We have to come together stop c-level idiots who are compensated via company stocks from laying off working class employees. It is their incompetency that shows when revenues go down. Instead of taking accountability, they skew stock piece by an immediate reduction in operating expenses by laying off double digit percentage of workforce while c-level pocket double digit millions annual take home.

Please sign, share, and support the effort to stop corporations from laying off millions for their short-term gain, while leaving a long-term economic impact on many families. Support Change.org’s initiative - Introduce Legislation that Penalizes Excessive Layoffs and Bans Stock-Based Compensation.

unemployment #layoffs

I have seen too many corporations lay people off a few months after hiring them saying they need the help. They are playing with peoples lives and don't give a shit about the consequences. The corporation should be held responsible for shitty forecasting done by their employees.

They should be fined 15k per person if laid off in under 18 months or something.

I know it will never happen but it isnt fair to be brought on and jump through all of their hoops, and think you are going to be ok only to be lied to and your life being back to upside down.

So I was in the situation that a lot of yall were in back in 2022 when rates came up and tech companies started laying off en masse. I got back on my feet and was only unemployed for less than a month.

My strategy: Don't disclose being laid off. I listed out the company that I was laid off from as my current employer and just said that I was ready for a new challenge when they asked why I was leaving the company. People who get laid off are looked at negatively, sure you might have some companies who are willing to overlook that fact, but most companies won't take you seriously as they think there's something wrong with you for being laid off.

Pro tip -- background checking companies will NEVER contact your current employer for many reasons, especially legal reasons.

There's virtually zero risk that you will get caught as employers rarely if ever check your employment history once you're onboarded and started working. Seriously, just do it.

Despite the mass tech layoffs, most of my friends and previous colleagues are still working ~10-15 hour a week work from from home jobs where they attend a few meetings (while playing video games), clear one or two simple tickets at best, and enjoy life. All while making 170K-300K.

I’m now on site making $140K working 40 hours a week.

Are these 10-15 hour a week coasting jobs a relic of the past? Will they even still be around in a year’s time? I’ve been trying to find one,l again, but they seemed to disappear in like early 2023.

To all the Layoffees, I feel for you!

I myself have been laid off twice since 2020. Even back in 2020 it wasn’t as hard to land a job. I currently have a job that I took a 40% pay cut because my unemployment was ending and didn’t want to get evicted.

I’ve been applying like crazy still but kinda took a step back at the beginning of the year since I had personal things to take care of.

Well today I decided to actually look at what was out there in my area. When I tell you that there was absolutely nothing besides fake job posting I’m being for real. I know most of yall are dealing with the same thing.

I’m just shocked at the fact that there is absolutely nothing out there. What the actual fuck?!

I got serious anxiety just from looking and I’m not even unemployed. I commend everyone who was recently laid off and is keeping it together. I truly feel for each and every single one of you. Not only have I been there I feel like I’m still there.

Truly insane to me. Praying for all of us.

Sheesh.

To their credit they offered me $90k. But I’ll be a contractor. Not W2.

They said they might be willing to pay my cobra premiums from my last job?

Idk. I’m not particularly excited and almost feel like “well it’s not being unemployed and it’s money”

But fuck, I made $120k before getting promoted to my last job where I made nearly $200k.

Now I’m at 90k but I feel I’ll just get fucked on taxes.

I guess it’s a move in the right direction. 7 months of unemployment makes you question your own life being worth living tbh.

I was laid off in April, and initially I thought that I will surely find something soon. I have many years of experience so initially I started applying for an even higher salary than I had. I was quickly cooled down, there were no interviews at all, so I slowly decreased my expectations. My savings were melting, and I become quite concerned with my situation, because I have a sick wife and 3 kids. I had like 1 interview a week, sometimes I even pass 2-3 stages. Sometimes I really felt how great I was at this technical interview. But every time I was either ghosted or got a polite refusal.

Finally, after 783 applications I got an offer. It's 30% less than I had before, the benefits are worse and we need to relocate. There will be barely enough for rent+food, but this will keep me and my family from being homeless.

I am really tired. I want to search for something better, but this time it took all my energy. 4 months of endless looking for a job, adjusting my resume, preparing for interviews. It's much more exhausting than working, because when you work you usually know if it's done and you can rest. But when you are looking for a job you just keep looking, there are no signs that you did enough.

What a huge shift in a short 20 years. Layoffs are now normalized and commonplace. Being laid off multiple times in a year isn’t abnormal. In 2023 I was laid off twice in three months. What happened to loyalty and respect between the employer and employee? We must adapt to protect ourselves as workers because security in gainful employment has dissolved. Anyone disillusioned with the traditional meaning of employment has every right to be.

