I've come to regret putting in so much work and trying to be a top performer in my organization. I don't feel bad about my job prospects, I believe that I will soon find something new.
However, the way I was informed that I was laid off, along with the fact that the worse performer survived... it left a very bad aftertaste.
12 replies (most recent on top)
Loyalty has no meaning in this world anymore
That's why you never grind yourself down to a nub working. Give what they are owed, and do it to the best of your ability, but nothing more. At the end of the day, leave, stop working and forget the place exists. They are not the definition of who you are. 5 years from now the 80 hours you put in isn't going to mean didley, except for the lost time with your family and the possible health issues you will acquire.
I have been laid off too. All I can say: dont expect too much from any company - it's 2022! Dump them off if possible as they would! Loyalty has no meaning in this world anymore @OP+1i4tPKw8
I was a top performer with achievement awards and got laid off with no notice after coming back from an overseas trip with 10 years of loyalty for a Canadian software company with no notice. They did me a huge favor as I ended up at one of the largest Silicone Valley tech companies out there making double the compensation, everything happens for a reason!
I've been laid off twice in my career. There is no way to sugar coat telling someone that they have lost their job. At this point what matters is how much severance you are getting. In my case I had decent packages. But I have friends who only got 2 weeks.
Reasonable to feel this way, absolutely. Just focus on what you learned for next time, let
yourself feel what you feel, and time will help.
I was even working 70+ hours per week
Yea, about that. Don't do that. maybe once in a great while during urgent times, but NEVER NEVER EVER as a matter of routine. You will sacrifice your health your sanity and time with your family for what? Literally nothing. Maybe a few extra dollars, but in most cases not even that. Yes, do your job, yes do it to the best of your ability (ethics are still important, for your peace of mind, if nothing else), but do not work like a plough horse because the only thing you will get is sick and nothing is worth that. Even of they throw you a bone, no amount of money will compensate you for thing like high blood pressure, ulcers, heart disease, and a myriad of other issues that can arise from constant stress.
My wife literally worked herself to death. I begged her not to put in all those hours, to let it break so she could get help (she was an art director and branding expert) and at the end she told me I was right. Of course I wasn't mad at her.
The only reason why I am posting this is to tell everyone that it can happen to you too. You are flesh and blood not stainless steel. Your family needs you and you are no good to them if you are sick. As for your company, they will give you lip service if you are lucky, but they will be too busy looking for your replacement to really care. My wife's company? I didn't even get a card.
If one person listens to this, then some good can come out of it. Think about it.
With your spare time, read Animal Farm by George Orwell. The Character Boxer will reflect these high performance workers who now have been sent off to the glue factory. No matter what ridiculous demands made of him, Boxer’s response was, ‘I will work harder!’, and he did, right up until the time they loaded Boxer on the truck to be slaughtered!
Ditto. I've received the highest performance ratings for two decades but was axed while bumbling id--ts remain. Half the people on my team struggle just to turn on their PCs. I was even working 70+ hours per week (equivalent to roughly 200 hours per week for the average Oracle employee) before I got the call.
Never regret putting in the effort and hard work ever in your life aspiring to be a top performer, the people that will recognise it are those that will never forget the type of person you are, such as colleagues and customers, people may be in a position one day to hire someone and if your name comes up then they will remember what type of person you are. Lazy, incompetent people may get lucky securing a role but that luck doesn’t last.
Can totally relate. But this is a good opportunity for the top performers to do something great.
As Marcus Aurelius said - "don't look for the third thing". 1) You did your best because that is who you are. 2) People benefited from it. Leave it there. As a victim of layoffs, I know the bad taste. Some truly horrible and/or incompetent people will survey the layoff. They always do. Is Oracle better for that? Not in the long run maybe - but they seem to plod along with what they've got. When I was laid off (a manager with a loyal team and great KPIs), another manager survived who had to be the d-mbest brick I have ever had to listen to. But, ultimately, he was what they wanted more than they wanted me. Nothing I can do about that. Put in the work for yourself and the benefit it provides and you likely won't regret the effort too much. But don't lose your identity to your job either.
Yes, many identified as "top talent" were let go, and some that were not great are still there. The decision making process was really strange this time around.