Layoffs: The human side Kristine Hanna, CEO, Girl Geeks

 
Survivors of the dot-com shakeout say life in the technology world is just a shadow of its former self. After thousands of their fellow tech workers were laid off, the ones still standing find themselves working longer hours, taking on more responsibility yet earning less money.

Employees who were once high-spirited and relaxed are complaining of nervous stomachs and have adopted a hunker-down mentality as they wait for the other shoe to drop.

CNET Radio and CNET News.com explore the plight of these tech workers by taking a look at the new dot-com culture, which is laced with hiring freezes, budget cuts and scores of layoffs. Tune in to CNET Radio's weeklong report, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," airing this week at 7:20 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. PDT on 910 AM in the San Francisco Bay Area. The radio segments will also be available online each day at News.com.

Dot-commers get dose of reality
Budget cuts and layoffs are nothing new to the corporate world, but they're painful revelations for a generation of tech workers.

Mandatory vacation. Unpaid time-off. Are these moves legal? "If companies are doing it as a policy with all of their employees, then it's OK," said Baldwin Lee, co-chair of the employment practice group with Farella, Braun & Martel. (1:52)

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Announcing companywide layoffs without notifying individual departments is bad, but layoffs via e-mail is even worse. Employment experts say companies shouldn't expect much productivity in such an environment.  (2:02)

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