Mismanaged Layoff
Nothing says “scary season” like a sudden layoff. One employee joined a mission-driven startup with big investor backing, only to find themselves locked out of systems mid-meeting — with no warning at all.
Mismanaged Layoff
I (35M) worked remotely for a research company that pivoted to create a product through their research. Their mission was noble, and it was easy to see the impact they were aiming to make. The idea, if scaled properly, would have been a game-changer for the environment, so when I was hired, I was ecstatic!
In my first month, there was a massive hiring spree - I estimate they hired 30% of their entire workforce in that month. I came to find out that they had recently received a large amount of money from investors in order to scale the company. On top of receiving all sorts of company swag, we were invited to fly out to their annual company picnic the following month. They also hosted a holiday party at the end of the year with gifts and prizes for the whole company. Cool! They should be set on finances, right?
In various meetings with employees, it was passively mentioned here and there that certain employees only fly first class or only stay in hotels at $600/night anytime they travel. To play it safe, I booked a cheap flight and reserved my room the company’s local hotel (~$80/night) per policy for the annual picnic.
Cracks started showing when I attended the picnic. Everyone is absolutely wonderful - we even got to tour the facility to see first-hand what we are working towards. However, my manager (whom I‘ve only met remotely) avoided me like the plague. He seemed super stressed and I (plus a few other members on our small team) were not invited out to dinner with the rest of the team. Strange…
In my third month at the company, I received a meeting invite for that Friday, which was titled super vague, like “All-Hands Information.” I reached out to a couple of my friends at the company. They receive something similar, but with different video links/locations. One of my friends confided that she was accidentally sent a spreadsheet from the C-Suite, listing every employee's information in three columns. The columns were color-coded, and no other information was listed. That week, we would hear whispers of the finance team stressed beyond normal. My onsite friends would hear yelling behind closed doors. We surmised that a possible layoff was impending.
On the day of the All-Hands meeting, some of us logged in remotely early and saw our coworkers walk into the large conference room. I didn’t see my friends, but recognized the others from being onsite at the picnic. When the meeting started, the CEO walked in and said, “Hey everyone - thanks for being here. We wanted to let you know that-” AND THEN EVERYTHING WENT BLACK.
I tried hopping back into the meeting again, and was denied - no access to anything. I couldn’t get into any of my emails, systems, etc. I texted my friends to see what’s going on. IT cut the laid-off employees during the meeting, but did not take into account that some employees were remote (facepalm). Thankfully, my friends were on the “safe” list and were able to pass along information on what was being said.
Yes, it was a layoff.
Yes, the company blew through the $25M investment.
Yes, everyone was pissed.
It really sucked being in that situation, considering I was only there for three months. Nothing is scarier than having to get back into the job market so quickly after starting a new role.
Oh, and all the first-class flying, $600/night hotel stay employees kept their jobs.
