I thought the weekend would help. Nope. I still feel betrayed, I still feel angry, and I still feel scared. How do you get rid of this awful, awful feeling in the pit of your stomach? How long does it take for it to go away? I was never laid off before and I truly hope this is my only such experience.
10 replies (most recent on top)
Oh I’m in the same boat as you and I’m so sorry…I feel the same exact way…betrayed! Why me? Is it performance based? Have I been here too long? These questions will keep us up at night! Look at it this way…you will have some kind of a severance (not sure how long you’ve been here) and we can actually take this as an opportunity to possibly even start a new career somewhere else…like a second chance. Hang in there!
@be Good advice…don’t take it personal. This company is on a downward trajectory and you did nothing wrong. Stay strong, take care of yourself and you’ll get another job. I’ve been thru this many times…
@OP I was laid off by Vz in 2015, early in the process that eventually went on to include the big voluntary RIF. I was lucky and landed in a good job after a couple of months looking. Stayed there until retiring recently.
It was a hard thing at the time. I was 60 when Vz let me go and I thought at that age my chances of finding another job weren't good. Even after I found one it took a while before I felt at peace with getting laid off at Vz. I had been there for a long time and thought I'd be there until retirement. It didn't turn out that way -- like the song says, life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. It did work out well for me in the end though.
Hang in there. Stay positive. Stay in touch with people. Don't let the emotion you are understably feeling now knock you off track. Work through it by focusing on your job search and on your family and friends.45
From my experience, those feelings you speak of didnt go away until I secured a new job. Thats just how I experienced it. I can honestly say that was the worst 3 months of my life. Who cares about a severance check when you got bills that keep coming. Yeah its nice have a small cushion, but in no way was it peace of mind for me. I very much appreciate the severance check, dont get me wrong..but ill take steady income over a one time check any day of the week. No matter what company you work for, this is always a possibility unfortunately. As much as I hate to say it, RIFs get easier the more you go through them. I pray you never have to deal with this again, but if you do, you will have important experience that will help you.
As someone who's been RIF'ed several times, it usually isnt personal (one time it was...i messed up my managers bonus....which was twice my salary). It is a gut punch. A horrible feeling....unless you know its going to happen but even then its still hard. I now have NO personal items at work. So when it happens again, I can just walk out the door. And I agree....get on the job hunt now. Again from personal experience, this is a hard time because nobody is really wanting to interview and hire right around the holidays, too many people gone, etc. But start sending the resumes early and hit it hard in the new year.
It happened very recently. It will take time to feel better and move on. You’re not alone. So many of us are in the same boat and feeling the same way.
Make a tangible action plan. Obviously process and understand why you feel the way you do, but having a sense of structure in this time is just as helpful.
@OP same.
Still processing. Can't get into the severence sight. Confused and don't know my future. Afraid it may not end well.
Here's something I came across earlier posted on the site that I found helpful.
https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1ka6yqhnz?source=follow&n=1
Wish you much success with your search!
It’s not personal. It’s not a reflection of your personal worth. It su-ks, but use that energy to find a new job asap. Most people will sulk and wait until after the holidays to look for a job, use that to your advantage to apply to jobs aggressively now when there’s less competition.