5 Lessons I Learned From a Mass Layoff
The threat of recession is upon us and the number of layoff announcements across LinkedIn are growing. While I hope for the best, I wanted to share a few things I learned from my experience that might help prepare others. These are things that I wish I had done and will make sure I do going forward. I never imagined I would ever be let go, but here we are. If you are in the same boat, I am sorry you experienced this and know that this is not your fault. We may not be able to change what happens to us, but we can at least learn from it.
Lesson 1: Write down your achievements
I have often told other people to update their resume frequently. Keep a really long one and add to it often, I would say, update your LinkedIn with special projects. Unfortunately, I never took my own advice and I really wish I did. When I looked back on the last several years I remembered the big projects and accomplishments, but it was hard to recall the achievements. I know I hit my metrics, but what were they? I know I had a really high customer approval rating, but what was it?
Action Item: Open up a file for yourself in a personal location (see Lesson 2) and start writing down those numbers. You'll never have the time to keep a resume fully polished and always updated, but at least take a few minutes each month to jot down those metrics.
Lesson 2: Keep your personal stuff in your personal files
I thought I was pretty good with keeping personal stuff separate from work stuff. I always stored non-work things in my personal OneDrive or Google Drive (if you're not doing this already, you should be). Unfortunately, before I experienced a mass layoff and being instantly cut out of my account, I saw things like Medical coverage and 401K as being work-related, and so I had them in my work files. I had emails sent to me from HR saved somewhere and always assumed that if I ever parted ways, I would have time to sort that stuff out. I never imagined a scenario where I would be leaving the company and not have even just a few moments to look through everything.
Action Item: Look through your files and make sure you have your retirement, healthcare, and any other benefits clearly labeled in a personal location. While you’re at it, did you sign any documentation when you started working for the company? If you don’t already have it saved and labeled clearly, email HR and ask them for a copy now. Going forward, if you get any emails related to any of this, get in the habit of forwarding them to your personal email account.
Lesson 3: Don't stay logged in to personal accounts on your work computer
As someone who traveled every week pre-pandemic, I got used to accessing personal websites/accounts on my work device (after work hours, of course). For convenience, I saved the passwords so I wouldn’t have to log in every time. I always assumed that I would have time to log out and clean everything up. Unfortunately, the way my company handled my layoff, I was remotely kicked out of my computer 30 seconds after the call ended. That means I couldn't even log in to remove the websites, and now I have to either trust someone in IT to wipe the computer or change all my passwords. Everyone's situation is different, but if you can manage to keep work and personal stuff 100% separate, I highly recommend it.
Action Item: If you’ve saved any websites like personal email accounts to your work computer, go through and sign out of all your accounts. Try using software like Last Pass to keep all your passwords and make temporarily logging on in the future easier.
Lesson 4: Read all documentation carefully
When you leave a position and are offered a Severance Package, it is common practice to sign something called a Separation Agreement. I have compared a lot of agreements between friends over the last several weeks, and while most were okay and very reasonable, there are a few horror stories. In one case, the company added a 12-Month Non-Compete clause, which substantially limited the employee’s ability to get another job for a full year, even though the severance offered was less than 1-Month salary. There was also a Non-Disparagement clause with no time limit, silencing the signer forever. Worst of all, the company used language in the agreement stating the employee chose to leave, which in most states would disqualify the employee from collecting unemployment insurance. A few years ago, I personally had a friend who was denied unemployment because of language like that in his agreement. If you see anything similar, it is in your right to negotiate and change the terms or choose not to sign.
Action Item: If you are ever in the unfortunate position of being let go, do not sign anything without reading it carefully. If you have a lawyer in the family that can take a look at it for you, or if you can afford to pay a lawyer for a few hours of their time, I highly suggest it. If you have the documentation that you signed when you started the position (see Lesson 2), you can compare what you have already committed to and what has been added to the agreement. Either way, never sign anything without reading it and considering the consequences.
Lesson 5: Keep company loyalty in perspective
When you see stories of mass layoffs, you probably assume that they come from really large organizations; not MY company, we're like family. Unfortunately, these stories also come from small companies, ones that preach about their culture and how everyone on the team is important. They may want to believe what they tell you, but when they choose to let you go in a one-way webinar instead of a personal meeting, they are putting the business first. When they let you go while you are on vacation because the timing is more convenient for them, they are putting the business first. When after 8 years you don’t even get to talk to your manager or get an explanation for why you were put on the list, they are putting the business first. They are advocating for themselves, not for you. So when you make decisions about things like staying or moving on to different opportunities, be sure that you are putting your well-being first.
Action Item: Practice some self-care and set up clear boundaries for work and home. This will look different for everyone; the key is to just be intentional about it. For me, it was turning off my notifications for chat and email outside working hours, so that my time with my family wasn’t constantly interrupted. A friend of mine who was recently laid off put it best when he said this, “Really what I learned is that your work may say they are like a family, but they will ask everything of you and give you nothing. Your family and friends will ask nothing of you but give you everything.”
My intention with this article was not to berate anyone, but rather to shed some light on what some organizations have done. Of course, there are exceptions to this. To anyone in leadership at an organization: I hope you strive to be the exception. I hope you strive to be better. To everyone else: All I’m saying here is, don’t count on it. There are many people I know who thought they were working at the exception, until they found out they weren't, myself included. I was not prepared, and so I hope you will learn from my mistakes. Advocate for yourself, prepare yourself, and if you get to a level of influence, help your organization be different.
Check out other related posts
