#stress

Anyone have any insight as to what is going on with Home & Community? Things feel off in general since layoffs happened the week before last. Multiple meetings have been cancelled. It’s a very stressful and tense environment right now, feels like we’re all at risk as care coordinators.

I sent a letter to corporate asking them if they would lay me off. I put that i was having serious mental health issues caused by working for this company. I don't know if i should have and please be respectful with your replies. My supervisor keeps critiquing my work and its driving me crazy. she doesn't do it with anyone else.

Another notification could arrive at any time, and we're left wondering whether we'll be the next ones called in. Constant uncertainty like this is no way to treat a workforce.

Or let me rephrased that, I used to really like my job, but now that has been overshadowed by constant layoffs with no end in sight. We had layoffs before, this is not new, but at least once the round was done, we knew it was done. How are we supposed to deal with the constant axe hanging over our heads?

Is it just me, or are others noticing how everybody is becoming genuinely mean for no good reason? I know nobody likes working here and the stress is sometimes unbearable, but why do some use that as an excuse to bully their coworkers? We're all in this together, for goodness sake.

I’m so sick of the call center environment and people sitting next to each other on competing calls seeing who can yell the loudest so their voice gets through.

How the fu-k am I supposed to focus with 4-5 people sitting 3 feet away from me all screaming on the phone having different conversations? This is not a serious professional working arrangement.

The micromanaging is getting on my last nerve, (not figuratively speaking). I’m so fed up and frustrated. How do I manage and train my brain make micromanaging a growth experience. It’s literally making me less efficient, and it’s making me worry and stressed, it’s giving me anxiety, and I never had anxiety. Any suggestions for coping?

Insufficient sleep
Elevated stress
Isolation
Negativity
Screen time
Po-nography
Alcohol
Overeating

Keep in mind, scrubs, that your mental health does not stem from this place; instead, you are reflecting your own choices.

And stress. And worry. And some might quit on their own under pressure. Which, something tells me, might be exactly what they're hoping will happen.

We were crying all day. How are you getting work done?

My team lost people who meant a lot to me in the last round, and now I'm left trying to manage the fallout. I'm struggling with the stress and can't stop wondering why I was one of the ones who stayed.

We all know it won't be, but for me, the waiting is worse than potentially knowing I was laid off. If I'm getting shown the door, I'd much rather know as soon as possible than have to stress about it for another day or two. And if I'm not getting laid off, then this is just ruining our mental health for no good reason. So yes, I wish it was sooner rather than later.

When will this chaos get officially over today? Is there a possibility that this will continue tomorrow as well? This is emotionally exhausting !!

I know, objectively, that layoffs are done for the week, but subjectively, I still can't stop stressing and worrying. The "what if" is permanently stuck in my brain.

Qualcomm was never the best employer, but it was certainly better than it is now. Now, it's just a constant combination of stress and anxiety.

before multi-ball starts

Layoffs or not? So distracting.

Post updates here. Include region/hq and group if able. Avoid chatter and stay on topic. Recreating because it’s not July. My god what a stressful week. Good luck everyone.

I hope none go through this stress and the pain before and after lay off. Things circling around my head EMI kids mortgage etc. specially when u know none is hiring. There should be some way out.

🫣

I’m okay with finding out I lost my job, if that means I’ll be able to finally move on and stop stressing over it all the time. The wait is horrible and I know many others feel the same way. Let us move on, one way or another.

My mgr often pressures and publicly yells at me over deadlines (which by the way were never communicated). Constantly changing project priorities and responsibilities outside my control... I'm pregnant and the stress has become way too much... I can't afford to quit right now. I'm considering escalating to my skip-level manager but I worry it will backfire - any suggestions?

I think they'll let us live in suspense for a while, hoping many will quit on their own to escape the stress. It's been done many times by many companies and I'm pretty sure this "leadership" will use the same playbook.

I am going on leave because I just can't concentrate and my manager is being really nitpicky. The stress at this job is too much. I hope I don't get fired because of the metrics being so ridiculous.

I don’t think the leaders of this organization understand how extremely stressful it is in this job market to be strung along for a year with “HR Elevate”. Heard through the gossip mill that layoffs are finally coming for HR/TA and will be delivered by Thanksgiving. Only 6 more weeks to know if your kids will have health insurance this Christmas!

I have worked at Cigna for 10 years and can say the leaders are inept and ruthless. Toxic and stressful environment. Do more, get less. No appreciation and threats of layoffs. Best of luck to anyone impacted today.

