Anyone been put on short time, part week?
Anyone 'at risk' of redundancy?
Anyone working for an expanding business right now and wondering what the fuss is about?
I saw those poor old Honda workers who won't work again for 4 months! On the face of it, sounds like a nice holiday, BUT, I can't see the
plant ever opening up again! 
In my line of business, I find that unless companies have very committed budget associated with projects, they are deferring any CAPEX spend. It
frightens the sh*t out of me!
well were i am only do 3 day week anyway,(due to the wtd 48 hours max) so they cant put us on shorter time,
but i work for a water co, driving tanker so as long as people keep err u know going and flushing i think were ok.
Prospects good at present but the cut in projects and investment will start to hit soon.
I work in telecoms, companies have stopped buying new networks so will sweat what they have, this will also include PC's servers etc.
Well I found out yesterday that we are to have heads cut again for the second time in 6 months. Great just great telecoms is screwed though so I just hope i'm 1 of the lucky ones again.
Our company is about to grow massivly, winning tons of 3 and 10 year contracts at the mo.
Only way I'm feeling it is the CEO is reigning in head of department spending power as a bit of knee jerk, but it'll settle soon enough. And
being a bit nervous about salary rise negotiations in spring - I'm thinking I might defer a payrise so I can get some expensive training I'm
after.
Feel for those under the cosh right now though
I got fired (time off was in probation was excuse) 4 more got 2 weeks later. Doctors reckons I'm daft looking again till get hands fixed so
I'm lucky enough.
My mate wit similar experiance got paid off due to lack of work can't find anything says job center is full everyday with people looking.
Everyone else I know is either worried, hours cut, redundant or facing it.
Tbh up in Aberdeen there seems to be plenty of work, I'm still getting called up by agency’s, my company's work force is expanding so fast
our I.T departments having a real hard time keeping everything going and from what I hear from friends and family their companies are doing just as
well.
The new housing estate behind me (400+ homes) is being moved in just as fast as the houses are being built. Not noticing any recession at all, apart
from car prices being very low and fuel prices being back to what they were last year. My mortgage was recently reduced to as low as it was 4 years
ago, infact I called them up as I thought they made a mistake 
turned out is was right. Bought a huge r/c plane kit with the savings 
Things are just dandy here
Phones gone dead.
It's an in between time for me, not that cold and defo not hot (industrial heating and air conditioning).
Many factories have put installs on hold and deffered maintenance. Production lines not running, so no chiller / process burner work.
I never realised how many of our customers are related to the car or building industry.
Thank f*ck it's Friday
quote:
Originally posted by mark chandler
Prospects good at present but the cut in projects and investment will start to hit soon.
I work in telecoms, companies have stopped buying new networks so will sweat what they have, this will also include PC's servers etc.
All fine where I am - we are winning lots of long term contracts and there's a good chance the government will spend more due the downturn.
The NHS is run on a skeleton crew and has been for years so no redundacies possible.
What the government has decided instead is to enforce even more targets and make current targets very difficult to achieve. Not enough people to fire
anybody, so make every person work harder!
We've just been bought by a major mobile manufacturer. Lots of rumors, but no news yet.
Should be ok, but I wouldn't want to be in marketing right now.
Position made redundant just before christmas
After 10 years working for the same company. The Job center is a waste of space. The first time ever been in one, to be met by 2 security guards and
have the person in front of me drop syringes on the floor 
wtf. i asked about retraining - no chance not unless i am a crim!! (nice to know
after paying taxes for the last ten years i am now worse of than a scum bag) the only training i would qualify for would be after 13 weeks - a course
on writing letters and cv's.
anyway got to look on the brightside at least now i get to have a sleep in every morning and can grow a beard to annoy the missus. oh and i get £55
per week from DWP to spend on beer
quote:
Originally posted by kitcar007kev
Position made redundant just before christmas
After 10 years working for the same company. The Job center is a waste of space. The first time ever been in one, to be met by 2 security guards and have the person in front of me drop syringes on the floor
anyway got to look on the brightside at least now i get to have a sleep in every morning and can grow a beard to annoy the missus. oh and i get £55 per week from DWP to spend on beer
Business has definitely slowed down - probably by 20% or so. We manufacture custom computer peripherals, mainly keyboards. Our target growth area
for 2009/10 is the healthcare industry, but it's very frustrating dealing with the NHS to say the least - very little in the way of commercial
ability IMHO.
