Callous Company Ruthlessly Makes Layoffs With No Warning

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Nov 5, 2023 6:00 PM EST

When you're working for the man (read: any company), it's hard to have any security about your job, no matter how good you are at it. The bottom line will always come first for the higher-ups and if you're on the list, you're on the list. Not only is a layoff hard to recover from financially, but it's also hard to recover from emotionally, as it's difficult to separate our worth as humans from our worth as workers. Our culture praises "hard work" so fervently that when we encounter a career setback, it can feel like it devalues us as individuals. Of course, the solution to this is to find self-worth elsewhere, but that's hard to do in our contemporary climate. 

Luckily, the antiwork subreddit is an online haven away from grind culture, here to lend a helping ear to those suffering work troubles. So when Redditor u/Dry_Drummer_2297 shared their husband's recent surprise layoff, commenters came to the rescue. 

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  • 01
    r/antiwork u/Dry_Drummer_2297 • 1d My husband was laid off without warning today
    via u/Dry_Drummer_2297
  • 02
    Just like the title says. He loved his job and who he worked with. He got great reviews (4.3/5 avg) and he was well liked. So it's easy to say this was a shock He started his day like normal and then he got a meeting invite from HR and a manager. We convinced ourselves they were giving him a promotion. Nope.
    via u/Dry_Drummer_2297
  • 03
    They laid him off due to it being a "business decision". Come to find out, no one knew these layoffs were happening, not even the managers. It was chaos; everyone was scared for their jobs all day. My husband even fought for his job back based on merit but the decision was made by a higher up who couldn't care less. Can I also add the company is not hurting for money This sucks for so many reasons: 1. We just bought a house and interest rates are crazy 2. We were literally a month away from me q
    via u/Dry_Drummer_2297
  • 04
    Ok_Exchange_9646 • 1d It was chaos; everyone was scared for their jobs all day. Yes, that's how this system works. People are afraid of losing their jobs, so they do not revolt. This is what the system is based upon.
    via u/Ok_Exchange_9646
  • 05
    abigflightlessbird • 1d The fact our healthcare is tied to these flippant arbitrary decisions is madness.
    via u/abigflightlessbird
  • 06
    sleepyjohn00. 1d I got my first layoff notice three days before my wedding, and the day I was to meet my future in- laws for the first time. There is no mercy, and there can be no trust.
    via u/sleepyjohn00
  • 07
    feralraindrop • 1d There is no "human element" with corporate employment, if they attempt it, it's just a ruse to make you more productive. The realities of many places of work are very dark, medieval and literally all about shaving a few pennies off the cost of doing business daily. Your dedication and contributions are commodities they exploit, profit from and dispose of on a whim. Sorry.
    via u/feralraindrop
  • 08
    spongelady 1d Relatable. Lost my job without warning in August and have struggled with my confidence ever since. Second layoff of my life. I hope the higher ups that make these decisions always have a pebble in their shoe that they cannot find.
    via u/spongelady
  • 09
    Crystalline Photo . 1d Companies ruining lives to save a buck! It's the capitalist way!
    via u/CrystallinePhoto
  • 10
    Fortune Telling I'm sorry. I hope he can find a place where he gets his confidence back and allows him a good work life balance. ● 1d One day soon I hope the higher ups at that company burn enough of their foundation that they cause their own demise. (I'm sure they'd still blame something else tho)
    via u/FortuneTellingBoobs
  • 11
    Duwinayo This kind of should start workplaces unionizing even faster, and ideally we all gotta start boy cotting companies who ruin lives while claiming they are struggling, only to brag about record profits. 1d ● Businesses are becoming increasingly unethical to the point they may just end up starving themselves of labor entirely.
    via u/Duwinayo
  • 12
    alara009 1d I can relate. Had a similar occurance in September. Out of the blue. They did it when my boss was on holidays. I am absolutely gutted. I hope he lands on his feet asap. The job market is a total hellscape.
    via u/alara009
  • 13
    Abrasive_1 1d ● First off your husband's value has nothing to do with the job he has. Do not let him equate the two. He does good work (based on reviews) and someone else's greed has sacrificed his job - not his performance, not his integrity, not his work. He needs to maintain his confidence in his own work. Second, you can never be secure when someone else is employing you. You secure yourself and know they will cut you off (no matter how nice they seem, no matter how valuable you are) at the
    via u/Abrasive_1
  • 14
    opportunity to make a quick buck. Third, job hunting is arduous and a numbers game. Keep strong, go at it every morning but don't allow the rejection letters to get to you. The more applications you put out, the more letters you get. It's just a sign of your work to get a job. He is only one 'yes' away from the next better job. I'm there. It's rough and makes you question everything about yourself and your future. Don't give them that power. You are the same people but with a different situation
    via u/Abrasive_1
  • 15
    micahsil1 1d ● My husband at the time was laid off when I was 8 months pregnant, 3 days before 90k worth of stock was going to vest that had been given to him 4 years prior. He got nothing. We lost our insurance the next day (last day of the month!) They told us to COBRA but the plan was managed by the conpany and it was over $3k per month. He had worked for the company for 15 years. Employers are con men. Do whatever it takes to work for yourself.
    via u/micahsil1
  • 16
    chula198705 • 1d My husband has PTSD from getting fired from a job without cause with a two-week-old infant at home. That's not an exaggeration or hyperbole. It was traumatic at the time, and he still panics and gets irrationally worried about small problems at work because he's looking for signs of impending unemployment around every corner, despite being exceptional at his job. It's been 6 years and he will occasionally go down rabbit holes of anxiety over comments from his boss that seem beni
    via u/chula198705
  • 17
    Alternative-Doubt452 • 1d That feeling never comes back. And depending on his skillset he may lose interest like I have or people will give them crappy tasks and make the work less worth the effort. It sucks. I wish you both the best of luck.
    via u/Alternative-Doubt452
  • 18
    Letscallaspadeaspade • 1d I started with a small company (25 people) 15 years ago, and helped build it. Since then it has been gobbled up twice by giant companies. Two weeks ago me and 4 colleagues turned in notice, basically quitting on our own terms before we pagar off. The owners of the original small company felt so betrayed, but when they sold, we (the employees) got nothing, and when the next company sold we (the employees) got nothing (the former owners 3x their stock and got cashed out).
    via u/Letscallaspadeaspade

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antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace work layoffs workplace subreddit reddit thread Reddit company toxic-work-environment
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