Employee quits their job 1.5 hours before his whole team is laid off with severance: 'If you ever know you’re getting let go, don’t resign'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 7, 2025 10:00 PM EST

Timing is everything, even with leaving a job. What if you leave right before they get an espresso machine? You'd be kicking yourself from here to Tuesday. At the same time, when you have to go, you have to go. That means, though, that sometimes you end up in situations that you wish you hadn't, like in this story, where a worker at a company that was jeopardized went ahead and found himself a new job. But soon he realized he was leaving a lot of money on the table.

These things are never an exact science, and it's always better to leave a job on your own terms instead of being forced to. It's better to be in control of your life instead of at the whim of your employer. Plus, the job market is tough. If you can find a worthwhile job, it's much smarter to jump ship, lest you miss the opportunity. This is the problem, though, of existing at the whim of a boss. You can find yourself taken advantage of in ways you didn't even expect. 

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  • A woman with read hair holds her face in her hands at work.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • After half of his team was let go without severance, this employee started looking for the lifeboats. But when he finally found him, he realized that he had jumped ship a little too soon. Scroll on to read what happened in this story and what commenters had to say about it. 

  • Quit my job. 1.5 hours later people are laid off with severances.

    My job has been experiencing some turbulence lately and in October they laid half of my team. off (about 10-15 people) - those people did not get severances. Once things started to go downhill, I started applying to other jobs and I found a new full- time job which starts in January and I've also started a part time weekend position which requires a week of training the week after next.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • Yesterday, my current job announced that my entire team would be let go and our director clarified that there would be a 90 day transitional period and that we would get letters in our emails clarifying our end date.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • I log on today to see no letter from HR had been sent yet and since I know the folks let go in October didn't get a severance I decided to just send in my resignation so that I could give about a week and a half notice.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • 1.5 hours later I get told that a group of about 5 other colleagues was let go effective immediately and would still be getting paid for the next 3 months. As for me? Too bad, so sad. I had submitted my resignation so I was not eligible for anything.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • I am obviously extremely grateful to have found another job in this super uncertain job market but it does sting a bit to know that if I had sent my resignation in a little later in the day I would've had some extra free money for a few months.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • ETA: to clarify, I resigned because we were told our end date would be in early March and I had to leave by next Friday to attend training for the weekend job the week of the 15th. I otherwise would've stayed on until I got let go.
    via u/PowerpuffGworls
  • A conference room full of people sitting in chairs at an office.
    via Redd Francisco

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Commenters gave their two cents on the situation.