Speaking to friends and family everyone has seen a drop in business of one sort or another. Most seem very disenchanted with the media hype that
fuels the whole roadshow too 
Sweet as for me.
Our firm laid off 200 in the Middle East, where construction has ground to a halt on most projects, but my office is still hunting for engineers.
We have just taken on another 4 full time staff (Planning and Procurement) and have had to turn jobs down due to our current workload.
I even got a payrise just before Christmas.
Sean
Had thought about HGV licence - Ice Road Truckers here i come. Then again i have probably been watching to much telly.
No worries on the job front, being a teacher, but my Head of Year role is changing massively to make money available elsewhere. About to have sprog
number 2 so will be facing a household income hit just at the wrong time. Should be able to weather the storm.
i walked out of my job just as the recession started,no prospects at the mo.
re bus driving,i asked about that,plenty taking tests but no one recruiting.
ill give it another 6 months then move in with my girlie in poland at this rate
we've had a quiet spot over christmas but apparently its coming back on strong after heavy advertising. Theres been pay cuts, 5% off additional
invoices and some people have had 5% off basic, but i avoided that bit. Not too bothered to be honest, we'll manage, and its only a few years.
Unless some twat goes mental with the interest rates, but then i think most people would be in trouble!
Speaking of interest rates, i hold the bank of england 33% responsible for this mess, for their incompetant and mistimed rate change decisions.
Redundancies at our place, but not me fortunately. They're closing the factory and moving the work abroad. The last place I worked has laid loads of people off too.
I was made redundant from a US company in July. They are about 6 months ahead of UK recession wise! Found a new job fairly quickly then made redundant 2 weeks ago. Been looking but not much around in Data Storage or IT in general plus I am finding it more competitive. ie. Too many people chasing too few jobs.
Im on the rock and roll at the mo this is my second weeks there's naff all out there go to job interviews but looks like i have come to that time
where i seem to be over qualified and the pitance that im prepared to take and still no job
never mind so to be self employed
I blame the current financial crisis on ALL the financial types out there lending money to people who simply couldn't afford it.
You only have to look at the total bombardment of offers to borrow money all coming via the post, on TV, and by Email.
Getting credit and loans has just been too damn easy.
Why did they let these people have these loans?... Simply to increase their bonuses and company profits.
Basically its all down to a LOT of GREEDY people, and they have almost screwed up the whole world!
Just my 2 reils worth.
I work for Corus.............for the time being at least........Need I say more
quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
I blame the current financial crisis on ALL the financial types out there lending money to people who simply couldn't afford it.
You only have to look at the total bombardment of offers to borrow money all coming via the post, on TV, and by Email.
Getting credit and loans has just been too damn easy.
Why did they let these people have these loans?... Simply to increase their bonuses and company profits.
Basically its all down to a LOT of GREEDY people, and they have almost screwed up the whole world!
Just my 2 reils worth.
I am currently working for my Dad in his company suppling Laboratory Equipment.
Most of our customers are the NHS, government agencies,universities and pharmaceutical/food companies so we are still getting orders.
That said we had been hit with the currency rates, alot of equipment comes from Spain and Switzerland so its costing a lot more.
We have noticed that our repairing and supplying more second hand equipment has increased as people want to save money.
I was made redundant at the end of March last year...i still have'nt been able to find anything to suit....and it doesnt look like its getting
any better.
As has been said, the jobcentre is wee poor.....you only get the money for 6 months anyway, i cant claim on income based because my wife works too
much....20 hours.
I work for an IT consultancy (Im a SQL Server performance specialist) we got told yesterday they are making people redundant dont know how many but
got the criteria through today will know by thursday if i have a job or not bad times
quote:
Originally posted by kitcar007kev
Position made redundant just before christmas
After 10 years working for the same company. The Job center is a waste of space. The first time ever been in one, to be met by 2 security guards and have the person in front of me drop syringes on the floor
anyway got to look on the brightside at least now i get to have a sleep in every morning and can grow a beard to annoy the missus. oh and i get £55 per week from DWP to spend on beer
Where I work is just starting to slow down - several long-term contracts have been put on hold till further notice
And we have just built a shiny new workshop for the main production
I'm not too worried at the mo - but the total overtime ban is going to hit me very hard soon (after months of unlimited overtime and more work
than I can handle)
quote:
Why did they let these people have these loans?... Simply to increase their bonuses and company profits. Basically its all down to a LOT of GREEDY people, and they have almost screwed up the whole world!
