Job Insecurity & Workplace Issues

“I am a 23 year old woman in marketing and just got “laid off” for the first time. I’m saying this in quotation marks because I’m not sure if it has to do with my performance though they didn’t say so and are giving me severance. I have disliked this job since day one but it was fully remote and allowed me to work and I liked my bosses so I kept working. It’s been 11 months now and they decided to start outsourcing SEO which is my whole role. I feel like it’s my fault and it seems like the bigges”

“so, in august, i got laid off from a company where i had worked for more than six years. during a short vacation, my colleague called me and told me he couldn’t find me on slack. i checked my phone, and boom, all my access had been revoked, along with a sweet little email explaining what had happened. i was pretty confident in my skills, so i thought finding another job would be easy. i was aware of the current job market situation, but i didn’t realize it was this f’d up. until now, I did not g”

“For the amount of money that the company ended up losing on us being laid off, it was ridiculous. One good example is that there was a grant for an OT cybersecurity testing lab I’d begun working on for them that they just decided to stop pursuing. So I contacted another company and completed it for them instead. It was granted to the tune of several million dollars. 🤷‍♂️ [re: Laid off today for the first time ever]”

“People get laid off all the time. You are being way to dramatic over something thats likely to happen again maybe multiple times over a whole career. [re: Talk Me Out of a Public Name and Shame]”

“For one PM, a layoff meant several months out of work and the longest unplanned break since school. Severance and savings covered the gap, which took a lot of the immediate financial stress out of it. Looking back after finding another role, the PM's takeaway was how narrow your perspective can get after a long time at one company. Changing the context and the problems you work on can teach you a lot, especially in product management. There's survivorship bias here, and the financial cus”

“How common is it for someone to be fired (e.g. performance reasons) but tell their new employer they were laid off/resigned but later getting caught? And to be fair a lot of PIPs are disguises of layoffs. Assuming they passed the background check and already started working, has anyone experienced or witnessed the new employer later discovering the truth through informal communication with the former employer (not through a background check)? Would this lead to termination for dishonesty? Lookin”

“Two weeks ago, I found out my company was planning to do layoffs through the grapevine. I instantly jumped into survival mode and refreshed my resume and began applying. For context, I work on a marketing team in tech - so I knew our department was going to be one of the first to get the axe. Sure enough, this Tuesday they layed off 19% of the company. 3 of my teammates got cut and I stayed. I'm a pretty junior member of the team - definitely the greenest there. They're still hiring role”

“I’m looking for career advice rather than legal advice. I recently lost an Account Executive position unexpectedly. Short version: I needed a brief medically documented leave, proactively notified HR, followed the company’s leave process, completed treatment, and returned to work. Approximately 3 hours after returning, I was involuntarily terminated and told I was “not a culture fit.” Before the leave, I had not been placed on a PIP, had no written disciplinary warnings, and had not been told th”

“what was the last job and how long were you there? you didn’t say. was it audit, tax? midsize firm or a private company in industry? A little more context is needed.”

“I'm a software engineer who has been fired 1 day before his probation period ends, and I'm having a hard time to decide what to put in the CV, LinkedIn and tell to the recruiters. That layoff wasn't related to a lack of performance or working attitude, but rather a click/fit issue with my manager. For 1 month I was hiding it without updating my LinkedIn profile and CV (pretending I still work there). Interviewers were asking me if I'm looking actively or passively, why looking fo”

“Hi, I have just been laid off 1 month before I’m due to give birth (in Colorado/salary exempt) and I am very stressed and have a lot of questions on what to do next. The company is not offering me severance pay after 2.5 years there. From the letter they sent, my medical plan will continue to be in effect until the end of October, but I am not sure if I am paying for it. The company is offering reimbursement for COBRA for the month of November. I have met my deductible for my insurance, but I’m”

“I was laid off in February for the second time in two years. I've had multiple interviews since then and I've noticed something that seems a bit off and very confusing as well. In July I was asked to do three hours of on-site interviews after a really good screening call. After those interviews were done a recruiter stepped into the room and told me I'm the only one being interviewed for the position, my background is impressive, etc. A week later he calls me and says a last minute c”

“So I got laid off on Monday. When I saw a teams meeting with my manager and HR coming in, I knew I did something wrong, and I was about to get canned. The result was, it was my performance which I had no control over as the mortgage rates went up. No one is buying g, refinancing etc. it’s been slow the last couple months…I am wondering what type of other work is transferrable from that industry? submitted by /u/Separate-Cry3678 [link] [comments]”

