On Pins and Needles

Some of you may have heard that Terry's company informed their employees at the end of April that they were planning layoffs for the first time in their history and it would impact the company worldwide. The plan was that the layoffs would be completed by the end of June.

This is always a comforting thought, but not surprising in this economy.

So this last month and a half has been somewhat uncertain at his office, to say the least. A week or so ago they heard that the layoffs would probably happen last week or this week. No details were given on where or when exactly it would take place, how many at each office or how many in each department.

Every day when he came home I would ask if he was still employed and fortunately, he said, "yes".

So this morning at 8:53 am, I get this email from Terry. No more, no less, just these two words.

"It's starting ..."

So, I write him back and say, "Be sure to call me if you get laid off."

Then I wait, and wait...no call, no email...and I wait some more. At least I had some work to keep my mind distracted. And I wait...

At 1:20 pm I get this email.

"I think I survived. But my supervisor is gone, and her supervisor is gone.
I am now operating with a total lack of accountability."

No more details from him, but Whew! What a relief and I laughed out loud at the last line! Can't you just see Terry running around the call center floor like a wild man because he had no supervisor telling him to stop?

Anyway, we're so thankful that the Lord allowed his job to be spared. When we moved back from So Cal, he spent 6 months unemployed because he essentially changed careers, so he wasn't looking forward to looking for another job.