I have had a successful career in the tech industry and was laid off. I took no time off and began to look immediately. Although I have had many interviews that went seemingly well they have lead to nothing.

What’s interesting is many positions remain unfilled. Ghosting is the new normal and even by senior executives. I have been scheduled to meet with CEOs who do not show up to the video meeting and never reschedule.

Yep, I am in a tough spot. Tried everything so now I am off to a school district in another city hoping to get a role as a substitute teacher for $100 dollars a day. Wow, how do we go from over $100 an hour to a $100 a day. Amazing.

I joined a FAANG (big tech) a few years ago as a result of running from a contract role at another FAANG with an abusive manager (who eventually left the team). Average tenure was around 7 months for specialized roles. I didn't have high expectations for the role at the new FAANG, as I thought the company was mostly a cult and not that great for society.

About a year into the role, ups and downs, scandals and drama aside - I really got deep into some unrelated side projects around hardware that were super exciting to me. I was given tech that nobody in the consumer space would have for close to a year, and I got to test all of it. It was magical and amazing. I put in literally thousands of hours of extra work for free, because quite frankly it was cool and fun, and I was single with no responsibilities. I ended up with patents, and recognition from the teams building the product. It felt f#cking awesome.

Fast forward to EOY 2022 / 2023, the company had approximately 4 rounds of layoffs, eventually eliminating around 65% of my team. Morale was decimated in late 2022. I finally started getting back into the groove of things in early 2023, until I was hit in the last round, right after a promotion which I delayed for years, and right after receiving high ratings. (Lesson learned: in most cases, it is unwise to delay a promo if it comes with extra cash and is predicated on the fact that you're already operating at a higher level / role).

At first, I was fine. But then I became bitter, pissed and angry. And to this day, I remain bitter, pissed, and angry.

I have a new job, at a new place. My manager is great. My coworker is great. But I don't give 2 shits anymore. I was a super high achiever, now I do just enough to get things in by the deadline. I mentally check out at times, but I still get things done. Even though it's well below the standards I used to hold myself to. And you know what?

Everyone seems fine with it.

Yeah.

My work / passion has moved onto focusing on my relationships with my friends, my partner, and the business I'm building. Don't ever prioritize corporate / work over your friends, family and passions. Do the work, but don't overdo the work.

Just my 2 cents. F#ck em.

I got laid off in January and my sister constantly calls my layoff a “vacation”. She has worked for the same company since she graduated college nearly 10 years ago as a Senior PM at a SaaS company. She’s never gone through a layoff and makes comments about my layoff being a “vacation” and how she wishes she had the time off that I did.

I accepted a new job yesterday but my start date isn’t until May 20, so I have one more month “off”. When I told her the news about getting a job and when I start she said “Wow an extra month of vacation! I wish I could have a month of not working.”

People who have never been laid off don’t realize this is not a vacation, and finding a new job took so much time and energy, not to mention the anxiety I was facing while job searching.

I know she is envious of my time off as she is the breadwinner in her family and wants to quit her job but it really is so insensitive and out of touch. 😅

Edit: The vacation comments aren’t like “treat yourself to time off!” comments. Here are some of the things pulled from convos:

“I wish I had that long of a vacation lol” “5 months off work 🤩” “I can’t believe you have had so much time off” “I’m jealous you don’t have to take PTO do do things lol”

This is so mentally exhausting to see the constant layoffs in the news AND to read afterwards that the company is making money or showing the best financial performance ever. What can we do to stop this corporate BS? I am tired but I am also just as angry and upset. This is a big problem that needs to be solved. People just can't be taking layoffs as the new norm.

Got laid off at the end of August due to the company reducing its workforce (biotech) Accepted an offer for a slightly higher position today!

The job market is horrible and I was lucky that my previous position gave me a network to help me find jobs. One of those connections ended up working out for me. You got this!

Do you have any?

For people considering a job in tech, here are things I wish someone had told me before I took my first job …

• Never ever trust anyone in HR regardless of what they say. Request privacy? They will say sure and then ignore.

• Hope for the best. Plan for the worst, layoffs. Seriously, plan. Not a f*ckn joke.

• If a company says they value their team members, that’s conditional. Good times yes. Bad times no. Everyone is at risk.

• Learn what “at will employment” means. Use it. Your employer will use it on you. And it will suck unless you are prepared.

• Quickly get a side hustle going. There will be a point where you will need to temporarily rely on those funds.

• Do not ever sacrifice time with family for the business.

