Well, it's over. Today was my very last day at a company where I spent 8 years, 6 months, and 22 days. I am now officially laid off. In case you didn't read my previous entry from Sunday, many of us at my company found out about nine months ago that our jobs are going to India.
Nine months is a long enough wait that you almost think it's never going to come even when it's two weeks away. The fact that the wait is over, as of today, may still not feel real for a few more days.
There wasn't much time to let it sink in either as I still had work to finish up this morning--after working a 10 hour day yesterday. I scrambled the rest of the day to tie up loose ends (that I hoped to get to earlier in the week) including cleaning out my hard drive, cleaning out my e-mail, finishing cleaning out my desk, forwarding any personal files or e-mails to my home account, turning in one piece of paperwork, saying last minute goodbyes, etc., that it wasn't a totally relaxed last day, and I didn't get out of there until 5:45 (some people started trickling out by 3:00).
On the off chance that someone from my previous job or a prospective future job may be reading this, I'm neither naming my company nor going into detail on the good and/or bad things about my former job.
All I'll say is that I'm hoping/expecting/assuming/praying that my next job will be better, and I'm eager to find out if things will end up like that.
My plans... Obviously, continue looking for a new job. Since you can't look for a job 24 hours a day, I also hope to catch up on some personal projects around the house, perhaps some spring cleaning inside and almost certainly some yard maintenance outside. I also want to read more often, blog more often, and exercise more often. I still have a free one-month pass to the YMCA that I won in a raffle at work and still need to use before the expiration runs out.
In a way, April 1 is like a different kind of New Years Day for me, so hopefully I'll start some good resolutions that I'll actually stick to (even after I get a new job, which hopefully won't take forever).
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Ironic how in my last blog entry I also mentioned Hanes as being a steady presence in Winston-Salem, NC. Just today, I heard the news that they are also having layoffs. According to the website of local new station WXII, 600 people will lose their jobs in the "restructuring" in which their textile production will move to the Caribbean area and Central America.
So, if all our country's jobs keep going to other countries because it saves money, then that means someday all Americans can quit their jobs and pay hardly anything for their products and services since they'll be done so cheap elsewhere--right??? Yeah, I didn't think so. We're on a sad path. :(
Showing posts with label Made in the USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Made in the USA. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
America Is No Longer Made in the U.S.A.
I'm here at my workplace on Sunday to catch up on cleaning out my cubicle, retrieving personal items, and collecting anything like past performance reviews that might have helpful information for my resume, cover letters, and interviews. You see, last June, I found out that I was getting laid off on 31 March 2007 which--after a long wait--is now only five business days away.
I'm not exactly broken up about it. I had plenty of warning, the severance is decent enough, and I'm confident my next job will likely be much better. The part that bothers me the worst is why I'm getting laid off...
My job is getting outsourced, uh, I mean, off-shored to a company in India.
The even deeper irony is that the department I work in specializes in clients outsourcing a part of their business to us. Now we're outsourcing part of our business to someone else. Since it sounds funny to admit that we're "outsourcing our outsourcing," and since the destination of the work is another country, the new vocabulary is "off-shoring."
It just bothers me that so much of this country's jobs and services are moving overseas. We keep producing less and less in our own country, then we wonder why unemployment is rising and the value of the dollar is dropping. I don't think we should be so dependent on the rest of the world, especially when much of the world isn't too thrilled with us right now (or ever, for some parts).
The other reason this is fresh on mind is I was at Kohl's earlier today because I needed a couple new short-sleeve polo/golf-type shirts. I was just about to pay for the two nice looking, reasonably priced shirts that I found when I noticed some writing below the fabric content: "Made in India".
Those were the two best shirts I had found in the store, but just in case there were other nice shirts with a "Made in the U.S.A." label, I thought I'd be willing to compromise even if it cost a few dollars extra. Instead, I found:
And, did I find a single "Made in the U.S.A." label? No.
I confess, I went ahead and bought the shirts anyway--this time. But, this is something I want to get better about noticing and planning around in the future.
I did feel a little bit better when I bought a six-pack of white crew socks that I also needed. Not only did they say, "Made in the U.S.A." but they were Hanes brand, and Hanes is headquartered right here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thank goodness we have at least one thing we're known for other than cigarettes (and don't get me started on that topic).
If anyone knows of any stores that carry--or even specialize in--products made in the United States, leave me a comment or send me a message on my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/umberhaven).
I'm not exactly broken up about it. I had plenty of warning, the severance is decent enough, and I'm confident my next job will likely be much better. The part that bothers me the worst is why I'm getting laid off...
My job is getting outsourced, uh, I mean, off-shored to a company in India.
The even deeper irony is that the department I work in specializes in clients outsourcing a part of their business to us. Now we're outsourcing part of our business to someone else. Since it sounds funny to admit that we're "outsourcing our outsourcing," and since the destination of the work is another country, the new vocabulary is "off-shoring."
It just bothers me that so much of this country's jobs and services are moving overseas. We keep producing less and less in our own country, then we wonder why unemployment is rising and the value of the dollar is dropping. I don't think we should be so dependent on the rest of the world, especially when much of the world isn't too thrilled with us right now (or ever, for some parts).
The other reason this is fresh on mind is I was at Kohl's earlier today because I needed a couple new short-sleeve polo/golf-type shirts. I was just about to pay for the two nice looking, reasonably priced shirts that I found when I noticed some writing below the fabric content: "Made in India".
Those were the two best shirts I had found in the store, but just in case there were other nice shirts with a "Made in the U.S.A." label, I thought I'd be willing to compromise even if it cost a few dollars extra. Instead, I found:
- Made in Cambodia
- Made in China
- Made in Egypt
- Made in Guatemala
- Made in India
- Made in Indonesia
- Made in Jordan
- Made in Lesotho
- Made in Pakistan
- Made in Philippines
- Made in Vietnam
And, did I find a single "Made in the U.S.A." label? No.
I confess, I went ahead and bought the shirts anyway--this time. But, this is something I want to get better about noticing and planning around in the future.
I did feel a little bit better when I bought a six-pack of white crew socks that I also needed. Not only did they say, "Made in the U.S.A." but they were Hanes brand, and Hanes is headquartered right here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thank goodness we have at least one thing we're known for other than cigarettes (and don't get me started on that topic).
If anyone knows of any stores that carry--or even specialize in--products made in the United States, leave me a comment or send me a message on my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/umberhaven).
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