It’s tough for anyone in HR to participate in the process of deciding who stays and who goes when layoffs are necessary. See what you think about this case.
Sharon and David Hegyi, wife and husband, were laid off after working seven years at Tipperary Station in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Of course, layoffs are devastating, especially when both working parents in a family with children are let go at the same time.
But Sharon is really shocked at the company’s decision because just months earlier she played a key part in saving the life of her boss.
Sharon was an office worker at the Station, but she’s also a registered nurse.
Station finance manager David Breed had a severe heart attack at work last September.
Sharon gave him medication, hooked him up to oxygen and called an ambulance.
When Breed deteriorated rapidly, Sharon and David put him in a car and drove toward the nearest town. The ambulance met them half way there.
Breed recovered.
Fast forward a few months: The Hegyis returned home from a Christmas vacation to find they were being laid off.
They were given a separation package and told to leave their company house with their five children in two weeks.
The Station’s general manager confirmed to the Northern Territory News that Sharon had saved the life of one of his managers. However, he said the couple had been laid off for economic reasons.
The Hegyis are confident they’ll find new jobs soon.