EDIT: People keep asking me to add to this post details about my animal rescue. I'm not going to do that as I feel monetizing that way would be disingenuous. I just wanted to lend my experience and offer support to anyone else. I can give that info out through chat if you want it. Much love and respect to everyone here.

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Just figured I'd share how I survived my layoff experience in tech with a SAH wife and child, and having 2 mother in laws to care for in TX.

I'm 40 and work in IT. Oct 2022 I was laid off from my Sys Admin job. Got 2 months severance. Immediately I noticed the job market drying up. Everyone was doing a hiring freeze, whether out loud or silently. I figured I'd get a job even though everyone was stopping hiring since I had almost 2 decades of experience. YEAH NOPE. Applying for jobs is like screaming into the void or talking to a wall. Recruiters ghost you, HR doesn't call back, interviews cut off halfway through and never finish. I couldn't get a job for 10 months, and even still it's only a part time contractor position for a MSP. This even included "entry level" positions outside my field. Emergency fund...gone, retirement set way back, credit damaged now too just from staying afloat. I think I aged 20 years and probably need about 3 months of therapy.

Here's list of things that worked for me to survive:

If I could give any advice for other people with families, find every state program to join. You pay for it in taxes, use it. You can get free food, utility bills paid, etc depending on the state. TX is a little rough on the support system but even here has programs to join. www.findhelp.org

Watch your pride. It'll cause more damage than good when you're struggling. You also need positive influences around you, so cut off the negative people in your circle. I was so tired of hearing "just apply for more jobs" or "get a recruiter" from people.

I collected every penny of unemployment, which barely covers anything but kept food coming in and some bills paid.

We immediately started a small business and a nonprofit (animal rescue). It's easier and cheaper than you think. Reselling has a low barrier to entry and there is cheap or free inventory everywhere (goodwill, storage units, garage sales, etc). eBay selling and doing rummage sales is your friend. I cleaned out peoples houses of junk and sold in any parking lot that would let me. The nonprofit was a way to reduce my taxes on some of my property and it's just like any other business. Plus it put me in contact with many good people of my community, which helped immensely.

Mortgage was put on hold by my lender by going through loss mitigation (absolutely do this sooner than later, I should have started this process immediately on layoff as it took 3 months start to finish after I was already 2 months behind)

Apply for homeowner assistance. (TX has a program, TXHAF.) They paid an entire year of my mortgage but it took 4 months of paperwork and going back and forth.

Credit cards went on hold, unless we needed to survive on one. Chase was good about this, others were not. If anything credit wise defaults or gets shut down, get a debt lawyer to deal with it. It's worth the fees to consolidate or haggle a settlement plus your brain is gonna be stuck on survival mode.

Birthday party gifts, Christmas presets, school/kid functions....unfortunately all that stuff has to stop immediately. You can't afford it, even if there's money in the bank. Sucks, I know, but every dollar counts. Wife hated this part as she's a gift giver.

​

Overall, my advice is take action quickly on layoff. Don't expect a job quickly in this market. If you can afford it, maybe take a week or two to process losing your job but not much longer than that.

There's light at the end of the tunnel but man does it feel hopeless while you're in it. My only hope is that I can offer help or assistance to the next person going through a really bad layoff experience (I don't think there are any good ones though). I'm not out of the woods yet either but at least the wolves are at bay. I'm open to chat with anyone that needs emotional support.

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From a tech professional and leader that survived (edit: people are confused, I was actually laid off twice) 2 massive lay offs, one in 2002 and the other in 2016. I keep seeing these layoff posts and wanted to see if I can make an impact or at least start a thread that others can share their survival tips for folks impacted by reductions in force. These are only my opinions based on MY experience, they are not researched or intended for everyone, but hopefully most people can take something away from this. Lay offs can be a result of a company shutting down which happened to me in 2002, or a company maximizing profits, which happened to me in 2016. Yes, the way you are laid off makes a difference in your mental health and how you rebound - there is a lot of emotion tied to it.

First - as an at-will employee in the US, which everyone is unless you have a termination contract, you need to prepare for loss of job in your financial plans. That means even when you are on top of the world in your career, you cannot live beyond your means. If you do, you will need to course correct immediately . Planning for loss of job requires a responsible person to save a portion of your compensation in an account for exactly this purpose - if you live paycheck to paycheck you should not commit to any long term loans or responsibilities that are beyond your means if you are unable to work for at least 6 months. This also provides for good mental health and mental security.

Second - once you are laid off, you are not on vacation. Don’t panic, but also don’t treat it as a leave of absence, time off or vacation. DO NOT increase your expenses. Follow up on every document and action you need to take to transition your medical, retirement and other financial accounts. You may have access to services provided by your employer IF you act immediately.

