Courtesy of Serena Dunn; Shayanne Gal/Business Insider
- The Unemployed States of America takes readers deep inside the decimated American workforce.
- Serena Dunn is a 24-year-old payroll and office coordinator based in Fargo, North Dakota.
- She was furloughed from her job on March 20 — and said it came out of nowhere.
- She’s hoping to return to work soon, even if it means abiding by social distancing measures in the office.
- This is her story, as told to Nick Dauk.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
I was the payroll and office coordinator for Express Employment Professionals in Fargo. I was basically an HR assistant with duties such as filling out forms, verifying unemployment status, and handling payroll for the companies we provided staffing for. Construction needs vary greatly in Fargo between the seasons, so my busiest times were during the summer, when I’d oversee around 4,000 to 7,000 hours of client payroll.
I was furloughed on March 20. It came out of nowhere.
Since Fargo is pretty isolated from the rest of the country, many of us didn’t think we’d need to close down as fast as other states. We hadn’t really been dealing with the coronavirus in North Dakota at that point.
Suddenly, the companies we staffed for either started shutting down or furloughing employees, which left many of my coworkers without much to do. Half were scaled down to part-time work; I was in the half that was furloughed indefinitely.
Honestly, it’s hard to remember the headspace I was in at that time; it seems like so long ago. I wasn’t necessarily scared because I thought I’d personally be impacted — I hadn’t personally known anyone that was yet — but I was definitely freaked out because others were freaking out. This experience hasn’t been terrible for me, though.
I was immediately eligible for unemployment checks, which actually increased my weekly income.
When the additional $600 ran out on August 1, it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’d already planned to move back in with my parents, and I’m truly thankful that this hasn’t had as significant of an impact on me as it has on others.
My company plans on bringing me on payroll, but I'm worried that Fargo may shut down again. I didn't anticipate being furloughed this long and I don't know when it will end.
It's hard for me to create a plan. I've always had a plan for every stage of my life, and sitting around doing nothing is both boring and scary at the same time.
Traveling used to put me in a good mood – getting out of North Dakota is necessary – but now that I'm unable to leave, I try to find other ways of staying positive.
I've been trying to stay busy because I'm a busybody, but it's been hard to find things to do. Thankfully, it's not winter and I can go outside to exercise. I take trips to our family's lake house. I've been reading a lot.
I started taking classes for my SHRM-CP at University of North Dakota last September and just finished in June. Being furloughed actually helped me devote more time to studying for the test.
I'm going to try to ride this out as long as possible. I want to go back to work for my employer and I'm comfortable going back, even if that means wearing masks and social distancing.
I don't have a plan if they don't bring me back from furlough. Not knowing when this will end is hard, but I'm optimistic that everything will work out. I haven't been impacted too negatively, and since I have no dependents, it's easier for me to be confident that I'll bounce back from this.