“I got fired today after being at the company for around 2 months. It’s my first time ever being fired and honestly, I’m taking it pretty hard. I think what makes it harder is that this was also the first bad performance review I’ve ever had . In my previous jobs, I’d never been told that I was performing badly, so I didn’t see this coming. After reflecting on everything, I can definitely see that I have my share of faults. There are things I could’ve done better, and I’m not trying to pretend I”

“I just got laid off for the first time in my early 40s due to a company reorg, and I’m sitting with a strange mix of relief and anxiety. Relief because my department has been toxic for a long time: constant tension, retaliation, and a culture that made showing up every day feel heavier than it should. Anxiety because the future is uncertain, and my last official day is in December. It’s a weird emotional split. Leaving that environment is probably the healthiest thing that could’ve happened, but”

submitted by /u/Organic_Connection17 [link] [comments]

“I have worked in a commercial laboratory for what would have been three months next week. Today I got fired. I will share what their reasons were after providing context on what the environment was like. I made a fair few mistakes in the time I worked there with my analysis of materials, but I always followed procedure in fixing it, attempting to figure out what caused the mistake, and trying to improve. I asked for help where needed and I feel like most of my work was good, with the exception o”

submitted by /u/Ok-Scale3373 [link] [comments]

“For some context, I was fired a few weeks ago at my job that I have been at for \~1.5 years after being placed on a 30 day PIP. When I was fired, I was placed on a 2 week garden leave, and I applied to many jobs as still employed during that time (which was effectively true at the time). My garden leave is up today, and I now have a phone screen tomorrow for a job that I applied to a week ago. Obviously I’m not going to bring this up unless directly asked, but how would you frame my current situ”

“I got let go from my toxic job this week. I was already interviewing and am having final panel interview early next week for a job I really want. Now my dilemma is when the question "why are you leaving your current employer?" unavoidably comes up, do I say the same thing as two previous rounds and hope offer comes quickly so the background check doesnt show break or do I tell the truth? I am really stressed as I want this job, not only need one submitted by /u/With_No_Enth”

“Hi everyone, I’m posting this because I’m honestly quite frustrated and could use some practical advice from people in the QA/testing industry. I was laid off from my previous company around 8 months ago. After the layoff, I also had some health issues due to the kind of rotation shifts I had been working in my previous job, so I had to take around 2–3 months of rest/recovery before I could properly start looking again. Since then, I’ve been actively searching for jobs but things are getting ext”

“Since November, I haven't had a job, and in July, I was hired by a law firm for the position of "Insurance Specialist." The training started two weeks ago, and from the beginning, they told us that there would be an exam today. I want to make it clear that the whole process with the company seemed very serious to me, from the recruitment process to the actual training. I accept that it's my fault that I didn't pass the exam, but there is one thing I'd like to complain a”

“I was laid off about four weeks ago and am trying to figure out the best way to manage the next few months. The good news is that I’m already getting interviews, and I’m hoping to secure a new role within the next month or so. At the same time, I’m planning to apply in R2/R3 for MBA programs, primarily targeting M7 and other T20 schools. The challenge is that I also need to take the GMAT and get a competitive score. So my current list is: Active job search + applications Interview prep + intervi”

“It has taken me a week to get my thoughts together, but I was laid off a week and 3 days ago. I knew things were going to change because the CSO came in to his role and started talking about hunters and farmers, I swear every sales manager in 2026 has attended the same conference and got brainwashed with this stupid jargon. My previous director was kind enough to tell me two months ahead of time to start looking. She was also on the chopping block but ultimately she made it. I started preparing”

“Often hard to prove it’s not true since most paths are just waiting periods. Until those periods are over you cant show you’re not working towards it.”

“A "friend" was laid off. Position was absolutely a termination based on being on a PIP (not deserved, but that is another discussion). Anyway, friend had never been laid off before and they panicked and signed an agreement for a token amount of severance. In the back of the package, there was a letter and it was presented as a don't forget the back page needing to be signed. Upon review, the back page ended up being a resignation letter to an executive of the company. Life lesson:”

“Noone needs to know the specifics of why you're no longer employed there. Put the dates of employment on your resume, and leave it at that. Don't offer the reason at all. If you're asked about it in an interview, tell them you were laid off, nothing more.”

Yeah I’m not sure what’s so confusing.

“It probably changed. I worked for a company that required US Citizens for a short time, they would have gotten in trouble to have a non US citizen to even walk past the reception area.”

