Oh, and my plans for that third day of vacation? Completely fucked. 🙃
I basically ended up telling my partner, my BFF from high school, and her partner (the peeps we were vacationing with):
“hey, I think a Titanic hit an iceberg over at my work… I’m gonna hang around my phone a little bit longer in case anything else sinks. Let’s go to <wherever we were planning to go that day> later in the afternoon. And stop by a liquor store too. I need a fucking drink at this point”
Anyways, good thing I stuck around my phone a wee bit longer. Not long after my manager got laid off, I got a surprise calendar notification for a 15 minute meeting with my manager’s manager.
My brain in that moment: PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. PLEASE LET ME BE NEXT. 🙏
🙏🙏🤞
🤞🤞
At that point, I was so damn jaded, disillusioned, and disappointed. I couldn’t imagine what going back after my PTO would even feel like. I was really hoping I would be next to find out I was being laid off.
Oh, and my plans for that third day of vacation? Completely fucked. 🙃
I basically ended up telling my partner, my BFF from high school, and her partner (the peeps we were vacationing with):
“hey, I think a Titanic hit an iceberg over at my work… I’m gonna hang around my phone a little bit longer in case anything else sinks. Let’s go to <wherever we were planning to go that day> later in the afternoon. And stop by a liquor store too. I need a fucking drink at this point”
IMO my manager was a very high value/high performing person as well. Very strong keystone in our division’s corner as well.
So, their layoff just did not make any fucking sense to me at all.
At that point, I was so damn jaded, disillusioned, and disappointed. I couldn’t imagine what going back after my PTO would even feel like. I was really hoping I would be next to find out I was being laid off.
For one thing, my manager and I were in the midst of working on a big project together; in fact, the Friday before I began my PTO, my manager had messaged me with a “hey, when you get back, I found something for $project that I want to show you”.
Also, at least IMO my manager was playing a very important role within $project.
Plus, in a sense I was still basically shadowing my manager to help me learn and master some trickier parts of my new-ish role.
IMO my manager was a very high value/high performing person as well. Very strong keystone in our division’s corner as well.
So, their layoff just did not make any fucking sense to me at all.
Unbeknownst to either of us when I made that lightweight dark humor joke about their routine 15 minute 1:1 meeting turning into a layoff meeting, I guess, ✨
the universe💫
decided to demonstrate it has a very twisted sense of humor.
Either that, or I totally fucking jinxed it with that joke (I really hope that is not my secret superpower).
It felt like one helluva awkward gut punch afterwards though, I swear.
For one thing, my manager and I were in the midst of working on a big project together; in fact, the Friday before I began my PTO, my manager had messaged me with a “hey, when you get back, I found something for $project that I want to show you”.
Also, at least IMO my manager was playing a very important role within $project.
Plus, in a sense I was still basically shadowing my manager to help me learn and master some trickier parts of my new-ish role.
… and then my manager sends me a message ~5-10 minutes or so into their 15 minute 1:1 meeting.
“I’m sorry. I got cut”
I can’t tell you how long I was staring at that message in our Slack conversation on my phone. It was almost as if time ceased to exist.
But, I can tell you that I think my face looked like the below still of Joey from Friends the whole entire time. Then I tried to reply and got a “this message could not be sent” sort of error, due to their account being deactivated.
Unbeknownst to either of us when I made that lightweight dark humor joke about their routine 15 minute 1:1 meeting turning into a layoff meeting, I guess, ✨the universe💫 decided to demonstrate it has a very twisted sense of humor.
Either that, or I totally fucking jinxed it with that joke (I really hope that is not my secret superpower).
It felt like one helluva awkward gut punch afterwards though, I swear.
Again, me being worry-wart, I hop back into Slack and pull up our Slack conversation, with the hope that I might find out something soon.
Honestly, my hope was to either find out I wouldn’t have to worry about going back once my vacation was done (reminder: I was already quite burnout by this point) or at least find out, generally, what the fuck was going on and why so many talented people were being let go.
… and then my manager sends me a message ~5-10 minutes or so into their 15 minute 1:1 meeting.
“I’m sorry. I got cut”
I can’t tell you how long I was staring at that message in our Slack conversation on my phone. It was almost as if time ceased to exist.
But, I can tell you that I think my face looked like the below still of Joey from Friends the whole entire time. Then I tried to reply and got a “this message could not be sent” sort of error, due to their account being deactivated.
I think my manager lol’ed at it, and then tried to reassure me again that it’ll likely turn out fine since it’s the usual 15 minute 1:1 they have with their manager.
After that, some 20-30 minutes passed, and then it was about time for their routine 15 minute 1:1 meeting to begin.
Again, me being worry-wart, I hop back into Slack and pull up our Slack conversation, with the hope that I might find out something soon.
Honestly, my hope was to either find out I wouldn’t have to worry about going back once my vacation was done (reminder: I was already quite burnout by this point) or at least find out, generally, what the fuck was going on and why so many talented people were being let go.
I extended my thanks to them. Then, I followed up with one of my typical attempts at some subtle lightweight dark humor.
Can’t remember exactly how I phrased it, but the gist of it was roughly something like the following:
“Hopefully your usual 1:1 with your manager goes well and it doesn’t turn out to be a meeting that turns into another unwelcome surprise layoff 🤞”
I think my manager lol’ed at it, and then tried to reassure me again that it’ll likely turn out fine since it’s the usual 15 minute 1:1 they have with their manager.
After that, some 20-30 minutes passed, and then it was about time for their routine 15 minute 1:1 meeting to begin.
My manager knows I’m a bit of a worry-wart type of person, so they tried to provide some kindness and reassurance.
“Alright, stay calm. I’ve got my routine 1:1 with my own manager shortly, so I’ll try to find out what is going on. Plus, you’re not even supposed to be online right now, go enjoy your vacation and not think about work stuff” was pretty much the reply.
I extended my thanks to them. Then, I followed up with one of my typical attempts at some subtle lightweight dark humor.
Can’t remember exactly how I phrased it, but the gist of it was roughly something like the following:
“Hopefully your usual 1:1 with your manager goes well and it doesn’t turn out to be a meeting that turns into another unwelcome surprise layoff 🤞”
Natalie