The effects of employment

From: Brian Chase <vaxzilla_at_jarai.org>
Date: Wed Dec 11 21:22:00 2002

On Wed, 11 Dec 2002, Jeffrey Sharp wrote:

> I'm extremely saddened to hear about Megan's and Ethan's layoffs. Though my
> unemployment is ending, I really haven't had a stable, decent-paying job
> since July of last year. Trust me, I know how you feel, and I know it
> doesn't feel good.
>
> But why would companies pick the holidays of all times to lay people off? It
> doesn't make sense. This is the time of year I would guess people spend the
> most money. Why rid people of this resource at the time they need it most?
> It's just so cruel.

Not that I'm attributing any notions of generosity to companies, but
they could certainly have picked a worse time for layoffs. Although
early December can psychologically be a horrible time to be out of job,
imagine if you were laid off in January after you'd just blown a lot of
money on the holidays? There is some consolation to be had in knowing
that you can save some money by scaling back a bit. It still sucks,
but you can at least avoid a little debt.

The timing certainly has more to do with fiscal quarters and the end of
the fiscal year.

-brian.
Received on Wed Dec 11 2002 - 21:22:00 GMT