Furlough Friday

I don’t think I really understood the meaning of “furlough” until I moved to Salem, Oregon. We arrived here in late January and I remember one of the first newspaper articles I read was about a business that required all of its employees to take off a week of work while the business shut down for the week. The part that shocked me was that the employees would not be paid for that week. That was when I realized that furlough means unpaid leave. Gulp.

Who wants to take a week of work off without pay??? And why? Well, the more I heard the word the more I came to understand that a furlough is not necessarily a bad thing. The employees get to keep their jobs and benefits in exchange for what amounts to as a pay cut. Having been laid off TWICE myself, a furlough didn’t seem so bad…

So as I began my job search in Salem I was very aware of the possibility of accepting a job that may include a furlough. I had 6 interviews. Two were with law firms (ugh) and 4 were with the State of Oregon. And there was already talk that working for the state would include furlough days. I accepted a job with the state and I am very happy with it! But with my happiness comes furlough days. In the next two years all state employees will take 10-14 furlough days as a strategy to stretch the state budget. In fact, the state has actually designated 10 specific days as state-wide furlough days in which almost all state agencies will be closed.

Today is the first official Furlough Friday. I won’t get paid, but our health insurance remains intact and my benefits continue to accrue as if I was working today. I can live with that!