13 years & fired?

Question

OK, 13 years with the same company, and yesterday myself and 2 other people were fired. Cutting back, eliminating jobs was the excuse. I had the most seniority in the office, and yet i was not offered another position, other people with less time are still there working. My husband said it was a money issue - maybe I am the highest paid hourly worker there. Is this fair? How can they do this? I actually LIKED my job

Answer 1

{{hugs}}, Leslie. Payroll is the largest expense a company faces. And unfortunately, when the big wigs want even bigger checks, they cut the employees taking the largest chunk out of payroll.

Your seniority probably also translated into higher hourly pay than anybody else. The goal of most corporations is to get more out of entry-level applicants so the more experienced (and more costly) employees can be let go.

There was a day when job security and happy employees were paramount to business. It's like a fairy tale to hear about the days when companies actually kept employees for 30 years and gave great retirement packages.

I hope you find other employment and make it thru the rough time.

Answer 2

The answer is YES, the company can do this. And quite often, the first people to go are the "older" ones with more experience and time at the company. Why? Because you're on the higher end of the payscale and benefits, so it's more cost-effective to keep the newer and younger workers.

And most likely, you reside in an at-will State, which means an employer can let you go for any reason, so long as it's not an illegal one like discrimination for instance.

Answer 3

Probably this won't be any consolation, but back in Sept '06 me and 11 others had our jobs eliminated, I was there for 13 years, one lady who was let go was there for over 20 years. I still have the official printed "reason" why we were let go: "In today's ever changing environment, for economic times, our industry has been effected [sic] by these variables as well. There has been a flat lining of our industry to shrinkage of demand. This being said [company name] must survive and in doing this must be proactive in dealing with this effect to our industry. [Company] has no alternative at this point but to eliminate your position to compensate for this reaction in our industry..." Talking w/other people, it's safe to say that seniority is NO LONGER respected anywhere. I'm sorry to hear about your situation, I LIKED my job, too, but, time to move on and look ahead, it's a New Year after all.

Answer 4

That is aweful! Unfotunatley this happens to many people. It is called downsizing and i agree with your husband it is all about money...whether they like you or not..they are going to keep the cheapier help around.
Try to take this opportunity to find another part time job and maybe go back to school. You were with a company for 13 years! You should not have a problem getting a new job with that kind of experience..and who knows they might pay you more. Just go get your unemployment going and than look at what options you might have. Good Luck

Answer 5

They can do this - the way they cover their butts is by showing that the position entirely was eliminated, not for age discrimination or anything else. Most often, when a company is cutting back for financial reasons, they start with those making the most money. If they can keep the cheaper employees, they are going to. It's sad, but it's how it happens.

Answer 6

Most jobs these day are "at will", meaning that your employer can fire you without cause, unless it's otherwise state in your employment contract. There are certain categories of protected classes, including sex, gender, race or national origin, ethnicity, religion, and marital status -so they can't fire you because they decided they needed to cut back on the number of people they have employed that are women, hispanics, catholics, single people, etc. But if they're just cutting back in general and you don't a contract providing you any kind of job guarantee, then it's just time to find another job.

Answer 7

i'm so sorry this happened. usually if a company is trying to cut back on expenses they will get rid of the highest paid first to cut the most expenses unless it is a union job and then they have to do it by seniority because of contracts with the union. contact your local unemployment office, they can advise you on what your options are for your specific situation and help you to find a new job.

Answer 8

It's not uncommon for a company to shed people that are at the highest pay level for their position. And unless you're in a union, seniority rarely is a factor.

Answer 9

They Obviously didnt like you or they would have kept you on board. I worked at a job for 5 years and was let go because the New General Manager didn't like me. It was sweet victory when they fired him 4 months later

Answer 10

Have you been continuing to build upon your skills and knowledge during those 13 years? If not, it may mean you were at an disadvantage when these structural decisions were made.

You may feel that it is not fair, but businesses care whether or not it is "legal."