
or it's just easier to play along and not rock the boat ?  :scared: :scared:
Just ignore troll posts like that.

I did see that post awhile ago. I apologise for allowing myself to get distracted and not reporting it to the moderator.
 
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Offline floobydust

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #18 on: March 27, 2020, 11:11:19 am »
Last week US unemployment claims hits 3.3M and Canada is at almost 1M.  Stock market rallies  :palm:
It's an economic collapse we are witnessing and EE's are high up the food chain, we rely on a lot of underlying basics to do what we do.

I haven't heard about my contract yet, I'll know in April and fully expect it to halt for months, just due to the financial panic alone.
Company A can't make their stuff for Company B who uses it for Company C to make products for company D. The domino-effect is also happening so there is another wave coming.
 
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Offline VK3DRB

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #19 on: March 27, 2020, 11:47:13 am »
Sorry to hear you are stood down.

Remember we are just resource to companies, as I discovered after 19 years with IBM Australia. I was a top performer, but myself and hundreds of others were sold off to startup as IBM cheated me out of $40K of my retirement savings and offered me a 30% discount on an overpriced PC as a golden handshake. The IBM executives worship the god of Mammon, demonstrated by their greed. Loyalty in the end is a one way street.

I have worked for a few other companies since, some excellent, some not so good, but I now run my own consultancy, designing PCB hardware and doing firmware. I am my own boss and love not having to be an employee reporting to some spin doctor doing something I don't want to do (except the tax paperwork). Work may or may not dry up for me. That being said, I am very busy at the moment with about a few month's work still. I just got a call from a company asking me to be involved with designing equipment to test respirators of all things.

I suggest as a plan B, look at your 26 years worth of skills and figure out how to capitalise on them. Work might be slow at the start (partly due to the virus) but it will increase over time. You might want to learn a new skill that builds on an old one. Or if the company you worked for for 26 years rehires and wants you back, make sure they don't try to screw you. Get all your entitlements back. Or consult to them at consultancy rates.

You have paid your taxes for 26 years. Your government owes it to you to help you out in the tough times. 

I wish you and any other electronics people all the best if you are stood down. Things might look dim now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
 

Offline GlennSprigg

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #20 on: March 27, 2020, 12:07:01 pm »
If it were not you shitting in every C thread, they would be 10x smaller.

Aahh... Now I remember that name!  8) :palm:

I'm sorry for everyone's losses too, including a lot from my family. It snowballs so fast!!  Loose your job, can't pay rent/mortgage, kids home from school, can't pay/send little kids to childcare etc etc.
Am 'lucky'(?) I'm on an Invalid Medical Pension already, so jobs/money/living is not an issue. And being already 'confined' to the house there is no problem regarding 'Social-Isolation'.  (Not even been to a shop in months!). But we have been trying to help family & friends when we can!  :-+
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Offline joeqsmith

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #21 on: March 27, 2020, 12:10:40 pm »
Unlike some, tossing stale troll bait my way, I GENUINELY care what WILL happen to ALL EEVblog members, that WILL or already have been shafted by these lockdowns and panic circus,
with so far only conflicting and contradictory 'expert' waffle and BS statistics to back it up.

Rest assured, as before, the cash grabbers pushing this hard will not be out of pocket or a job,
nor will they publicly apologize later for bending the truth or 'we didn't know better'  :-[

Just wait and see when this blown up fiasco eventually DITA, and most people are semi-destitute
with handout drained governments and local councils so far in the red that they'll never recover any time soon

Greybeards and old schoolers here should be commenting on this, not advanced ankle biters, as they've copped it before,

Come on guys, cat got your tongue
or it's just easier to play along and not rock the boat ?  :scared: :scared:

I've never heard the word "science" being used with so with so little data being presented.  One of the worst things I heard the other day was that people who don't believe the severity of the outbreak should visit their public hospitals. 

Offline Red Squirrel

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #22 on: March 27, 2020, 02:50:31 pm »
Until a few months ago, a lot of the world economy was running in YOLO mode and being rewarded for it by success. Thereby creating a glorious society full of wonders that can shatter at a moments notice and will require an insane amount of work to stabilize.

I've always felt this system was bad and doomed from the start.  You need to be able to run with some kind of contingency, but current age economy does not run that way.  It's running on fumes all the time and expecting everything to be 110% on all cylinders at all times and the slightest fart is going to make it crap out.

Then again I'm not any better myself, if I lost my job I'd have to put my house on the market yesterday because the next bill that comes out will bankrupt me.  Costs of living and costs of doing business keep going up so for individuals and small business the margins are so thin.  The big corporations have tons of leg room but not the small ones.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 02:53:10 pm by Red Squirrel »
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #23 on: March 27, 2020, 03:45:54 pm »
Until a few months ago, a lot of the world economy was running in YOLO mode and being rewarded for it by success. Thereby creating a glorious society full of wonders that can shatter at a moments notice and will require an insane amount of work to stabilize.

I've always felt this system was bad and doomed from the start.  You need to be able to run with some kind of contingency, but current age economy does not run that way.  It's running on fumes all the time and expecting everything to be 110% on all cylinders at all times and the slightest fart is going to make it crap out.

I agree, but we just can't permanently live (and prepare) as though tomorrow was going to be the end of the world either. We wouldn't be achieving much, and a significant chunk of all people may end up dying of nervous breakdown. Maybe it's ok though, as we may have "achieved" enough, or even too much, already. Dunno.

We have to find a balance of course, but I think it's harder than it looks. So much so that nature will probably repeatedly "help" us.

 

Offline Kasper

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Re: Just lost my job thanks to COVID-19, who else ?
« Reply #24 on: March 27, 2020, 04:11:11 pm »
My wife got a new job in a nearby city months ago.  Since then we have been renting an apartment while preparing our little old house to be a short term vacation rental.  I dug myself into a hole doing renos for that, paying rent and buying components for various projects I'm working on.

Chances of getting money from vaca rental now are slim to none.  Considered making it a long term rental but tenants in BC have a lot of rights and it is very risky.  On top of that, BC just announced tenants can't get evicted for not paying rent so the risk associated to long term tenant is now even greater so that is off the table.

Been working on some frivolous gadgets (things that I can design, build and sell quickly on my spare time), hoping to start selling some soon but now I don't think there is much market for frivolous gadgets. 

I'm happy I still have a job, at a tech startup in sports / healthcare, seems like we'll keep running.  Between vaca rental, selling gadgets and occasional contract design work, I was really close to surviving on my own.   My boss tells me it's ok to underpay me because he underpays everyone.  I was really looking forward to quitting but now I'm doing the opposite, requesting extra hours so I can try to get out of the hole I dug before things go sideways.

 


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