There are many ways to lose a job, I’ll share mine and I’d love to hear yours.
I was laid off. This is different than being fired (you don’t get unemployment insurance if you are fired, IIRC), but pretty much the same as RIF’d (Reduction In Force), downsized, rightsized, etc.
My layoff happened over the phone. I was on the Board of Directors for the company. Our company was founded on certain assumptions and at first I was the CIO. Eventually I became the general manager. I felt like I had been handed a big pile of manure with the job of making a pretty flower grow out of the middle of it. It was impossible, and the demands from owners were quite unreasonable.
I knew I was going to get downsized, but it just isn’t real until it happens. Even then I wanted to call someone and say “is this really real?”
Of course it was really real. In that company I had seen someone do something pretty bad and then cry to the CEO for his job back. I swore I would never do that in my career – if something happens you move on.
I moved on. The worst part of the layoff was the personal stuff that I didn’t expect. Business decisions are one thing, but when people who were friends turn on you with their business faces, it is not fun at all. I understand they were just trying to protect the company but I didn’t realize that the minute the phone call happened, the friendship ended.
I’ve heard of people getting let go via email, in conference rooms with lots of other people, and even on Facebook.
How did you get let go? Share the fun stories in the comments 🙂
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