{"id":2609,"date":"2016-12-15T23:45:21","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T04:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2016-12-15T23:58:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T04:58:00","slug":"after-the-office-christmas-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/2609","title":{"rendered":"After the Office Christmas Party…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You know you’re having a bad day…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other week my cat was talking to his girlfriend, you may remember her, Jazz. \u00a0It appears that Jazz had a note on her desk when she got back to work from lunch the other day (See the picture on the left). \u00a0She was, you could say: distressed.<\/p>\n

After this happened, my cat, Jazz, and I sat down for a cup of coffee, yeah, that’s it: coffee. \u00a0We discussed the events that led up to her being laid off, and she said her boss made a point to make sure it wasn’t anything she had done, it was “just the way it is.” \u00a0During our conversations, it was noted that this is the second time she had been laid off around Christmas. \u00a0After a couple of nervous laughs; we decided to dig into this a little more. \u00a0Was it her? \u00a0Is it common to lay off people around Christmas? \u00a0Why Christmas?<\/p>\n

Jazz said it was a blow to her ego to have it happen to her not just once, but twice. \u00a0The first time she was laid off she felt\u00a0humiliated, upset, and angry. \u00a0Like it or not, she explained, there is a stigma of failure attached to being laid off. \u00a0But you weren’t fired, you were laid off I exclaimed. \u00a0It doesn’t matter, she went on, there is still humiliation and a feeling of…..defeat, of failure.<\/p>\n

Not this time she said. \u00a0Why, my cat asked. \u00a0It was, as she described it, a reminder that we, no matter what we may think; are not in control. \u00a0Having this happen at this time of year only reinforces her belief that bigger things are yet to come, an opportunity for greatness? \u00a0One has to be challenged to grow; and what better challenge then having to reinvent yourself mid-career? Christmas is the time for joy and hope. \u00a0Joy and hope cannot be taken from you, you have to surrender them.<\/p>\n

We got back on track to answer the questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Was it her?<\/em> No, it wasn’t her. \u00a0Her boss assured her of that. \u00a0She said that “you could actually feel his discomfort when he gave the\u00a0group the news, he really is a good guy.” \u00a0They were having a problem with one of their customers and had to cut expenses. \u00a0So most of the group that she belonged to got “rightsized.” \u00a0It was just business; and most understood.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Is it common to lay off people around Christmas?<\/em><\/span> \u00a0We were surprised to find that is relatively “common” for companies that end their year on December 31. \u00a0The two most common months for layoffs<\/a> are December and January. \u00a0Jazz exclaimed to my cat “that really sucks! \u00a0You’re in for either a really slim Christmas or panic on how to pay the Christmas debt! \u00a0Either way; both months suck.”<\/li>\n
  3. Why Christmas<\/em>?<\/span> \u00a0There was a question asked on Quora.com: Why do companies lay off people right before Christmas?<\/a> \u00a0There is an answer by Mr. Aron Solomon. \u00a0He states that it is fiscally sound to trim the fat. \u00a0At the same time, it is foolish to lay off people around their major holidays (In western countries, this would be Christmas). There is never a “good” time to be laid off, it just sucks. \u00a0There are a number of reasons not to conduct lay-offs in December:<\/span>\n