When rumors began to spread this summer that Amgen and Countrywide were planning to downsize, members of the California Lutheran University community began to strategize. “When we were first hearing about the possibilities of layoffs at Amgen and Countrywide, we were concerned about how many CLU people it might possibly affect,” School of Business Dean Charles Maxey said. That’s because approximately 300, or 10 percent, of students working toward a degree at CLU have ties to the companies, according to Maxey. An additional 300 alumni also have affiliations with Amgen and Countrywide. When the companies substantiated the rumors by officially announcing their plans to downsize, CLU representatives discussed what kinds of services they could offer to members of the student body employed by the companies. They ultimately decided that offering advice related to finance, job searches, the real estate market, relocation, health benefits and more would suit such students best. On Nov. 28, CLU kicked off its first in a series of workshops covering these issues specifically for students and alumni affected by the mass layoffs. As Maxey put it, “We’re going forward with an effort to reach out to our people and see if we can be of some service.” He continued, “We’ve offered them some library services on how to research companies. There are electronic databases they can have access to, personal counseling.” The slew of services CLU is providing particularly appealed to one alumnus who said that he worked as Countrywide’s vice president of application development, an information technology management position, until he was laid off in October. “I decided to come after I got an email indicating that there was going to be a workshop on financial planning, salary negotiations, relocation, etc.,” he said. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he is currently pursuing job leads but felt that he could benefit from any advice CLU representatives had to offer. Somnath Basu, CLU professor of finance and director of the California Institute of Finance, had much to say about how those affected by the layoffs should brace themselves for the future. How employees should cope with the layoffs depends a great deal on where they are in life, Basu argued. For example, an entry-level person will be able to rebound from being laid off much quicker than a higher-up. Employees of advanced age might also find it more difficult to market themselves, Basu said. “The first thing I would think is how marketable am I? What are my skills? What are my strengths? What are my talents?” Basu asked. “Definitely take a look at yourself and what you bring to the table. Start looking to see whether you’re marketable or not. Can I get more training or more education to become more marketable? I want to do this right now before I get laid off. I don’t want to be caught flatfooted.” Basu said that those who have acquired skills that are difficult to replace will be the least likely to be laid off. Those with readily available skills, on the other hand, are expendable. Once laid off, workers must consider if it’s possible to maintain previous job duties and salary levels at other businesses. It’s also important to find out where the companies most likely to employ workers laid off by Amgen and Countrywide are located. “Are they in Southern California or Southern Nebraska or on the East Coast or outside of the country? Those are the issues,” Basu said. For one eight-year Amgen veteran, laid off in October, it looks as if the best employment prospects are located in places such as Silicon Valley, New York City and Chicago. “There are a few jobs here but very fierce competition,” said the man, who worked in Amgen’s information technology department. He did not want to give his name. Because of his predicament, the man explained, “One of the reasons I came here is because I needed some insight on whether I should sell my house in this declining market or rent it, or are there other options available?” Altogether, the former Amgen employee was most impressed with a portion of the workshop that addressed salary negotiations. He said that he’s only had to negotiate a salary four times in his career. Now, he feels he will be more prepared to participate in this process. One area in which CLU will offer private services is counseling. “Psychologically, you might want to talk to a counselor,” Basu recommended. Since Amgen laid her off in October, on a day she refers to as Black Wednesday, a woman who would not disclose her name but is currently in CLU’s MBA program, has managed to maintain a positive attitude. “I’m taking my time, looking around and getting caught up,” she explained. She worked for Amgen as a project manager for five years, the last two as a fulltime employee. She describes life after Amgen as “an exciting time.” She hopes to gain a new perspective on her career during this transition period. Her primary reason for attending the workshop was to learn more about how she can maximize her health benefits, which she will receive from Amgen through October of next year. CLU is uncertain at this time how many workshops they will offer on these topics. Maxey said it depends on how long the layoff process at Amgen and Countrywide takes. “Amgen,they’ve gone through a couple of rounds. One voluntary round of people making buyouts and one involuntary round. There may be more,” he said. Meanwhile, “Countrywide is laying people off on more of a rolling basis.” The bottom line is that, as long as the CLU community is affected by the layoffs, the university will continue offering what Maxey calls “a fairly robust portfolio of services.” He explained, “We’re trying to be there for people when they need it.”
