Surviving a Layoff

Tech Jobs are Not for the Risk Averse | #16

The news of layoffs after layoffs seem never-ending lately. It feels like every day we hear about a new company that is letting go of people. As an employee, I’ve been both laid off and been a survivor of a layoff. It is definitely worse to be let go from a job but it also isn’t a great feeling to see your colleagues go either. For anyone who has been on either side of a layoff, there are strategies to take to help make the process less painful while building your sense of resilience.

I never experienced layoffs until I moved into the tech sector. In my last several jobs at tech companies, I’ve witnessed multiple rounds of layoffs almost every year. The companies I worked for ranged from tiny seed stage of 15 employees to large pre-IPO startups with 1000s of employees. Size doesn’t really matter when it comes to a layoff. Any type of role can be eliminated.

To work in tech is not for the risk averse.

In the tech world, long term job stability is not common so it’s important to have a mindset that this might just be a brief stop on your career journey. Many tech companies think their employees are there to just do the job that needs to get done; however, I will argue that most employees are also there for their own career to collect new skills and experiences while helping the company actualize their mission.

Losing Colleagues During a Layoff

As someone who survives a layoff, it’s tough to see your colleagues go. I worked for the parent company WeWork during 2019 when it was going through massive layoffs which were publicized all over the news. Multiple documentaries and a television show portrayed that volatile time period. During that time, I worked at one of WeWork’s acquisitions who felt the brunt of their financial problems and had to do their own layoffs.

I vividly remember my first experience with a layoff. Our company’s office was at another WeWork office building close to the WeWork headquarters. One day, we had a last minute meeting put on our calendars for 9am. We were told it was mandatory to attend that meeting in person. Since I had never been through a layoff, I didn’t realize what that meeting was going to be about.

That morning, we all were sitting in our common space, and heard from the founders that they needed to layoff a percentage of us due to the financial problems WeWork and our company was facing during this time. We were given instructions to go to our desks/computers and check our email in 5 minutes where it would tell us to report to a certain location. When I opened up my email, it said to report to another WeWork building that was a few blocks away from this location.

I was one of the lucky ones. When I showed up to the building and the meeting room, I noticed a lot of my teammates; however there were a few missing people. That is when I realized that the missing individuals were probably having conversations at that moment with HR to learn that their jobs were being eliminated. That day was a day of sorrow across all of WeWork and its many acquired companies. It’s a day I will never forget.

Losing Your Job During a Layoff

When you get laid off, it’s common to go through a period of grief. You lose your colleagues who have become friends, and you lose the thing that has brought meaning to your day to day since we spend so many hours at work. You also face fear and uncertainty about how long you will be out of a job, and there is that insecurity of your financial future. All of sudden, you need to be careful with spending and may have to alter any vacation plans or extra spending.

When I was let go from one small startup, it was done in such a humane way. I was asked to join a meeting with the Founder who broke the news to me. There was no longer a need for my role, and they needed to make some hard decisions to ensure the startup’s runway would last until their next round of funding. This was a seed stage startup so this news was not a huge surprise to me, especially since several colleagues of mine were previously let go during that year. At first, I did experience a range of emotions; however, once I was able to process my feelings, I realized it was probably for the best.

Sometimes being forced out can be a gift that you don’t realize until much later.

I was given a month’s notice to wrap up work and then an additional month of severance along with my healthcare. I also was able to negotiate additional money to pay for an online writing program at a company which ironically ended up hiring me for my next job. One of the reasons that I’ve stayed in the tech space is that I’ve been able to find something else pretty quickly. Having a mindset that no job is forever has helped me move on quickly.

How to Get Through a Layoff

Allow Yourself to Grieve and Process Emotions

I know that not everyone has a layoff story like mine and for many, it can be devastating to lose your job. One of the things that is important to do is to take the time to process your feelings. You may experience a wide range of emotions from anger to fear to sometimes even relief. I have many friends/past colleagues who recently lost their jobs at both tech startups and large established companies. It’s important to identify and recognize what you are feeling and allow those feelings to be expressed. In my past coaching work, I’ve used the Feelings Wheel to help clients identify those emotions.

Focus on Self Care & Start a New Routine

Allowing yourself to go through that process of grief is healthy and can allow you to jump back faster. It’s also important to focus on self care and use this time to do things that bring you joy. Once you start working again, you won’t have this free time. When you lose a job abruptly, you lose your daily structure and routine.

