Being laid off was amazing

Hello former colleagues,

I was laid off earlier this year after 5 years of service. The day it happened was much as everyone else has described, HR and PL call you down, say thanks, and give you a package. You can choose to keep your phone, but it will be wiped, and you won't be going back to your office.

Let me tell you how that day felt though... it was amazing! It was like a weight of despair had lifted from my shoulders. That place had become toxic, fearful, resentful, and uninspiring. For over two years people were constantly being laid off, promotions were given to friends and family, work was distributed to the people who could brown nose best, and upper management had no integrity at all. Very few actually believed the rhetoric from corporate, and fewer still held any sort of allegiance to their workers. That place is a bowl full of piranha's waiting for the first one to bleed.

So I took my severance and enjoyed every damn day off that I had. In fact, I don't think I've felt so good in 20 years as I did living off of Enbridge's dime. I have a lot of good friends still in the company who I know are unhappy, and I hope each and every one of you gets the opportunity to feel what I did.

To those of you who are feeling despair and depression, sad about the place it used to be... please know that there is life after Enbridge. If you aren't laid off and are still in a toxic place, please don't be too proud to get professional help. You're only making your loved ones feel worst.

To those that receive a severance and are worried about the future... don't be. The economy is fine right now and Enbridge is still great to have on a resume. You will literally be receiving more offers than you know what to do with, but I highly recommend taking some time for yourself to recharge.

That place can s--- the life right out of you. Until they fix the mess they've made and the terrible culture they have, I will never recommend anyone to work there--regardless of the benefits and the compensation.

Good luck to you all, and take care!

Comment! It's anonymous!

28 replies (most recent on top)

Thank you for the great post. For people who are still employed by Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas, it's nice to hear there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's been very stressful the past few months waiting for the hammer to drop and I'm sure Enbridge was hoping that many employees would bail from the sinking ship and reduce their need to pay severance.

Its funny, I always thought I was overpaid at Enbridge, until I began seriously starting to look for another job. Guess what? First interview was a decrease of 10% but Second job interview was a 25% increase - on top of STIP and LTIP, with no travel! After I gave my notice, I had 2 other professional contacts say to ring them next time I’m looking. I had 5 great years at Enbridge before it started to go downhill, but when’s it started down it was waaaaay down! I saved my sanity and made a great career move. But, I probably would have taken a cut if that was my only choice. Long term, there was no career path forward with any integrity and I definitely quit my boss and company not my job or team. Anyway, don’t automatically think you can’t get compensated fairly elsewhere if you are worth it. I’m at my career midpoint for reference.

Good post Original Poster - thank you.

No friends in River Oaks. $140,000 is the basic middle class pay (live 20+ miles from work in the burbs). CEO and their their type or West University they $300,000 - $3,000,000.

Remember there are about 4 weeks.a.year of decent weather which is still a great time for mosquito breeding. We are compensated for living in flood prone swamp, but the people are friendly.

REMEMBER THE MAIN POINT OF THIS CONVERSATION - you are not working at Enbrigde anymore and making more $$$$$$$. I agree the quoted salary is outrageous, but that is what the market will bear. The USA is doing fine - but it could come crashing down with the debt - or the power behind the thrown deciding to pull the plug.

How many of your personal friends are living in River Oaks? Or can even come close to living there?

$50k for nepotism on top of 120k...fror a 25 yr old... wow.... no wonder the country is in trouble

The $104,000 = you are living "sort.of" in Houston. A city with affordable housing built on swamp, that floods every few years.

You guys must be an elite crowd of engineers making $120k at 25 yr old and not getting laid off

Couldn’t have said this better myself. So unbelievably accurate. Being layed off from Enbridge was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

$104,000 came from a compensation analyst I know, and personal friends who make even more than that. Nepotism would probably add in an extra.$50,000.:)

A 3 year Eng is just a grunt. Been there done that, but that was 25 years ago. I’m glad I went on my own. Less money but reporting to YOURSELF is priceless.

$104k. USD is no where near $300K CAD plus the added bonuses that come with a Sr. Position.

I don't know where you got your info but a 25 yr old (18 + 4 yr of engineering + 3 yrs experience) does not make $104k +15k in Houston unless Daddy got connections. Ask the engineers, someone is blowing smoke.

In Houston the market is even better: Also the exchange rate of $CN.to $USD of 76% will be added in.

Engineer with 3 yrs experience: median base salary is $104,000, USD Plus average 15% bonus plus medical plus 401 5-6% matching --- some offer other extras.--- plus Federal Taxes are low. Downside is your living in a sub-tropical zone with a brutal daily commute.

Waiting for a severance is like waiting for a small lottery pay out. Then getting a 25% pay increase 2 weeks later is the bigger prize.

But all this depression at work is just how each person deals with life. Don't let stuff that is out of your control effect you. Happy or Sad job, make yourself number one. Quit yo whining about management should do this and do that and just go find a new job on your work computer and internet.

Sure, some of the offers are for less money, but quite frankly after a year and a half of abuse in a company that's fake, mentally abusive, lacking vision, denegrating to women, and even openly allows s-xism at a company forum, while intending to talk about combatting it during the same breath, making less money for better happiness and a more stable mental state were worth it to me.

It won't be for everyone, but if all you're worried about is money, then I hope for your own sake that the rest of your life isn't as shallow.

On the contrary, MANY of the offers after Enbridge will be more money then your were making at Enbridge with far less stress and no bullying. Life is better after Enbridge

There’s the rub. Those offers you’ll get after Enbridge lays you off likely won’t match what you’re currently making at Enbridge, despite the dicking around they’ve done with salaries, bonuses, benefits and pensions. That’s why, particularly in Canada, the Enbridge piranhas are so viscous.

I’m curious how many of those offers were for positions that compensate at least $300K/yr in Alberta?

Most accurate post ever written on this board. I was laid off in 2017 and I can’t believe how many days of my life I spent miserable at Enbridge. There are so many good companies out there. If you are lucky enough to leave Enbridge you will know how great it feels to be happy and productive again.

Best post ever written on this board ever.

E = Toxic, Fearful, Resentful, Uninspiring. A bowl full of piranhas waiting for the first one to bleed.

I couldn’t agree more.

Well written. My experience was the same a year and a half ago.

Well written, thank you for your honesty. My story is the same.

Glad to hear about your happiness, yes there is life after Enbridge.

I could have written most of this post myself, although I have not been laid off yet. The description of how things currently are is spot-on, and the way you describe how things will be after I'm let go is exactly how I imagine it. Thank you for this.

Very accurate details of how things still are to date. This is the best post I think I’ve read on this board, thanks for writing it.

Thanks for this post. Good luck to everyone. Stay healthy

Thread regarding Enbridge Inc. layoffs

Being laid off was amazing

28 replies (most recent on top)

Post a reply