This 100x. "Clearance ineligibility" could mean much worse things.

“If you weren't required to have security clearance when they hired you, then you can tell prospective employers that the company changed policies and people who didn't meet the new criteria were let go. If they ask what that criteria is, just tell them you can't discuss it because it's a company policy matter that's confidential. Make sure you get good reference letters, in writing, from the people who still work there who told you they were sorry that it happened to you. If”

“I'm not sure where to start. I was working as a Systems Administrator at the (confidential) company, and I really loved the job. The people were great, I enjoyed the work, and I felt like I was finally building the career I had been working toward. note: i needed to update this part , when i applied to this job they had greencard holders and US citizens listed,but after i got hired, they got a huge gov contract which required everyone to have clearance. Today, I was told that the position re”

“Hi, I was laid off end of January and started a new job early June. The new job ended up being the most toxic workplace I’ve ever been in and I was blindsided/terminated the first week of August. Obviously, I will not be including my most recent job from June-August on my resume. How concerning is an employment gap of January to now? My last day of work at the job I was laid off from was January 30th so I’m going to update the end date to “February 2026” which will help a tiny bit. Do I wait unt”

“This is the second time I will be getting laid off while being deployed. So I got laid off from my employer not sure if I should say the name but I will if people can help me. Apparently they were having voluntary lay offs, I didn’t get the any to my personal email. Now here’s how they messed up I am supposed to be getting paid pay. I’m in the reserves, I was supposed to be back May 2027 but Lincoln financial messed up and sent my employer a September 2026 return date. I contacted them to send t”

“I was laid off 2 years ago.. it took me 10 months to land a new job. I am currently in a new company for a year now. The only feedback I have is that I need to start learning the functionality of the company. I am currently an it manager. Please advise I was hoping to get a promotion by next year but I have ptsd since my last lay off and I am constantly thinking I will never get a promotion just laid off once again.. submitted by /u/Fun-Programmer8432 [link] [comments]”

“Hello everyone, I was laid off in March despite receiving my full bonus based on my strong performance. It has now been more than five months, and I’m still searching for my next opportunity. During interviews, I have always been honest about being laid off. However, some people advise me not to mention it and to present myself as still employed, while others recommend being completely transparent. Based on your experience, what is the best way to address a layoff during the interview process? I”

“My husband was fired from his last job (for making a mistake at work but they said he broke policy, but he in fact did not break policy). For another interview in the same industry, should he say he was laid off or fired and explain the situation? The industry is a tight nit one and people know each other or have worked in one of the companies. If he says he was laid off, will they find out? Or if he says he was fired, will that automatically not move him on to the next interview? His last job o”

“I have about 3 yoe and was impacted by a company wide layoff 2 years into my first job. It was a shocker to all of us. I worked at a government regulated privately company that "never had a layoff in the past 20 years". Everyone I talked to said we were safe, our company never do layoffs until we got the call and lost our access 30 minutes later. I ended up landing a high paying contract 2 months after and was converted to full time just after 6 months. Everyone tells me I'm doing”

“I was laid off due to cost cutting as the client is gone, project is gone and there were no single requirement in other teams. How do I explain this situation if an interviewer ask me, as there are some months of gap in my CV? I was the top performer of the team. The whole team was laid off 😓 submitted by /u/Royal-Job-9905 [link] [comments]”

“Like the title says. I was fired a few days ago. I know it was my fault, and there are no excuses. I'm currently standing outside the unemployment office, and I've started getting nervous about the idea of applying to other places because I'm sure this will come up in interviews. I was fired because I was on my phone during work. submitted by /u/Reasonable_Buy6703 [link] [comments]”

“Nah… timing issue. Pass on further inquiry. Debit: New Job Credit: Accrued Job Loss”

“Most sizable employers don't even entertain that question anymore. All they will confirm are names, dates, and titles.”

“Are there employment verification letters? I'm not familiar with this in the US.”

“My understanding is that an employer could answer “would you hire them back” but they won’t say how you left.”

