How are the layoff survivors surviving?

Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

So, I don't really know how widespread these company layoffs were, but I know they hit our district HARD. We lost 45 people alone in our store (but that's partially thanks to the geniuses at corporate who decided to build another store 4 mi down the interstate and robbing our store of 40% of our customer base and destroying our business). I digress. Anyways, I didn't know if the layoffs were company wide. How is your store coping if you got hit? I've never seen my fellow associates so frustrated and angry and stressed out. They can't seem to get anything done because one person is now litterally doing the work of 3 people and even though that was the case before the layoffs, now they REALLY have no one to help them out when it's nearing time to go home. Seriously, they laid off almost all the part timers, and now we just have an opener and a closer in the each dept, which means, with the exception of a 2 hour overlap, there is only one person in a dept at any given time, and they have to take lunches too, so the one person in another dept is now having to watch 2 depts. And up front, it's the same thing every single day. "Can you get another person to help out in the such-and-such dept? Can you get someone on the phone for me? No one's answering. Can you page someone here? Someone there? Can you do this? Can you do that?" I didn't want to bring up the layoffs to the customers, but I got so weary listening to the same complaint over and over and over and over again, I just caved in, and one day finally told the customers we just had an extensive layoff and the leftover employees, I was sorry to say, are going as fast as they can, but it never seems like it's fast enough. I mean, they gutted the depts, and don't even get me started on the front end, when there's only one cashier, usually me, at customer service, with 3 lines of people coming at me, and phones ringing off the hook. I mean, I'm grateful for having a job in these tough times with great benefits, but Lowe's can't go on taxing its associates like this. Shocked

Anyways, as I said, I just wanted to get a feel for what's going on at other stores as well. And, no, Skibunny, I haven't lost my temper with anyone and cussed them out, no matter how tempting it has been.

Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 54

Our region hasn't had any layoffs, this is the first I've heard of them. I know of stores in the past whose budgets were lowered, therefore their headcounts were lowered, but that was few and far between, not on any large scale. But I haven't heard anything around these parts. Of course, we are in the 100 days, so it always feels like we are shorthanded.

Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 464

No layoffs at my store but the new store just up the road did, a few months ago, let some people go due to sales being down at that store.

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

Are you sure they were layoffs? Could it have been that these employees were dead weight? When payroll is over at the store level the excess baggage seems to get trimmed. With a layoff Lowe's would have to pay for unemployment benefits, I doubt that they would want to do that ever.

Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

No, they were layoffs. My store let go of 45 people as I said. The 3 closest stores lay off anywhere between 30 and 60 people a piece. While I can't speak for the other stores, I know some people who got laid off at my store who weren't dead weight at all. While I'm sure a few got the pink slip because they were useless, a zone manager said corporate merely chose to terminate the newest associates. When I actually did see a list of all the terminated employees (because the admin manager got careless and nonchalantly left it on his desk), I did discover that, indeed, a good bit of people who got canned had only been there a few months, including some full timers. What confuses me about the "seasonal employee" aspect per se was these employees had been hired well before the spring season began. I don't know. All I know is the all the local stores just showed a bunch of people the door.

Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 54

the seasonal employees status is more like a temporary employee. Some eventually get hired on as part or full time, but most don't. The position is to add some flexibility in maintaining a workforce that grows and shrinks according to economic factors, like Christmas and the 100 Days. Most retailers have similar positions, they are just called different names.

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

Expanding on Tao's wonderful explanation. Seasonal employees do not have to be given write ups to be let go. These people are not usually placed onto unemployment. In order to qualify for unemployment the employee must work a certain number of days or weeks before eligible. I'm betting that the majority of these "laid off" employees are not eligible for unemployment. I'd also bet that they were let go just before they became eligible for those benefits.

Also, employees within their first 90 days can be let go for absolutely no reason. That time is considered the "probationary" period.

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

We just got a bunch at our store. Easy to tell because when you walk up to them as a customer they look like a deer staring in the headlights of your car at night. Makes me think back....was I really that green when I started?

Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 54

LOL, I know I was!

Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 2801

The store I am at has not "laidoff" but we are down about 18 people from same time last year, They just never hired up to same staff we had last year....And we are short handed. Oh well, Do what ya can and GO HOME. If it doesn't get done THOUGH SHIT. Surprised

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