I guess I'm quite lucky at the moment that the line of work I'm in is Government funded. Company is starting a new contract on 1st July for
a minimum of five years which will hopefully see me through this recession.
Phil
I work for Nissan, not allowed to say much more
My place just announced a merger, with completion forecast in 3-6 months time. There will be some redundancies, but we don't have a clue who will be affected just yet.
I worked for Atlas caravans in Hull which went into receivership the week before xmass, i was extremely lucky to get another job within the hour.
Hopefully Atlas will be bought up and i might get my old job back.
I work in motorsport. Back at work on monday after a long holiday (paid luckily). Will find out everything then.
Luckily we dont compete high enough to directly rely on large motor companies but a high enough level that the money is there and people arnt just
racing for fun, its a career for all of us.
I kept checking the motorsport news when I was on holiday, so far 2 out of 4 drivers. My boss has been away though and isnt too worried about press
releases so im not too worried.
well, i thought i was fine as i have been in the engineering office at our work the longest so wouldnt be on any list if one was to come about for
staff layoffs. And where i work it always goes quite at xmas but we had a great output at the start of 2008 so what has happened now is harder to get
use too. We make the 'bodies' like box vans, tippers and dropsides for all the main manufacturers like ford, renualt, LDV and so one. But it
went so quite before xmas they reduced the shop floors hours to 32 and had 1 week layoffs for shop floor.
I thought that was it but we came back from xmas and 13 (lucky?) shop floor were made redundant, 32 hour weeks until further notice and 1 week layoff
for shop floor again. With fords forcast showing nothing for 10 weeks (%40+ of our income) it doesnt look good. I am amazed no staff have gone yet
tho.
So from being smug before xmas i am holding back spending £700 on a mountain bike just incase it all ends sharpish. Bosses seem ok to spend money on
new machines still so it might not be as bad as we all assume (we dont get told anything from them) and my missus is a mabile hair stylist and has
plenty of work and doesnt seem to be effected at all so if it ends in tears for me then atleast we can still pay the bills.
I work for a structural engineers and we are quite busy, in fact we have took on a new person in November.
i work for a house builder, just halfed the staff today.
Ive been told that i will be there to the end if i want, but how long can we keep going if the banks wont lend the housing associations money to build
the social housing?
Private finance inicitive ... what a load of B>>>>>ks.
the situation is looking gloomy. My mate who works in another sector of the construction industry is also not doing well either, they are laying off
staff to.
keeping my head down and praying
ditch
Wow! Judging by the responses, its not a pretty picture overall!
I'm old enough to have sold my first property in the early 90's for £40k which was £8k less than I bought it for!
I pretty certain that we are in for bad times from an employment perspective but at least interest rates aren't at 10%+ That was what killed me
last time out! However, it could be a mute point if I get the 'bullet' as I can't pay for a mortgage if I don't have any revenue
coming in!
Pretty much everyone I know who works in the architectural field in the NW and who isn't a qualified architect or somewhere along that route
(jobs for the boys it would seem....) has been made redundant - including me..... I was incredibly lucky to get another job in about 4 weeks but a
good few of my mates are in fairly serious trouble with seemingly little chance of getting another job (of any type) at the moment. I got a job as a
design engineer with an architectural solar shading supplier and to be honest we're so busy we're almost turning work away so it all makes
little sense to be honest
I just got a pay rise 
OK, so it's less than 1%, but it's much better than a P45.
Our lot seem to be making confident noises. We contract to mainly theme parks, some of whom are budgeting for 10% more visitors than last year due to
people not going abroad on holidays. I'm not 100% convinced personally. From our side, capital spending is being reduced to a bare minimum,
basically any new project has to pay for itself in a year at the moment, whereas normally it'd get approved on a 3 year payback.
Originally posted by kitcar007kev:
Position made redundant just before christmas
After 10 years working for the same company. The Job center is a waste of space. The first time ever been in one, to be met by 2 security guards and
have the person in front of me drop syringes on the floor wtf. i asked about retraining - no chance not unless i am a crim!! (nice to know
after paying taxes for the last ten years i am now worse of than a scum bag) the only training i would qualify for would be after 13 weeks - a course
on writing letters and cv's.
My response:
WOW!!!! This is exactly my situation, except that I've just got to the training course offering. I love the security guards though, a real
fantastic atmosphere, but yes, there is NO assistance - period. After my 10 years of taxes, I was hoping for some help, it's incredible, none.
Many overseas applications now out there, given the UK situation in manufacturing/industry isn't good....