I feel like most people like optimizing processes. Cooking without looking at recipes, making their jobs easier, all sorts of little hacks, tips, and tricks.
It’s no surprise, then, that we feel super smart when we pull something like that off. That is, until you realize that in your rush to outdo yourself, you’ve broken something. Oops.
This is more or less what happened in this story - a manager was in such a rush to lay off an employee that she deleted her from the system during the layoff call, unintentionally booting her out.
More info: Reddit
Getting laid off isn't a fun experience in any sense in the word and it's even worse when your employer manages to humiliate you to boot
Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)
A woman took it to the antiwork community to share how her manager kicked her from a layoff call because she was in such a rush
Image credits: u/justagirl800
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
While in the call, the manager revoked her account access, leading to her getting booted from the call and having to join with her personal mail
Image credits: u/justagirl800
The poster was simply stunned by the amount of people who came forth with stories of their own about nearly identical incidents
So, besides being woefully technically inept (and maybe even a little dumb), the manager is also rude. What a cherry on top.
I mean, we don’t know how the whole conversation went, but telling someone “and today is your last day” is so odd. Do you think you’re some kind of movie villain? Liam Neeson? Get over yourself.
According to another commenter by the nick of steamwhistler, his manager called him into the office, said he was fired, and “scooted out of the room”. Then he was also escorted by security, as if they were afraid he was going to go ballistic and just trash everything around him.
Oh well, managers aren’t usually known for having spines.
Not only did the poster get let go so ungraciously, but they also reveal in the comments that they were the supervisor of a whole team of people. How’s that for a morale booster?
Imagine your direct superior telling you that they were not only laid off without a notice, they were also kicked out from the call before it was even over. I think most people would just stare at the camera like Jim Halper would if they heard that.
Many more people came forward about their unceremonious layoffs in the comments. Some got kicked out in the middle of calls, others were abused during their two-week notice, with some citing even more heinous things happening at their jobs.
By far, the most satisfying turnout from these stories is when the bosses would endlessly call the laid-off employees, because they didn’t know the admin passes or how to do things without them.
Talk about karma, huh?
Image credits: Juanjo Menta (not the actual photo)
While it’s more difficult to predict when you will be fired, it’s a bit more easy to sense that a layoff is coming. If you know the signs and have some experience, you’ll notice your workplace struggling before getting laid off. This will give you a bit more time to prepare or quit on your own terms.
U.S. News lists several telltale signs that a layoff may be incoming. A big one is if employees who have left don’t get replaced. If a company is struggling at the time, they’re liable to simply give the quitter’s workload to the remaining workers, rather than pay a new employee.
In a similar vein, they’ll also freeze hiring people and try to minimize spending wherever possible. If you notice that there are no more open positions at your workplace or hear about a “freeze” incoming, watch your head.
Of course, if you’ve survived several layoffs already, it’s likely that you’ll be next, because the company keeps dumping workers, but still can’t stabilize itself financially. Or if your company is merging with another, there’s another good chance that the workforce will be “optimized”, removing workers with redundant skill sets.
Personally, if your manager starts suddenly monitoring your work, your workload is shrinking, or you’re being left out in meetings, it may be a sign to jump ship before it’s too late.
The poster’s story got more than 18k upvotes in the antiwork community and is approaching 900 comments. The commenters shared way too many similar stories of their own and consoled the poster, wishing her the best of luck with jobs in the future.
Share your own awful layoff stories and thoughts about the story in the comments below!
The community shared their own stories and consoled the poster after her awful experience
Image credits: Alex Kotliarskyi (not the actual photo)
