Layoff recovery plan
Whether or not your family’s job loss makes the headlines, a disappearing paycheck will have a huge impact on your home.
My blog is intended for anyone who lives in Monroe County, Mich., and needs or wants to keep their household expenses down. But the posts under keyword “layoff recovery plan” are specifically intended for those whose layoff notices are expected in the next few weeks or months – or who have suddenly found themselves without a job.
Here’s something to think about: if you can cut 8 percent of your family’s annual household expenses, you’ve earned one more month of a safety net while you’re looking for your next paycheck.
So while you’re talking to the human resources staff about what to do with your retirement account and negotiating a severance package (if you’re lucky enough to get one), start taking steps to make that money last as long as possible. It may take a lot longer than you think to get another reliable paycheck coming into the home. And if you’ve been reading the headlines, you know the community safety nets such as food pantries and emergency grants are stretched pretty thin.
Community resources when you are job hunting include:
- Monroe County Community College Office of Workforce Development (these services are available to anyone in the community).
- Michigan Works! office at 1531 N. Telegraph Rd., Monroe. Michigan Works! has orientation sessions at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Thursdays.
- Monroe Evening News classified section.
- Free computer labs and research materials at the Monroe County Library System branches.
- Michigan Talent Bank home page. You’ll find a list of public and corporate job fairs in the Detroit area and elsewhere in Michigan, along with other resources, on this site.
Last updated Feb. 25, 2008.