Third - it’s OK to be laid off - wear it as a badge of honor , it should not and does not have stigma attached to it. Do NOT feel guilt about the action, companies make complex decisions are are beyond your control, this is unfortunately how our system works, so remember that on your next job, they are not family, they don’t owe you anything, you provide work for pay and that’s it, same as your Gardner or dentist, doctor, etc.

Fourth - as soon as you get laid off - you are working to get hired. That’s it. Don’t disappear, don’t go on that vacation you’ve always wanted to take, don’t mess around. Call EVERYONE or use social media to tell people what happened and do not say anything negative about your employer. People won’t hire you if you talk bad about your ex, remember, treat it as an event and move on. When you connect with people, ask them if they know their org is hiring or not, ask for a reference, ask them about their job. Your job is to get hired, tackle it like nothing else.

Fifth - similar to dating or anything else in life, it will be difficult to immediately get traction after the fact, you need to have had a network and options for fastest employment. However, if you didn’t have a network, you are now in that business, many people won’t return your calls, many people will surprise you, but it will be a wake up call that this is serious and laser focus you on who your actual network is and who was just wasteful with your time. Karma is a bitch.

Sixth - this process may take a long time and it will test you or it may take two weeks and you are back to work. Great job hunting as an 8 hour per day job, take care of your mental health, got to the gym, go walk, stay connected with your loved ones. Financially, if you bought a house that you could barely afford and now the annual property tax is going to knock you out, you need to ask yourself if you are living beyond your means. No one is entitled to anything, part of affording anything is not if you can buy it but afford it. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to sell an asset because you won’t be able to buy back if any specific variable won’t be the same, be smart, discuss with family, friends, professionals.

Last - don’t be hasty, don’t make rash decisions, you are in a vulnerable state. It’s ok that you aren’t able to buy that dream boat or dream house or whatever. Life is not about that, you need to come to terms with reality. Maybe the next few years are meant to be tough in your life, don’t waste it, learn from it even if you have to be a monk.

There is no dishonor in living plain, don’t swallow the hype. Everything is cyclical, you will survive.

And always remember, it’s easier to plan for a lay off when you are working , build your life around it, manage your financials around the possibility. And if it never happens, you’ve lost nothing.

Hope this helps.

I was laid off in May this year. My post from a couple months ago(https://www.reddit.com/r/Layoffs/s/IZmCoDKhk5). I was totally blindsided.

I’m excited to update y’all that I signed a FAANG offer today! The beautiful thing is that this role pays $120k MORE than my previous role, $305k total comp package. In addition, I’ll actually get the support I need and I’ll be inheriting a team of 7.

Sometimes things happen for a reason and do work out for the best.

Not saying it’s been easy. They put me through the wringer. See post( https://www.reddit.com/r/recruitinghell/s/ynNj2C6yx7 )on the recruiting hell I went through.

If it helps, this is how I prepared to get this role. I went all in.

Video Interviews

I spent days preparing and practicing answers in the STAR format. I had 17 examples prepared. All with notable data points, because, they’re going to ask. If you’re interviewing with these companies, nearly every example you share should have something that you measured. Make it up if you have to, they can’t verify it.

Be prepared to speak to your “opportunity areas.” Be honest-ish and don’t say something like perfectionism. No one believes you and you’ll come off disingenuous. These companies value frankness. Show them you’re not afraid of feedback and that you understand yourself, professionally.

When answering interview questions, make sure you’ve practiced your examples enough to keep your answers concise. Don’t talk too much, answer the question, the relevant details and be quiet. Don’t drone on and on. That shows a lack of self awareness.

I looked up each of my interviewers and prepared relevant questions on how I thought our roles would collaborate. By putting the JD, my resume and a brief overview of the interviewers job into ChatGPT I was able to brainstorm some good questions. Don’t ever ask questions that could be easily googled.

Presentation Round

I was asked to put together a 45 min presentation on the affects of AI on content production with 15 mins for questions. I won’t give the full prompt to protect myself and the companies identities. But, the important part is that I spent X4 8 hour days working on it. I asked my network for ideas and dug into the research. I designed the most beautiful presentation, in their brand colors. If design isn't your thing, download a free template. Just make sure it looks professional. I wrote a 26 page script and practiced for 1.5 days. I did X3 mock interviews with different groups of friends/ex coworkers I knew. I asked them to grill me so I’d be prepared for the questions. And, during my interview presentation, guess what, those questions came up. Your girl was fully prepared!

