If you receive a layoff notification due to budget cuts, you may want to consider getting back into the workforce -- on campus, that is.

At UC Davis, the re-employment process can begin as soon as an employee receives a layoff notice, said Dede Wehman, a human resources analyst for layoff services. The first step is to call her at (530) 754-7726.

Wehman says that the layoff process should not reflect on one's job performance or work ethic. The current budgetary circumstance is a difficult reality.

"People understandably have a hard time not taking it personally. We're here to help them work through these kinds of issues and find new jobs," she said.

Of the 53 UC Davis employees who have received layoff notices since July 1, 12 of them have been rehired in new jobs on campus, according to Wehman.

Only 10 of the 53 layoff-targeted employees opted in favor of a severance package instead of exercising their preferential rehire rights, she said. Three employees elected a reduced severance option, which offers preferential rehire consideration. This number excludes employees at the medical center.

In the 2002-03 academic year, Wehman said, 35 campus employees received layoff notices, with nine being rehired and another eight transferring to another position. There are nearly 14,000 staff employees, including management, on campus.

It helps to prepare for the new job hunt sooner than later. Wehman said that out of 16 employees rehired since July 1, six employees landed their new jobs prior to their layoff date, seven of them afterwards, and two were rehired from the UC Davis Health System layoff list. Another person accepted a job offer before the layoff was officially authorized.

Expanded focus

Another program that assists employees on layoff status is the Special Transfer Opportunity Program, which allows departments to fill positions within their areas that have not yet been designated for open recruitment. These jobs may be filled through the internal, voluntary transfer of staff employees who have been identified for layoff. Three such employees found jobs this way since July 1 and eight did so during 2002-03.

Irene Horgan-Thompson, director of compensation, benefits and employment/outreach, said the campus has developed a more comprehensive approach to layoffs and rehiring since the last round of campus cutbacks in the early 1990s.

"We want to make sure people know their options," she said. "Now, the employee can better take advantage of services and resources in career counseling, benefits, affirmative action, employee and labor relations, staff development and professional services, and academic and staff assistance."

Client feedback, Horgan-Thompson says, has helped improve and expand the university's rehire program.

"We're responsive to what people say works and doesn't work. If you've ever lost your job, you know about the stress that comes with it. We hope to ease some of that stress while helping people make valuable career inroads," she said.

Laurie Loving was hired in January 2000 into her prior position at the Student Disability Center, where she worked for the next three and-a-half years. This summer she found out her job would be eliminated.

"At first my emotions ran to hurt, anger and betrayal," said Loving. "Luckily, I very much like my prior supervisor and knew not to take it personally, as it was a workload issue. For awhile I felt excited about new possibilities such as expanding my massage practice, but after juggling the numbers, did not think it would work out financially."

As her final day approached and she had no job in sight, Loving felt anxious.

"Then I got a call and offer from the law school just 30 minutes prior to my department farewell party," said Loving. "My reaction was huge relief that I could walk into the party with a new job, instead of with tears all over my face."

She's now a clinical and trial practice administrator at King Hall School of Law. And she applauds the help along the way. "I appreciated working with a career counselor on my resumes, and the workshops were helpful and gave me the opportunity to meet other employees in the same boat."

Loving added, "All in all, my layoff was a positive experience for me."

Early notification urged

Eleanor Sandoval, employment outreach manager for human resources, said it's important that units and managers contact human resources as early as possible if a layoff possibility arises. Technically, the university must notify employees 30 to 60 days prior to the layoff date depending on the contract or policy by which they are covered.

"We need as much time as possible to help them find available jobs and not have a break in their university service record," Sandoval said. "The less notice we have the more everyone has to scramble, and this is the worst possible scenario for the employee involved."

Debbie Aldridge had worked as a photographer on campus for 24 years when she found out this past spring that she'd be among several employees at Mediaworks getting pink slips. She had a few months to work through the rehiring program.

"It's a gut-wrenching feeling to have someone tell you you're no longer needed," Aldridge said, "like being sucker punched. When I found out that I was the first to go because of seniority, not productivity, it was a hard pill to swallow."

Aldridge eventually found a position in Public Communications - and without a break in service. "It's the ying and yang of it all. I believe because of my ability and reputation, my new opportunity opened up, yet at the same time I had no control over what was happening to me."

Still, it's hard to leave so many years and memories behind. "It's an emotional time -- re-evaluating one's life, figuring out what to do and where to go if not at the university." She describes herself as "overjoyed" and "relieved," as well as "overwhelmed" at the welcome from her new department.

