As an individual who recently was unemployed over the summer, had secured a new job, and then had the entire department eliminated around him, leaving people who had devoted 18-20 years of their lives to an organization without a job and me with a job, I understand both sides of the issue here. Approximately 5 weeks ago, without any prior knowledge, suspicion, or gut feeling, our department was informed that the President of the Organization was coming to our weekly departmental meeting. Our department had experienced a significant loss last year this time, and we had just been talking about how we would like the President to come to our meeting and not because of terrible news. Well, we got the opportunity, and then we learned that the department was being eliminated and 8 of my fellow employees, including my Director, were out of a job effective 12/31/08.

I sat in the meeting while the PResident and COO sat down, and neutrally said “We have some bad news. The department is being eliminated because it is losing money. Everyone is out of a job except for (my) program. I am sorry, but you get a month’s severance with health insurance. Any Questions?” And that was it.

I looked around at a fellow supervisor who had been with the organization for 18 years with a blank look on his face, at another worker who had joined the organization the month before I started tearing up, and my Director with her head down.

I sat there with such GUILT that I didn’t know what to say or do. I had just started 2 months ago and to me it would make sense to get rid of me and transfer one of the other supervisor’s over my program. But no. I assume I am the cheapest! Maybe it is because of my skill set, but I assume it is because I am young, cheap to insure and cheap to pay.

I was thankful that I still had a job. I didn’t really want my job, but thankful that I sitll had a job. I was unemployed for almost 3 months over the summer before securing this job and I was driving myself crazy, and in fact started blogging about it then (which John made fun of me for doing). So, I knew I didn’t want to go back to that. But, OMFG, I didn’t want to feel like shit everyday because I still had a job. So, basically, for the last 5 weeks, I have been tiptoeing around the people who lost their job, hoping to not set them off by my employed status and start shooting everybody, and in the end hope that they don’t hire someone to kill me so that they could take my position.

So “Employment Survivor’s Guilt” is a real phenomenon, and this is my experience.

Maybe that is not such a bad thing, it means less competition in the “labor” market. Plumbers, Electricians, Cement finishers, Tile setters, Painters, Welders and the like are all very busy with impossible workloads. ( ever wonder why that contractor never shows up when he is supposed to? ) of coarse these jobs are very taboo to the person who spent yrs acquiring a degree so that he wouldn’t have to stoop to such lows.

The Tradesman has an unseen edge on the economy where, he isn’t necessarily dependent on traditional means of support. ( the word “trade” comes to mind )Example:
A trip to the dentist comes to mind, what would otherwise cost over two thousand dollars for a root canal and crown, costs a professional painter a little more then a day or so painting the dentist’s office in trade ( just an example of coarse ) But then we who toil in the fields for our livelihood couldn’t possibly be that creative… could we?