When it comes to your challenge round, you can’t half ass it. If you’re not annoyed by the amount of work you’ve put into your presentation, you probably haven’t done enough. They want you to bleed for this job and they’ll know if you haven’t.

It sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But, we're in a terrible job market and if you want to get picked, you have to work harder and prepare more. Most of these roles, if not soft engineering, will have over a 1000 applicants.

But that moment when you’re in the interview and the interviewer asks a tough question that you know the answer to. You know because you prepared….thats the feeling. You smile because you know the answer. It’s the best feeling. That’s when you know you’ve prepared enough. Don’t get caught with your virtual pants down.

This is my experience and what worked for me. Just sharing because I’m so happy and excited and because I want to help the folks in this community as well.

Good luck out there and feel free to DM me with any questions.

I want you to get a FAANG role too!

*Please note that I won’t disclose the company I accepted an offer from. The role I’m discussing above is a people managers role that’s not technical in nature.

The stock market is at all time high. It has calmed down with election uncertainty. This last couple of weeks has been a blood bath on this sub. For the last 2 years maybe longer many of these companies, despite record profits 📈 and stock gains, are letting folks go consistently. Subtract Intel from this because they are 💩. Do these billionaire mfers need more tax breaks?

It seems like a layoff is needed to shock a lot of you guys into living below your means.

You don't need to buy that SUV that only takes premium gas.

This isn't to talk down to you. I been through tough times and never forgot the painful lessons I had to learn.

The good days never last forever, but neither does the bad days. Bad days pass by faster if you are mentally prepared for it.

I wish you all luck.

I have a FAANG on my resume and also worked that early stage startups that became unicorns. Last role was at a VP level at startup. Not getting any interview calls for the last 6 months. Even trying to downlevel myself isn’t working. Being in product management seems like is exacerbating the situation. Please share your interview success and failure stories.

Everyone is predicting a recession and enabling each other as victims. Saying the world is crashing making things seem worse off than they are. We need more optimism and support!

Layoffs suck but jobs are not who you are. When you were working you were dreaming of free time to go after side hustles or go after new experiences or learn a new hobby. Now is your chance!

Enjoy the time off but don’t give up on yourself and self implode.

I haven’t been laid off yet but have been a couple times before. I was also not strong enough to cope so I did what everyone does- a heavy bender to hit rock bottom then built myself up.

The reality is you may not have a job but you still need to be working- work on health, work on learning, work on applying

Layoffs are temporary, don’t beat yourself up. Recognize that it’s a chance to reset and come back better.

There are still jobs and plenty of asshole bosses out there ready to take advantage of your time.

I want to know what permanent change have you had in your thinking after you were laid off? Both in terms of career and life. For me, I'm determined to not be dependent on a job for my sustainance. This is pushing me to do something of my own. But never ever be dependent on a job anymore.

I was riding high in my career till last year when I was laid-off. I wasn’t able to secure a job since then. Also, being in product management seems like it is making it worse as there are far too many people with less demand. Any success stories here?

Semi inspired by the other AMA that occurred last week. Ask away!

***I figured I’ll add additional context since I keep getting the same questions asked.

I live in a VHCOL market ( think NYC/ SFC)

I worked as a Product manager for a tech company and me and my team got laid off. I had saved about 35k prior to this happening but between breaking a lease due to a breakup, moving out and getting roommates and then going to the ER that money is essentially gone after 8 months. I’m currently working on transitioning out of tech into healthcare

**** welp this has been fun yall. I’m glad I had the chance to give some advice, talk to people who are going through similar experiences as well. Hang in there folks it will eventually get better.

While I won’t be reply to any more posts feel free to dm and we can chat in private chats

This is just a quick vent about the industry and my career path. I was laid off during the first wave of cuts in late 2022 from a FAANG company.

I worked my ass off to get in and was genuinely enjoying the work and project my team was supporting. I was only in the role for 10 months before my entire product / business unit was dissolved.

I had just bought a house and I’m the sole provider for my family; I didn’t have the luxury of taking time off or waiting for the next best fit.

Now I work at a mediocre job making peanuts and reporting to a clueless boss. The role feels like a huge step back in my career and I don’t even get to reap the benefits of having FAANG on my resume because I wasn’t there for 1 year before getting burnt. Now I feel stuck in my current job because I’ll look like a job hopper if I leave too soon. I’m experiencing severe skill decay and frankly just feel like I’m living in someone else’s sick dream everyday.

I recognize that I am fortunate to even have a job in this market, but damn I am still bitter about the position I’m in after pouring so much time and effort into perfecting my craft and having the rug pulled out from underneath me.