Laid Off: The Plot Thickens

In a prior post, I noted that I had been laid off by my company. Understand: I’m not really OK with it, in the big picture. I’m still to far from retirement to not look for a job, the market simply sucks, and the economy is not showing signs of improvement.

But I did have some issues around it. To put it simply, I was hired days before an acquisition. I don’t feel wrong to feel that, at some level, it was a bait-and-switch. I was put into a role I had zero experience with, but expected to perform as a pro. I feared I was being set up to fail. This lay off may have been an expedient alternative to a PIP. I wasn’t meeting the mark–I was failing. In spite of all my efforts, they needed to get me out without any paperwork or formality.

A former colleague clued me in, however, that this layoff impacted about fifty people they were aware of. This explains a lot of things, but this definitely feels less targeted at me. They are doing an earnings announcement next week, so they got to get their numbers where they want them.

What’s more, a private equity firm–the one that sold them my original company–is not looking to acquire that one. This is clearly finance bro nonsense.

Again, this doesn’t make this situation good or even great. But it does help me feel a bit better about it.