A few weeks ago my co-worker was let go. My firm took great pains to ensure that I knew that it was a performance based decision as opposed to an economic one. And that my position was secure. That they fully intended to replace co-worker.
Today a secretary was laid off. The reason: the firm has decided not to replace co-worker after all. So we are (were) overstaffed. It was a business decision--an economic one. Quite a different tale than the one I heard a few weeks ago. But again my firm took great pains to assure me that my position is secure.
So I am the low (wo)man on the totem pole, and it now looks like it will be that way for a while. This doesn't exactly give me warm fuzzies--even though my bosses were highly complimentary of me after both incidents.
On the one hand, I anticipate that I would be the next one out the door if the economy worsens. And I don't know if I would see it coming, because I'm pretty sure the last two didn't (although I definitely noticed enough buzzing in the office both times around to know something was up).
On the other hand, I've been busy since my co-worker left. I am the only full-time associate supporting 5 partners. I think they'd be in trouble without an associate. But it also means that I get all the crap jobs that the partners don't want to do, and that would typically be handed to a lower-level associate. I'm just not sure how I feel about this scenario. My firm is top-heavy and I don't know if there is enough room left for me to grow.
I guess I have some thinking to do, although I don't know that it even matters in this economy.
2 comments:
That's a totally stressful - it's like that here too except, ironically, it's both the top paid and lowest paid people that are stressed about the budget because we work for a non-profit that gets funded in part by the State. So, they look to get the biggest bang for their buck.
Ugh, that blows. There is nothing that stresses me out worse than job insecurity. :(
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