Aldridge's transition was challenging for her and her family. Her husband had been furloughed from the airlines two years ago and was out of a job for 10 months, so they'd just gotten some stability and then Aldridge got her notification. Then, her husband received another layoff notice, this time for his state job, and he had to begin another job search.

While Aldridge credits the university's layoff services and the "knowledgeable people" who helped her through the process, it was "nerve wracking having to think about it all," she noted. It had been years since she'd tweaked her resume or updated her portfolio.

For Aldridge, the experience "reinforced that nothing is for sure and nothing should be taken for granted."

Paul Grant, a programmer at Information and Educational Technology for 22 years, did not expect his layoff notice last April. His final day was slated to be June 30. "I was devastated," Grant said. "I didn't know this was coming and didn't think I had to worry about it after decades of service."

Grant said the layoff experience was "quite trying for me and my wife." However, he said he received support from his family, co-workers, supervisor and friends.

As it turned out, Grant was rehired for a one-year programmer position in the School of Veterinary Medicine. He describes himself as "delighted and looking forward to new challenges," though he has some misgivings about the process and feels that networking was the key factor in finding another job.

Grant said his former department is paying for the week of training classes he'll attend in January.

Charles McDonald, who had worked on campus since 1991, found a new job in the Material Management Office after facing a layoff in his Mediaworks managerial position. It was not an easy quest.

"I was delighted to realize that I would no longer need to face the stress of searching the HR Employment Bulletin," McDonald said, "submitting endless university application packages, nor in the future need to implement any more personal recovery plans associated with negative feedback from those initial department rejections and interview committee questions."

These feelings are not atypical for someone involved in a layoff, says Horgan-Thompson. One of the hardest issues for employees in the rehiring program is getting rejections for open jobs on campus. "Units and managers have a multitude of reasons for accepting and not accepting candidates, and it's difficult sometimes for an applicant to be confronted with this scenario when they've been successful in another position for a long time," she said.

Offering options

Horgan-Thompson noted that the university has made available new retraining funds during the past couple years. The Staff Employee Support Fund program provides training funds to reimburse departments in supporting the specialized training needed to re-employ campus staff identified for early preference for layoff or those who have actually been laid off to enable them to re-enter the workforce.

And while layoffs may not be voluntary, the university's program for employee time reductions is voluntary, thus providing staffers a way to cut back on their hours while maintaining their job and benefits. And it gives the institution a chance to save some funds on salaries during this latest round of fiscal budget-crunching.

As of Dec. 16, 154 employees at UC Davis have been approved for the Staff and Academic Reduction in Time (START) program offered throughout the UC system, according to Robert Murta, executive director for human resources.

While layoffs can breed some negative emotions, the university's approach is more human-oriented than layoff procedures at many private-sector organizations, Wehman said.

Just over a year ago her husband was working for an air freight company in Sacramento when he found out on a Friday that he wouldn't have a job on Monday. And the company had no rehiring policies, career counseling services or severance packages.

"The news was devastating, more so of course, for my husband," said Wehman. You go through all the emotions associated with loss. Then we began to look at the situation as an opportunity. As it turns out, he made a career change altogether that has turned out to be the best move for him, as well as our family."

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What to do in case you’re notified

Campus human resources officials say that an employee who receives a layoff notice should take the following steps:

• Contact the university's layoff consultant, Dede Wehman, at (530) 754-7726. She informs employees of their preferential rehire and recall rights and informs them about layoff services. The campus makes available a substantial folder and brochure with job contacts and other resources. The university also distributes employment information about organizations outside the UC system, such as state, county and local agencies.
• Decide on the severance election. Employees must make their severance election within 14 days after receiving a layoff notice if they are covered by the RX, TX, and CX collective bargaining agreements or the Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM). The severance election form is attached to the layoff notice.
• Attend the employee assistance workshop. These sessions are held on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, from 9:30-11 a.m. in the Human Resources Administration building. No appointment is necessary.
• Make appointments with a career counselor and the benefits office. Contact the counselor's office at (530) 752-1766 and the benefits office at 752-1774.

Employees are encouraged to sign up for confidential consultations in the Academic and Staff Assistance Program, (530) 752-2727; for short-term employment through Temporary Employment Services, (530) 757-3000; and training and development classes through Staff Development and Professional Services, (530) 752-1766.

Laid-off employees also can file for unemployment insurance by contacting the state Employment Development Department at 1-800-300-5616 or www.edd.ca.gov.