    Possum JenkinsS... . 18h ago I know this advice is coming a little late - but if you ever know you're getting let go, don't resign.
    via u/PossumJenkinsSoles
  • yanocupominomb • 18h ago WHY WOULD YOU RESIGN!?!?!? Facepalm . I would have waited until they told me I'm fired, I want my severance pay.
    via u/yanocupominomb
  • Zone 16h ago NoFlex _Zone You fell for it and they got you. Your company was praying more of you quit tbh.
    via u/NoFlex___Zone
  • nospmiSca • 16h ago You could also be the person who sends an email at the end of one day saying im done effective immediately, like how the people let go were notified of no weeks notice.
    via u/nospmiSca
  • Temporary_Tune... 18h ago Lol that fkn sucks, but no use dwelling on it.
    via u/Temporary_Tune5430
  • Pre3Chorded • 15h ago I would way rather have a new job lined up than a couple grand and the challenge of job hunting.
    via u/Pre3Chorded
  • . Slowmac123 16h ago Well now you know to coast instead if you ever feel like quitting
    via u/Slowmac123
  • FilthyDaemon · 16h ago Yeah, it sucks. I am glad you have another job lined up, though. I hope your colleagues do, too, but at least you don't have the panic of "I thought I had until March."
    via u/FilthyDaemon
  • S... 15h ago Edited 14h ago • • Hey, you made a good choice anyway, no guarantee that you would have been in the severance group, it's all a bit weird and inconsistent, I'd not be confident there's actually follow through. And if you weren't let go with this batch, you'd be doing all those people's work too.... And maybe staying in for the hope of severance
    via u/Secret-Bobcat-4909
  • mikemerriman • 8h ago You have a new job. Presumably the others do t. Stop overthinking this
    via u/mikemerriman
  • Novel_Primary4... . • 16h ago I once gave extended notice to help the hospital find my replacement. They withheld my annual bonus in gratitude.
    via u/Novel_Primary4812
  • soopirV 14h ago • I didn't know layoffs were coming but recognized that I was no longer happy in my role after an otherwise fantastic 21-year career, so tendered my resignation, and the next day they announce layoffs. I wouldn't have been impacted but I would've been happy to give my position up to save others, and would've gotten 21 months of severance.
    via u/soopirV
  • ratherBwarm • 14h ago Sorry for the long story, but almost 45 yrs later I'm still bitter about this one. I joined a company to share IT responsibilities with a "PhD candidate". I got hired during a RIF -people were literally being walked out as I
    via u/ratherBwarm
  • was signing my paperwork. My co-IT manager Bill (different boss) was a high functioning alcoholic, but our customer base of 300 engineers and staff knew the score. I didn't figure out Bill until 2 yrs in, and I was carrying most of the load. Then he
    via u/ratherBwarm
  • had his 3rd car wreck, couldn't talk his way out of the DUI, and got his license pulled. Thursday noon he'd bus to the court appointed schrink(?) to report how he was doing, stop off at a bar on the way back and get plastered. My manager just told me to "deal with it”.
    via u/ratherBwarm
  • Near the end of yr 3 we heard there was another RIF coming, and Bill knew he'd be on the list. He barrowed his boss's car (with permission), ran home to check the date he needed to stay in to have a stock option go active, and typed a resignation letter stating he be leaving on a certain date to finish his PhD. His boss was a buddy and performed some HR magic. so Bill got to stay until after his option date.
    via u/ratherBwarm
  • On RIF day Bill bragged about how he worked the system, then went to lunch/bar and didn't come that afternoon. Several weeks later he came back from a lunch totally drunk, passed out in a restroom, and was taken out by ambulance. His boss worked his magic again, and Bill got to "work from home" till his resignation date. He got some nice stock options.
    via u/ratherBwarm
  • Ready307 13h ago Looks like the company didn't give any notice, fired your colleagues immediately. Maybe we should proceed the same. It stinks in your case but you are better than the others bc you found a new job and were ready to leave the company anyhow. So be grateful that it's on your own terms.
    via u/Ready307
  • Tired WomanBren • 15h ago If I had a New Job then I would let the business do what it will. Severance pay is not all it seems. I was in a position where there was RIFs. The severance that given was always contingent on completion of the year or project. It also provided
    via u/TiredWomanBren
  • assistance by a group to help you find a new job. I found these "groups" were useless. They tried psychological approach and then saying we should have expected the RIFs. If you have a job unable to respond hand, take it. The severance that others receive is from the guilt of management and prevention of la suits.
    via u/TiredWomanBren
  • Jungianstrain · 13h ago Welp that means your resignation is effective immediately.
    via u/Jungianstrain
  • Sir_fat_Louie • 11h ago Uhh this might get some hate... but don't give notice? When you get fired almost most of the time you don't get a 2 weeks hey I'm going to fire you in 2 weeks just fyi.
    via u/Sir_fat_Louie
  • . missyflash • 4h ago Not sure where you're located, but in Spain you can withdraw your resignation before your last day, and the company has to take you back. Might be worth checking if there's something similar where you are.
    via u/missyflash
  • bananashznobon... . 16h ago Never quit, make them fire you. Then make their lives hell while applying for unemployment. Always do the most to inconvenience any employer. They sure as hell will go out of their way to inconvenience you.
    via u/bananashznobones86

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