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      CommentAuthormick
    • CommentTimeNov 14th 2008
     
    a few of us have already faced redundancies, and nearly everyone's a bit nervous.

    i mentioned people around my area beginning to undercut each other. i just heard yesterday about rivalry inside the workplace, jockeying to be the one that doesn't get laid off, if the day comes.

    i'm seeing a bit of it myself (not graf-related).

    people are going from being companiable workmates to competitive and secretive strategies.

    i have seen one group completely revamp their focus from lush and full service to spare and simple. they're really successful so far. not only are they getting work from businesses that want to project a no-nonsense look, but they're getting contracts from businesses that find they just can't afford that big splash for a big project.

    is lean and mean the new black?
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    i have a friend whose employer told 7 people (friend's gf one of them) that 3 of the 7 would be laid off an they would all be 'monitored' over the last month to see which 3. (its a small office and 3 represents about 20% of the total

    what bullshit is that?

    each of the seven agreed in private to be non competitive, and thats how it started but survival instinct kicks in and they were at each others throats by month end

    if the management don't think you are up to it in tight times by the work you've done of the previous x years why would 1 month make a difference. sad sad times

    in the end my friend's gf kept her job but only because they each agreed to take a paycut. the other 6 all bought it :(
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      CommentAuthorblueshead
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008
     
    It's also over with here.. The building boom after Hurricane Katrina has ended. And with the way housing is..A lot of carpenters are hurting. I'm lucky because we have a good client list. And I do some custom orders..
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      CommentAuthormick
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008
     
    a lot of places that have a reasonable amount of work are in big trouble because of uncollectable accounts receivable.

    there's trickle-down economics at work. *sigh*

    i do see that people who are offering services people think they need are doing ok for the most part, but getting parts is becoming an issue for auto repair shops. roofers are having trouble getting materials here, especially the people who specialize in metal roofs (mandatory in some high fire danger areas), and etc.

    because i live in a rural area with a lot of interdependence built into our social fabric, i've not had trouble getting the small supplies i need, but more urban settings are having trouble because the transporration system and the people that make it happen are in a financial pit.
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      CommentAuthorflak
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008
     
    They tell you to specialize, but that really makes it more difficult to break into a tight field in a poor economy.

    Some places don't even call you back - good economy or bad, that still irritates me.
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      CommentAuthormick
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
     
    :) that's because they've let go all but one person in THAT department.

    specializing is still good, flak. i guess it's that a person needs multiple specialties to be attractive. ideally the workforce is made up of hungry savants who can be plugged in to any slot. grist for the mill.

    x
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      CommentAuthorflak
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
     
    You're right - multiple specialties are probably a good thing.
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    yeah last week it finally hit here - 2 of the 8 designers will be finished by year's end. very unsettling. and industry out here as a whole looks like several shops are closing up by year's end too. :(
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      CommentAuthormick
    • CommentTimeNov 19th 2008
     
    sorry to hear, lafemi. yeah whole shops are closing.

    printshops.. there were 7 within reasonable driving distance of me. now there's 3, and one of those doesn't do anything bigger than legal pad size paper.

    i just read that the home foreclosures for October in the Detroit area were listed ... 173 newspaper pages. since the wobbles started in the US, i figure the rest of the world is a few steps behind. Detroit might be a special case (started out very depressed anyway), but... all the bailouts and reforms aren't going to help the little people.

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