“How normal is it for an employer to lay someone off, justify the layoff as the employee not improving in performance despite the fact that they met all their goals and more? No explanation given except that the employee was not meeting standards? No communication after the layoff. It's only been a week. submitted by /u/Blackfairystorm [link] [comments]”

“I had an office job where I was fired after asking Why we couldn't work from home during a COVID outbreak in the office Why the sidewalk and lot weren't salted and finally 3. There was an active gas leak in the office and they refused to call the gas company to check it out. This was all within a month, and suddenly all my weekly reviews turned bad and I got the boot a month or two later. submitted by /u/LQNova [link] [comments]”

“At the end of last year i was laid off by my dream role. I was getting back from a severely complex delivery/ maternity leave. They waited for me to close out a high value revenue project and the week after it shipped I was laid off. I wasn’t surprised because before I went on maternity leave they gave off the vibe. But I submitted my leave wayyyy early. As soon as I came back, I was very quickly laid off. Once laid off I took 3 months building and learning Ai. Went through 4 interviews, applied”

“I was laid off in february, same field. You cant be picky and need to apply where the work is. I did land a job in same area after a month but also had 10 interviews and was branching out to cali, WA, FL, and DC (VA). You cant afford to be picky. Also, NEVER pull out retirement money until you absolutely have to, and then still dont.”

“I have around 6 months of professional experience as a Data Analyst. I graduated in May 2025 and worked at a company for about 6 months before my position was affected as part of a company restructuring. I'm currently looking for my next job, but I'm unsure how to explain why I'm no longer with my previous company during interviews. I initially said "I was laid off" when someone asked me why I left. The person told me that some recruiters may interpret "laid off"”

“Got a voicemail and an email from my boss last Thursday that said they were terminating my employment. Only been there a few months but felt I was performing well and settling in. I responded to the email very respectfully saying I was confused and saddened but respect hard decisions have to be made and would love an opportunity to discuss the reasons why and possibly if there was anything I could do. No response for 5 days. I finally email my big boss, he didn’t reply but within an hour my boss”

“Hello! I live in the US (I know, ugh) and last year I was laid off from my tech position because the lab I was working in lost a lot of funding. The good thing was that I was able to find another position really quickly and have been working at this current lab for over a year! I’m now applying to PhD programs this cycle and I’m wondering if I should talk about getting laid off in my SOP? Or should I just mention it if asked in interviews? Thank you!! submitted by /u/Technical_Primar”

“Trying to get a general picture. I was just laid off from a CPG company in the 'better for you' foods category. (probably due to AI consolidation and declining sales). Was at the company for 3.6 years in a procurement / ops role. Who here was recently laid off and what are you doing to pick up the pieces? submitted by /u/VintageVibes33 [link] [comments]”

submitted by /u/am3333n [link] [comments]

“If I think im going to be laid off or fired, but have evidence of wrongdoing from a company, is it smart to ask directly am I being laid off for xyz or for raising concerns about the legality of doing abc during the discussion exit discussion? Or would that give them an opportunity to refute on record? submitted by /u/snavage20 [link] [comments]”

“Does telling the people interviewing you that you were recently laid off really hurt your leverage? How often do you low ball the candidate just because they were recently laid off? If you want that candidate and low ball him/her and they ask for more, and it’s within your pay range, would you say no just because they are not employed? submitted by /u/Longjumping_Emu325 [link] [comments]”

“4 years at the same company. Home loan, done. Car loan, done. We went on holiday to celebrate. Came back, went to work Monday, got laid off. Cost-cutting and my work wasn't even the issue, they straight up told me that. Honestly don't know whether to be happy or sad about it. Happy I'm debt-free right when I need it most. Sad the timing couldn't have been worse. Anyone else notice signs, looking back, that something bad was coming right when things finally felt like they were goi”

“So I got laid off today, director position in healthcare field. We knew there were hiring freeze and layoffs slowly happening but as usual you never think it would happen to you. What amazed us the cold brutality that they lay you off with… sorry cutting budget , reorganizing blah blah .. it’s all a blur. Now to my question is 2 weeks severance just insanity for a 2.5 year Director level position? Especially if you are over 40 and the higher income bracket. How does a company justify that? Anyon”

“I had been working in this basic science lab for 6 weeks and I recently got let go. I will admit that the work wasn’t really my style and I received little to no training and had to figure stuff out in my own… Long story short I got let go. I am really scared how to explain this in interviews this cycle. I am looking for a clinical research coordinator position and wondering how screwed I am this cycle since I got let go. submitted by /u/j4xk_26 [link] [comments]”

“I got laid off Monday Aug 3, during the transition of me turning in my keys, my boss got upset I didn’t finish a project and started raising her voice at me. She had the audacity of placing her both her hands on my neck like she wanted to çh0ke me Infront of HR. HR did nothing.. I was shocked so I froze. submitted by /u/yulet621 [link] [comments]”