If youâve ever gotten a layoff or fired notice, you know the range of emotions that overtake you.
Unless this was a forgone conclusion, you are likely feeling surprise, anger, bewilderment and more. One of the first questions you likely ask is why did I lose my job when things seemed to be going well at work?
With the economy still trying to take flight, losing a job in 2011 takes on even more significance, especially with no end in sight to when things will get better.
How Did You Learn of Your Dismissal?
I can speak from experience to being laid off, quite frankly to my surprise.
Working as an online editor for Insurance Journal magazine in San Diego beginning in 2001, I had been there just under five years when it all unraveled.
Working from home on a Friday, I had received an email from my manager about doing a conference call with her and the CEO that morning, no details provided. As fate would have it, the reporter curiosity in me came out that morning for several reasons:
- I had just been in the office working the day before and everything was fine;
- We never did conference calls on a Friday and if we did, it involved all of the team;
- I had not received any complaints, concerns, etc. leading up to this call.
So, I emailed the manager back and asked her what we would be discussing that day. The next communication from her was that I was being laid off as a result of my position being eliminated, no more, no less. Given that the position was an important one for a company looking to increase its online presence, the shock of the layoff hit home even more.
Being realistic, I know that layoffs happen every day in this country and around the world. What caught me by surprise, however, was the way this company chose to handle this matter.
Rather than the publisher being man enough to tell me face-to-face the previous day when I was in the office and even briefly spoke with him, he let his daughter-in-law do the dirty work behind the comfort of a computer.
Employers and Employees
Needless to say, I lost a lot of respect for this publisher who I thought liked the work I was doing, not to mention who would have brought me aside if there were an issue we needed to hash out.
While employers are not bound to give the real reason of why someone is let go, it is the honorable thing to do, especially when their decision has a number of ramifications for the employee. Yes, knowing the real reason may not make things better, but it at least prepares you for the next job and what to do and not to do.
Even though I have worked other jobs since that day six years ago, my trust level of employers will never be the same.
Yes, the company paid me for five years, but I gave a lot to that company in return and then some. A simple man-to-man explanation for the dismissal would have been better than taking the easy way out and having someone lower down on the totem pool do it.
So, have you ever been laid off or fired and felt the way it was handled was inappropriate?
Photo credit: 247wallst.com
Dave Thomas writes extensively for B2b lead generation online resource Resource Nation that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs. He is an expert writer on items like direct mail companies and is based in San Diego, California.
