Reactions to Loss of Income

Put yourself in their shoes.... no money coming in or slightly less but still having a job and an income. With jobs hard to come by around here, a job with income is better than no job at all for some.

5 moms found this helpful

As a single mom..... I totally agree with the reason behind you saying no to their demands or whatever. But, I do agree ... it would be soooooooooooo much harder for me if I lost my job being single!! If I were married and my husband had a job, YES we would totally struggle I'm sure. But, OMG, if I lost my job now it could ruin me. I have nothing to fall back on. Not even a little other income coming in. I don't know. I guess I see both sides.

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I know first hand what a loss of income can do, and I am also married to a man who has a good job (For now) they are leting a lot of people go from his work as well anyway, A year and a half ago I almost died, I am a daycare provider, I was in the hospital a little over a week in December of 2008, and then again for a little over a week in January in 2009, but I lost all my clients except for one, my grown children kept my daycare going the best they could, but I lost 2800 in monthly income, I have recooped most of it back, but not before I ended of in collections with 3 seperate comapany's, I know it is more desvestating for single moms, but us married's have it hard too when we loose our income. J.

3 moms found this helpful

In this economy, people cannot afford to give up jobs voluntarily.
I know employers are trying every trick in the book to cut back, but try being out of a job with no benefits for about a year.
Times are hard right now and I think people are getting bitter all around. It's not a personal thing. As long as I've been looking for work, with all my qualifications, my friend walked into a very good job, no resume, no weird interview questions. It's within walking distance of her house although she and her husband both drive new cars. He's been at the same job in management fr 8 years and gets paid very well.
She's already ready to quit her job after 8 weeks. They've called her in on her day off because someone else didn't show up and got fired. She's already been given raises and closes the business...a pharmacy...so it's a good job. But she complains every day about it. She'd rather be home because her dogs are chewing the furniture (which they did before she went to to work)
The whole work thing isn't easy for anyone, especially those who have lost their jobs and are trying to find one.
It's a hard time for many people. Show us a degree so we can pay you $8 per hour to run a business.
We do what we have to do, but it's easier to get another job if you already have one so maybe you are looking for one that is more up your alley.
I know things are tough, especially on women who not only work but manage a home and children.

Hang in there. Start looking for something else right away.
Unless you can afford to stay home.

I wish you the best.

3 moms found this helpful

Sounds to me like they gave everyone a chance to help out and cooperate so they wouldn't have to lay anybody off. Not everyone was willing to cooperate and the end result was a layoff. They warned you this could happen.

A lot of people take being laid off as an opportunity to open their own business...maybe you may want to think about this option. This way, you can put your foot down in your own company.

As a former business owner, I know it is not easy when times are tough and employees just don't understand until they are in the employers shoes. So, before you get so upset with your company, try being an employer yourself...it's not easy!

1 mom found this helpful

Thank you!!!! I go through the same thing in my line of work. I am married and I run an in-home daycare. For the last 2 years people have been coming out of the woodwork to tell me and other providers that we should lower our rates because the economy is bad and most providers have husbands. What in the world does my husband having a job have to do with my own value as a person and a provider?

I'm sorry that you are being laid off. But I agree with you. The greedy slobs that are causing most of our financial woes are the people trying to make passive income by investing into companies via the stock market. The stock market was origionally designed to allow companies to find capital for expansion. Now people treat it like the lottery. They expect a big pay off and FAST for little effort on their part. It's more of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In one way or the other the rich have been robbing the poor and using and abusing labor since the beginning of time. Someone does have to stand up for what's right.

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I've seen this happen before, and it has nothing to do with your marital status, it has to do with HOW much you are being paid. What most companies do to avoid layoff of everybody, and have everyone employed is to cut their pay, that way more is distributed among the employees to pay for benefits or other shortfall in their bottom line. If they didn't give an agreement as to how long the cut would be, then it would concern me, but if it was a temporary arrangement to let everyone at least be employed, I could see where a coworker was thinking you were being selfish, and especially when you have another source of income to offset or supplement your cut versus a single mom who may not have another source if they got unemployed or laid off - So it's really about everyone doing their part to put into the pot so that all can be at least with a job.

1 mom found this helpful

I hear that! I need income too and am interviewing for a job against a person who has no husband. I do have a husband, but that doesn't mean we can pay the bills! Hang in there.

It's not fair to say that you won't be affected by the lay off because you have a husband. They do not know your situation and cannot understand how this may affect you. That said, if you look at it from a single persons point of view, this layoff may limit their ability to put food on the table, so they are probably just looking at this from their own point of view.
I'm surprised that your company suggested the pay cuts rather than just institute them. That says to me that they were trying to work with employees by giving you a choice. It's a little bit of hindsight, but I guess I would have taken the paycut and then maybe started looking for another job if I felt that they were going to continue the paycuts. It's much easier to find a job while you're still employed, and there are companies that will not even interview unemployed applicants (I just read this on the CNN Money website).
Times are really tough now, and I'm sorry you're going through this. I'd just let people's comments roll off you, because tensions are running high. Good luck!

I really don't see a difference in losing an income if you are single or married, unless your income is ONLY for extras but that is RARELY the case nowadays.......A family usually bases their expenses on what is comming in, if they are responsible it is based on regular work week pay not overtime pay, so a loss of one income can be just as devastating to a married couple as it is to a single......I am single, 2 kids, lost my job a year ago because we souldn't take anymore concessions......I don't regret standing my ground.....the CEOs need to stop taking away from the worker to keep their costs down and take a cut themselves, it would make the worker less resentful of taking a cut and save the company money at the same time, I don't understand why they think there job is anymore important than the common worker as with either gone the company goes under.........stand your ground, don't give in to anymore demands, tell the singles it is no easier on you than them........they don't know if you are the primary earner in your house (I was when I was married and know several other women that are now or have been in the past)......people are bitter now because of the economy and want to make themselves out to be more of a victim than others so they don't feel guilty about whining, good luck

Because of course, the only people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in are people who stand to lose nothing...

Oh wait, that's the definition of cowardice.

The idea that you would only stand up for what you believe in because someone else assumes you have nothing to lose is rather an insulting one, is it not? Tells far more about the other person than it does about you.

i would first not give hoot what others think. than i would talk to a lawyer i truely believe they can not fire you for not taking a pay cut. plus if thats the way they gonna be maybe its time for a job change .