Has anyone heard anything about when the next round of RIFs are coming? If they are inevitable, I wish it would be sooner rather than later as this constant stress of having them hanging over our heads is so demoralizing

I was laid off from microsoft IDC about a month ago and honestly the stress is getting to me. i have over 6 y of experience in swe engineering and thought having microsoft on my resume would make finding another job easier... apparently not. i've applied to 400+ positions and received exactly ONE interview call. i've tried naukri, instahyre, referrals, linkedin, cold messaging recruiters, pretty much everything and nothing seems to be working. what makes this soooo frustrating is how things ended at microsoft. i received a lite performance rating that i felt was completely unfair. my manager told me it triggered a choice between pip and gvsa, apparently because of some new hr policy. he kept assuring me the pip was just a formality, that the targets would be easy and that management believed in me. yet somehow i ended up with a rating that put my job at risk in the first place. i eventually decided to take gvsa and leave... and now i'm wondering whether i made the right decision. one month unemployed, hundreds of applications and practically no response. i'm based in bangalore and have been applying to fintech companies as well, both directly and through referrals. still nothing. people keep telling me to lower my salary expectations, but after spending years building my career it's difficult to accept that i might have to take a significant paycut just to get another job. i'm hearing about experienced engineers spending 6 months, 9 months or even longer looking for work... which is honestly terrifying. i'm trying to stay positive, but i also have plans for my life, getting married, buying a house, traveling. all of that becomes much harder without a steady income. i thought having 6+ years of experience and microsoft on my resume would actually mean something in this market. right now it feels like none of it matters.

Another week of stressing over layoffs, benefit cuts, and yelling managers has started. At least I know I'm not in this alone.

I wake up with a raging headache, already stressing over Monday. This place has a hold of me even on weekends. And please don't tell me I should just leave. I know that. I've been trying to for over a year. The jobs are simply not there.

I was let go during the November RIF of 2025. Found a new job after. My stress is non existent and I finally remember what a job is supposed to be. No more emergency dumpster fire from the moment I wake up till I go to sleep. I now work regular hours at an easy to maintain pace. Verizon was literally ki-ling me. There is a world out here that truly appreciates you.

Does this leadership know or care how much productivity is being lost because they're keeping all of us in suspense? People who are stressing over whether they'll have their jobs and livelihoods every single day can't concentrate fully on their jobs. What's the point of keeping us waiting? Get it over with, lay off the ones you want to, and let the rest move on, ffs.

Now that we know major cuts are coming once again, do you think they're going to drag it out in hopes some of us quit because we can't take the stress? It wouldn't be the first time they did something like that.

The hardest part isn't one particular layoff anymore. It's never knowing when another one is coming or whether your team will be affected next. People spend so much time worrying about job security that it's difficult to focus on the actual work. That's not a healthy way to spend your working life.

I'm tired of not being to enjoy my weekends because I don't know if the following week my livelihood will be taken away from me. I'm tired of always having to think about work because something is always coming. I'm just so tired of this all. I want to work to live, not live to work.

Or at least that's what I choose to believe. I'm tired of stressing over things that don't happen.

For nearly 30 years, my life was measured in barrels, spreadsheets, and quarterly targets. As an engineer at ExxonMobil, I took immense pride in my work, but the grueling 12-hour workdays and the unspoken culture that "simply doing your job isn't enough" eventually broke me down.
The corporate grind took a massive toll on my body. Decades of sitting in front of monitors and stress-eating desk lunches left me chronically exhausted and sluggish. My cardiovascular endurance was nonexistent; climbing a single flight of stairs to a conference room left me visibly winded. My muscles felt weak and tight from lack of movement, and the numbers on the scale kept creeping up. I realized I was sacrificing my youth and my health for a corporate machine that would replace my job posting before my obituary was even printed.
Six months ago, I finally made the terrifying decision to hand in my resignation. I had no backup corporate savior lined up, just a modest savings account and a desperate need to reclaim my life.
The transformation didn't happen overnight, but once I removed the constant cloud of corporate anxiety, I finally had the mental energy to invest in my physical body.
First, I built back my cardiovascular health. I started with brisk daily walks, which quickly progressed to morning jogs. Today, my resting heart rate has dropped significantly, and I can run a 5K without stopping—a feat that felt completely impossible just a year ago.
Next, I focused on rebuilding my muscle strength. I joined a local gym and committed to a consistent resistance training program. Trading long hours of typing for lifting weights rebuilt the functional strength I had lost to a sedentary lifestyle. My chronic lower back pain vanished, my posture improved, and I feel physically stronger and more capable in my 30s than I did in my 20s.
Combined with meal prepping nutrient-dense foods instead of relying on fast-food fuel injections, the physical work paid off. To date, I have lost 25 pounds of pure stress-weight, replacing body fat with lean muscle.
Leaving a stable, high-paying role at a global giant like Exxon was the scariest thing I have ever done, but it taught me an invaluable lesson. No salary or corporate prestige is worth your physical well-being. Today, I am working in an environment that actually respects human limits. I am finally free, full of energy, and living proof that there is life—and vibrant health—after the corporate grind.

As somebody who left a month ago, let me tell you, the grass is definitely greener. I'm getting the same pay but better benefits and less stress. So much less stress. If you can jump ship, do it. Life gets so much better.

All we're doing is guessing and people are getting more and more stressed. True leadership would tell employees what's going on if nothing else to stop rumors from escalating and creating panic. Sadly, who we have in top management are as far away from true leadership as they can be.