My position is being eliminated- WWYD

Bblund · March 2012

Hi,

Im currently out on leave but returning next month. I have a 2 year old and a 5 month old. I work for city government and found out my position will be eliminated due to budget cuts starting July 1st. I have two options, to bump someone else and take their position OR to take the layoff and stay home and collect unemployment and take care of my girls. I've been preparing myself mentally to going back to work and now I'm thinking maybe this layoff is a blessing in disguise? I could stay home and take care of my precious girls. I have loved staying home, I saved up money in order to take the time off.

When my first daughter was born, my husband, an architect, got laid off too and we decided he'd stay home. He was off work for a year before he went back to work.

I make the most money and carry the benefits but my husband can carry the benefits too. We would be paying $1400 a month for a nanny and I think unemployment is $420 a week here. My monthly income would go down 73% but I would be staying home with my girls.

Financially, it would be a very tight budget but we could still make it. What would you do, given the same options? Sorry for the long post.

mairanellis · March 2012

Don't you have to be actively seeking work to collect unemployment? I would prefer keeping my job, than job-searching while staying at home with two little ones.

racampbell1 · March 2012

Personally, I would go back to work... but that's me - I found that I went a bit stir crazy when I was on leave, and even working a 3 day a week schedule (which I did until DD was a year old) was not enough for me. The other consideration for me is that my field changes very quickly, and time away can make it really really difficult to come back. It's a very personal decision, if YOU are happy staying home and you can afford it without compromising your family's financial well-being, then go for it! You might also post on the SAHM board, I'm sure there are moms there that made this transition and they might have good advice re budgeting, etc. that you may not have thought about. GL!

Jaylea · March 2012

You're forgetting that you have to be seeking work while receiving unemployment. While requirements differ by state, there are requirements.

I was laid off July 2nd of this year, shortly after I returned from ML. While I would have loved to stay home with my kids, my conscience wouldn't let me lie and collect UI while I was going to playdates.

Bblund · March 2012

Giving that hundreds of cities will be letting go people due to the same budget cuts, i doubt i'll find a job right away. This economy is so crappy right now. But I appreciate your responses and will post to the SAH board.

TheNewMrsCfont · March 2012

The company I worked for was purchased when my son was 5 months old. I was given the opportunity to work remotely for a transition period (2 years contract work) or take a severence package. We decided I would leave the job and stay home until further notice (which ended up being about 15 months). I loved it and sometimes feel sad that I won't be able to give DS#2 the same 1:1 attention I could give to DS#1 during that time. If I were in that situation again I wouldn't change a thing. Our budget was very tight too as my DH was just finishing school. The only caveat is that you need to be ok with the fact that when you are ready to go back to work a job might not be easily obtained. You never know what the job market will look like in a year or so.

As far as unemployment goes- it varies state by state. I would look up what needs to be done to qualify on your state's dept of labor website.

expectingnothing · March 2012

Bblund:
We would be paying $1400 a month for a nanny and I think unemployment is $420 a week here. My monthly income would go down 73% but I would be staying home with my girls.

I would not walk away from a job making $72k per year to claim unemployment while not job searching. I was laid off and did claim unemployment for a while... then we moved and I became a SAHM. When I wanted to go back to work, it didn't just happen overnight. It was months of submitting resumes until I even got one interview.

RyanandManda · March 2012

I've been where you are... sort of...

I was laid off 10 days after giving birth to DD. My position was eliminated as well and, shortly after they let me go, they had to shut down anyway so it was unavoidable, really. I've been searching diligently for a job in my field ever since then (heck, I even started the job search while I was still working because I had a gut feeling that things were not going as well as I was told they were). I've been collecting unemployment for the duration as I've been looking for work.

I'm a counselor and have been in social services for years. Those are the areas where budgets are being cut right now and there are plenty of people who are more experienced and/or bilingual that are looking for jobs so I can't even get an interview right now. I was the primary breadwinner so we NEED for me to work, even with unemployment benefits. Also, I'm pretty miserable staying home, to be completely honest. DH loves his job, even on notsogreat days and I'm so jealous that he gets a 20 minute commute to himself and then gets to eat when he's hungry, drink when he's thirsty, and pees alone all day... silly little things but it gets to me when I'm really tired or DD is being especially... special...

Could you see if the person in the position you'd be "bumping" would be willing to do a part time job share?? You could have the best of both worlds, working part time perhaps? Just a thought.

In this job market, I wouldn't give up financial security and benefits for "I'll get a job a year from now" because I've been HONESTLY AND SERIOUSLY SEARCHING FOR WORK for 16 months. Had to take a very PT retail job and substitute teach to make ends meet...not my best career moves but we have to survive...

JLS0320 · March 2012

I will be laid off at the end of the month, I found out the day I came back from maternity leave. I would totally bump someone out if it meant I had a job. I have to work, even though being home with my boys sounds nice, unemployment will not pay our bills and I would have to job hunt while home.

ASmallWonder · March 2012

SAH is fine. Being laid off and making due is fine. But honestly, taking a layoff with the assumption you can find a job whenever you want is not fine because lots of people are looking and it's just not that easy. I was laid off last year in January and I luckily did find a job that started in March but let me tell you, finding that job was a PITA. Phone screens that you try to time around a napping infant is like Russian roulette and then finding childcare with a day's notice for an onsite interview (and those could come up often) is also a giant PITA.

SecondTimeinMSU · March 2012

Bblund:
Giving that hundreds of cities will be letting go people due to the same budget cuts, i doubt i'll find a job right away. This economy is so crappy right now. But I appreciate your responses and will post to the SAH board.

Your second post confused me. So are they offering you a different but somewhat comparable position? If they are then I probably would take it. Staying home on unemployment would be a short term solution and you would be better in the long run to keep your foot in the door keeping employed with the city. DH has been trying to get a job with the state for years....as you said it is tough to get in and a gap in your resume would make it even tougher. That being said there are plenty of SAHM's that return to the workforce and I am by no means not saying it is a bad thing to SAHM but it is a trade off you have to consider. I relate this to my own situation that once we have two kids I'll be barely making that much more than daycare but I find paying for two kids will only be a short term thing and it will be better to keep my current job and wait it out rather than quit and having to find employment in the future since I know in my field I would most likely have to take a lower paying job.

jenn_darrin1515 · March 2012

If in a years time, if you would be looking for a similar job with similar salary requirements I would bump the person now and keep a job...b/c like others have said the job market these days is tough...

if you would be looking to change things up and try a new direction career-wise (and likely be willing to take a pay cut) I'd take the layoff...

I would definitly see if the other person would be willing to job share - that may be a fanstastic compromise for you! GL!

Luckie519 · March 2012

I would bump the person and keep your job. In this economy, I don't think it would be smart to give it up. My sister has been unemployed for 18 months and my mom was unemployed for over a year and just found a job a month or two ago.

Also, I agree with other posters. In order to collect unemployment, you have to be actively looking for a job.

rodiesmum · March 2012

keep my job to stay financially sane (we may be able to live in a tigjht budget but im kind of paranoid about not having enough for emergency needs), or stay home while finding anew job.

OUKap · March 2012

You can't collect unemployment if you are not looking for a job. Looking for a job with a baby is tough. When my husband was lad off we kept her in daycare so he could take calls during the day.

I couldn't do something unethical like that. I would also go crazy at home.

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