I found it helpful to plan things during the day when everyone else was working rather than sitting around doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself. It could be simple things like taking a walk in a park, going to the library to get new books to read, or meeting up with a friend for coffee. Any small action can be helpful in changing your perspective and creating some positive movement forward.

Reflect & Assess to Gain Perspective

A valid fear that I have heard from friends impacted by a recent job loss is that it’s going to be tough to find a new job in this volatile economy. Companies are tightening their belts and there is a surplus of talent looking for jobs which makes it more competitive when applying for open roles.

This is a good time to check in with yourself to think about what is important to you. Taking a pause to gain perspective and re-evaluate your priorities can prevent job dissatisfaction in the long term. It’s also wise to be realistic about finances and to calculate your runway. I would start with understanding how much time you may need to find a new job before you run out of money to pay the bills. Then I would explore what are “all” of your possible options. For some who don’t want to go back to working full-time for a company, it might be an opportunity to consider freelance or contract work. For others, it might mean to take the step to start that dream business and take the path of entrepreneurship.

Some reflections questions to get started in this process include:

1. What is important to me right now?

2. What am I really good at?

3. When do I feel the most energized?

4. What tasks drain me?

5. What would I like my life to be like a year from now? (or 3 years from now?)

6. What do I want to learn next?

7. What am I most afraid of?

Follow Your Curiosity to Explore What’s Next

Learn something new. Start to map out what might be next. Update your story and online presence. This is free time that you didn’t have when you were working full-time. Take advantage of this time to explore all of your interests and discover new things. Consider doing a makeover of your career profile so that it presents you in a new light towards what you want to be rather than what you have already been.

How do you want the world to see you now so that you can start building that next phase of your career and live a life with more passion and purpose?

Reach out to your network for support and help. You will be able to pay it forward one day so don’t feel shy to ask for help right now. I’ve seen such success in people being vulnerable after a layoff and posting on LinkedIn about their experience and what they are specifically looking to do next or what they need help with from others. I am always pleasantly surprised by the number of people including strangers that are willing to help those who have been impacted by a layoff. I recently posted in a LinkedIn group about jobs available at my company and how I can help with a direct referral. It felt personally fulfilling to be able to help others right now.

I am huge proponent of LinkedIn and recently hit 5000+ followers which was quite a milestone for me. Over the past two years, I created a habit to write online posts, comment on other posts of people I admire, and share information that can help others. I think LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for both networking, learning about opportunities, and for building your own personal or professional brand.

LINKEDIN TIP: I recommend downloading your LinkedIn contact list with names of people, where they work, what they do, and how you know them. Having this list can be a good starting place to remember who might be able to help you so you don’t have to navigate this journey to what’s next on your own.

Practice Gratitude & Nurture Your Community

It’s normal to cycle through different emotions throughout this process. Some days, you may feel very down, anxious, or upset. Allow yourself to go through those feelings. One practice to help me move forward after feeling down is to write down what I am grateful for.

Here is one of the gratitude lists I created after one of my layoffs:

I’m grateful for:

• Having extra time to spend with my son after school

• Being able to go visit my family and spend extra days with them without having to worry about my job

• Waking up late and having a leisurely morning with plenty of time for exercise, reading, writing, and cooking a healthy meal

• Going to my favorite coffee shop during the day and working on my job search without worrying about anything else

• Meeting up with friends for coffee chats when I used to never have time to take a break during the work day

Don’t forget to keep track of ALL of the people who help you in any possible way during this time. Keep in regular touch with people even if it’s just through a short phone call or email message. I recommend updating people who seem invested in you on how things are going with your search. Also, remember to thank anyone for their help immediately and then later on once you land your next thing.

Resources For What’s Next

Job/Career Resources

Teal - If you need any help with your job search, this is an excellent resource that can help you build your resume, track your job applications, and a lot more.

Satya Creates Career Ideation Tool - This is a simple tool that I built where you combine your skills and interests to help ideate new career possibilities.

Podcasts

Brown Table Talk - This LinkedIn podcast series, hosted by Dee C. Marshall and Mita Mallick, is all about thriving in the work world. I recommend listening to What To Do After You Have Been Laid Off or What To Do After You Have Survived a Layoff.

Portfolio Career Podcast - I met this podcast series host, David Nebinsky, when he was a guest speaker at one of my past jobs and highly recommend his podcasts on how to create your own portfolio of work.

Past Articles from Satya Creates

Navigating a Career Crisis - I wrote about my various career challenges and how to navigate them.

Making a Career Transition - I created this step by step guide on how to make a career transition based on how I’ve helped many people transition careers in the past through my coaching work.