When Tom Smith and Susan Arcidiacono parted ways with Health Net,he took a voluntary buy out, her job was eliminated,the duo didn’t despair. Instead, they formed Professional Networking Meeting, a group for Health Net’s displaced workers. In the group, which has been up and running since late February, members share resources, network and offer emotional support, to name a few. “It began as a small group, probably about six people in the beginning. Now, it’s about 14 individuals,” said Smith, former director of meetings and special events for Health Net. “Each Monday, we gather. We hug. We share what’s happening in our [job] search. We go around the table as if we were in a hotel conference room. Each person has a spotlight. They share who they have interviews with and who they’re hoping to interview with.” For the past few months, Health Net has been slowly restructuring, offering buyouts to some employees and eliminating the jobs of others. “Business cycles dictate adjustments,” explained Health Net of California spokesman Brad Kieffer of the company’s efforts to reduce its workforce. “What we are doing, we’ve made some voluntary buyouts extended over the past several weeks to a small number of associates here in Woodland Hills. We are making every effort to ease the transition for any affected associate, and we do that by providing career counseling, job search services and continued salary.” Kieffer said that the company’s efforts at attrition will go on indefinitely. “It’s a process that’s continuing,” he said. “There’s no [end] date that’s set in stone.” As more employees transition out of the company, Smith and Arcidiacono, Health Net’s former marketing director, will extend a helping hand to them via Professional Networking Meeting. “The beauty of the group is that we all have a proven track record,” said Arcidiacono, who would like to serve as vice president of marketing for an entertainment or health care company now that she’s no longer with Health Net. “People know how we’ve done our jobs. We’re teambuilding. We’re talking about contacts that we know.” Discussions about contacts have paid off for some group participants, leading to interviews for more than one, though no job offers have been extended to anyone yet. Because each group member specializes in different areas, they are not in competition. “The nice thing about this team, and it wasn’t planned this way, is that it’s a cross section of the workplace,” said Smith, who ideally would like to find a position as a director of community relations and events. “I don’t think two people would be going after the same job, so we’re all the more supportive.” Arcidiacono, for one, has found the advice her former colleagues have given her invaluable, such as when they told her to network with the staff and community members of her child’s school. “I really hadn’t done that and once I did, it opened up a lot of doors,” she said. Another benefit Arcidiacono cites is that she’s picking up new skills by participating in the group. “After every Monday meeting, I’m personally increasing my skill net, my communication skills,” she said. “I’ve got to have much more listening skills. My interpersonal skills are being expanded. You’ve got to have compassion as well as the ability to connect. We’re all rooting for each other, and we’re all wanting to help.” For some, such as Smith, who worked for Health Net for 18 years, help comes in the form of being taught how to job search in a world dominated by the Internet. “My search today is very different than it was 18, 19 years ago,” Smith said. “Everything is electronic. In those old days, you did a little bit of networking and probably a lot of answering advertisements. I don’t know that I even had a computer in 1989 and 1990.” Though Arcidiacono worked for Health Net for a significantly shorter time, four years, she too said that she’s noticed how the Internet has changed the process of job hunting. “The whole online submission seems to be a big piece of the job search,” she said. “It could be e-mail or submissions you’re putting through Career Builder or Monster, whichever job site service you’re using.” As the members of Professional Networking Meeting face the challenges of making an unexpected career transition, they harbor no bitterness towards Health Net, both Arcidiacono and Smith insist. “This is a very positive professional group of men and women 40 and above … Everyone left on a positive note. There’s not a negative thinker here,” Smith said. As for himself, Smith said that he is making a positive transition by acknowledging that companies and cultures change. “Health Net is a wonderful company,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the wonderful 18 years of employment. I’m taking on the approach that change is good. I’m excited about doing the best I can for my new employer. I leave here with nothing but gratitude.” Arcidiacono has such a pleasant view of Health Net that she remains in touch with colleagues who still work for the company. Whenever she learns that more cuts have been made, she makes sure to tell those affected about Professional Networking Meeting. Kieffer isn’t surprised that Arcidiacono and others in the group haven’t cut ties. “Health Net is a tight-knit organization, so it makes sense that these individuals are using their time so productively to find the perfect new situation,” he said. “I think it speaks to the creativity of Health Net associates that they are being so creative and so productive in finding the position that’s right for them.”
