You know what sucks? For all the employees there, including HR, they would definitely sympathize with the person pulling this.
The people at the top however? CEOs and whatnot? They wouldn’t fucking care. I don’t even think they would have an ounce of sympathy.
That’s the reality.
Correct. They are there to manage the company’s human resources. They’re not there to help us. It’s in the name of their title. The company perceives people as nothing but another resource to exploit.
You are implying people choose to work in HR because they are heartless corporate bootlickers who like crushing people’s lives, and not because, idk, it’s a job they get paid to do
Exactly. Humans are funny, irrational beings. We feel these things like sympathy super strongly when we see another person suffering.
Without the direct sight though, we don’t feel it.
So maybe the CEO would if he was there, but chances are he isn’t so he doesn’t.
It’s a big part about why it’s not what you know but who you know that’s so important in life.
I wonder why it’s like that? After all they’re the same raw material - human.
It must be because upper management is culled, is screened, for selecting heartlessness and ruthlessness, and the lack of sympathy.
Well technically the worst (but absolutely legal) thing you can do, from their perspective is to be very well versed in your rights for the state or province you’re in. Is it a dismissal without cause? Then what severance are they offering? Did your negotiate it? Basically they’ll want you to sign something and promise not to sue - in exchange to signing this they’ll offer something. Negotiate that… Usually in the form of X weeks of pay per years of service at your employer, but X can vary and be negotiated. You can also negotiate a referral letter from your boss even though companies usually say “we don’t make referral letters” - as part of my package negotiation you will…
I hope it helps!!
You might - refusing to sign, sending a well written formal notice, articulating a good demand with a rationale. It could be that based on your skills, the economy, opportunities in your field, etc that their standard severance won’t “make you whole”, i.e. allow you to find replacement employment that pays the same in a reasonable timeframe.
Ultimately a judge might rule that you had a reasonable expectation of financial stability from your employer, and by laying you off they’re taking that away. The severance is there to bridge that expectation, so if you can demonstrate that their offered severance package is really far, you have a case.
Now the employer knows that - so if you prepare properly and ask/negotiate you have a shot!
No. You can almost never sue. At-Will employment is the standard almost everywhere.
But you can typically claim unemployment if you’re terminated without cause.
The United States of America is the only country with At-Will employment. Far from ‘everywhere’.
That’s funny and all, but the real answer is call in sick to fuck with them, provided it’s the kind of job with sick time/vacation time.
provided it’s the kind of job with sick time/vacation time.
And even if it isn’t, what’re they gonna do? Double-fire you?
Well, you’d lose your last day of paid employment, which is a big deal to most people with jobs that don’t have paid time off.
I assume they would use PTO for that day. But then I guess that means your PTO payout will be smaller, so still a net loss.
Funny story: I was on vacation when a previous job ended in layoffs, which happened on a Friday. On Sunday night I got an IM from a coworker letting me know about the layoffs, but I still went into work on Monday, feigning ignorance. Here, if you show up for work but they have no more work for you, they still have to pay you for a minimum of 3 hours. Anyway, unemployment Insurance is a federal thing, here. They still delayed the 2 weeks of pay they would normally have to pay it by calling it a temporary layoff, though they paid it 6 months later when temporary became permanent.
Years later at a different job, I was home, sick from food poisoning when layoffs happened. Came into work the next day only to be invited by the HR person into a meeting room where they explained what had happened. I still had a small assignment I’d promised to a VP, so I asked if I could just finalize it and send it off. They let me and I did it (took maybe 30 minutes) and then I left. About 4 years later, when I was looking for work, that VP remembered me, and that contributed to being rehired there in a new position, and I’ve been with that same employer now for the past 12 years (that VP has since left.) Best place I ever worked at, both times.
Take a couple sick days and spread a rumor that the boss is gonna fire his lover because he/she also fucked his partner.
I was torn up because I had to fire a switchboard operator who just couldn’t make it in on time. It’s one of those jobs where you have to be there when the business says it’s open. She got some warnings and then within a week she was late again. I had to fire her. During the termination meeting she said “This is harder for you than it is for me.”
Not really. But she didn’t care much. She knew what the rest of us learned from COVID. Your life doesn’t depend on your job. Shortly after this event she went to Africa.
