Unexpected News At Work

After my terrifying trip to the home improvement store this morning, I went back home and got to work. Things were the normal stressful for the most part but I was thankful that I was working.

About halfway through the day, one of my work friends called my cell phone. I thought it was a little strange since we have an instant messaging system that we’d been talking on all morning. She proceeded to tell me that she’d been furloughed. What?! She works in payroll. That’s the last place that I would’ve expected a furlough to happen. We still have a few thousand employees that need to get paid.

She said that she was told there were others so I began to panic a little bit. What did that mean? How many others? We work in healthcare so how can this be happening? What if I was next? I was terrified that my phone was going to ring and I didn’t want to answer it.

All That Worrying

Sure enough. After about 2 hours of worrying, my phone did ring. It wasn’t the same person who had called her so I pulled myself together again and reluctantly answered it. My former manager started out with.. “You may have heard rumors today and you know things are very uncertain right now. Our financial forecast is not looking good. So I’ll say right away…. you’re not part of what happened today.”

I almost starting bawling right then and there partly from the relief and partly because my friend was part of it. But I still have my job! At least for this round. Who knows what’s going to happen next month? I’ll just keep working my hardest and pray for the best.

My friend, my new manager, and six others in our department were laid off. There were a lot more in the building. A lot more. It affected every department and all positions from clerks up to Vice Presidents. I’m so very thankful but still so shaken.