“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” C.S. Lewis
I was shocked and saddened by the number of companies I added to the Memorial Garden (below) during routine blog maintenance today. What has happened to all these former employees? What about their families? Their sanity? Mortgage payments? Health insurance? The extent of pain is hard to fathom.
There are some characteristics that members of The Dead Company Club share. You’ve become involuntarily unemployed. Your pride and self-esteem is bruised, if not battered. Your job search is stressful. You probably don’t have enough money to live worry-free for an indefinite period. And your financial cut-backs are going to hurt others, either directly or indirectly. From the local newspaper publisher to your lawn service to the family that you move in with again, everyone is going to suffer.
Company failures hurt. I don’t want to keep adding to the Memorial Garden. But if your company’s name belongs there, you can find safe haven here.
The Dead Company Club is here for the sole purpose of providing support to anyone whose company has crashed and burned, whether it happened last week or a long time ago.
Leslie Kohler // Apr 8, 2009 at 9:43 am
What’s really scary is how it’s affecting jobs within the education field, particularly at the college level, which is historically been safer from wide range employee cuts. I was a teacher last year and didn’t return, as I wanted to devote more time to writing. I’m now glad I didn’t go back, as my job would have been cut and I’d have lost time building my copywriting business.
Laurie Phillips // Apr 8, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Glad to hear your copywriting business is growing. It’s a great profession once you get it off the ground.
I’ve wondered about schools, suspecting that some may be forced to close because students can’t afford the tuition and tuition doesn’t cover costs any more. I suspect that some private schools in particular – whether K-12 or college – are going to fail. I HOPE this doesn’t happen though.
Justin Brown // Apr 24, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Great site.
But there ARE heaps of companies who are thriving, hiring, keeping staff and shouting about it. POSITIVTY.
All the best,
Justin Brown
http://www.wehaventlaidanyoneoff.com
Laurie Phillips // Apr 28, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I love your site, Justin. It’s the yin to our yang. There’s a blurb about Brick Tower Press who avoided layoffs by publishing books about the meltdown and corporate failures, specifically Lehman, Bear Sterns and AIG. Ironic that someone can make money because a company failed, but hey – someone’s going to write about it, might as well be them. I applaud their success in a very tough market.