Taking one for the team

Times are tough, there’s no doubt about that.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are finding themselves out of work. Splattered across the news are headlines that say unemployment rates are reaching levels unseen in decades.

And the effects are spreading across the board. We in the news industry are seeing our fellow journalists lose their jobs as many newsrooms across the country are downsizing in order to survive. But one reporter decided to give the ultimate sacrifice to help save a coworker.

Nicole Wong, a business reporter at The Boston Globe, volunteered to be laid off.

It’s unprecedented. In this economy, just having a job is a blessing. But Wong didn’t want to see someone with a family lose their job just because they had less seniority. Someone with roots in Boston where uplifting them would be far more difficult than it would be for her.

In a note posted on Facebook, Wong wrote about the countless stories she’s covered about people who have been negatively affected by the economy.

“Their stories of strife have lingered in the back of my mind. It’s tough being out of work,” she wrote. “And even tougher when you have a family or mortgage to take care of.

“I happen to have neither.”

These stories, ultimately, found their way into her daily life as coworkers often expressed worries about losing their jobs, she wrote. After much thought, Wong came to the difficult decision that leaving the Globe would be for the best.

“ ... it should be less of a hardship for me to find a job since I’m more mobile than my colleagues who have spouses, kids, mortgages, and more. (This is probably the first time I’m relieved to not even have a boyfriend or a house!),” she wrote.

While one job may not seem like much compared to the 50 that the Globe is eliminating, the unselfish gesture and the optimism Wong displays is a beacon of light in these dark, uncertain times. It’s a story that shows the American spirit and says, hey, we can make it past this.

“With that, I’m off to pursue the next great adventure!” she closed.

We hope it’s a good one, Nicole, you deserve it.