E-Paper
‘I was the only person from India’: Employee laid off from US job over 9 pm call
The employee’s post about suddenly being laid off has prompted a series of responses on Reddit.
What seemed like an ordinary workday turned into a nightmare for an Indian engineer at a US firm. Hit with a sudden late-night layoff during a routine-looking HR call, the worker opened up on Reddit about the shock after unexpected role elimination.
“I work from home for a US-based company and yesterday was literally like any other day. Everything was normal until around 9 PM when I got a call from HR,” the Reddit user wrote.
The employee continued, “I joined the call thinking it was probably something routine. Instead, I was told that they had made the decision to eliminate my role as part of an internal organisational restructuring. I was also told it wasn’t performance related.”
As the sole Indian developer in an offshore engineering unit, the isolation of the decision made the sudden news hit even harder. “I was the only person from India on the engineering team, so there wasn't anyone else from my team being laid off. It was just me.”
Blindsided in minutes
The individual said that, with no warning signs or prior notice, the brief meeting left no time to process the life-altering announcement. “The whole conversation probably lasted only a few minutes, but it completely threw me off. No prior intimation, no time to prepare, nothing that made me think this was coming.”
Reacting to the sudden job loss, the person further continued, “I've never been laid off before and honestly, it just f**king sucks. I know layoffs happen and I know it isn't necessarily a reflection of my work, but that doesn't make it any easier to process.”
The person explained, “Right now I'm just trying to figure out what comes next, updating my resume, applying, preparing for interviews and hoping I land somewhere good.”
How did social media react?
An individual shared, “I was laid off last year in a similar fashion. Spent the next hour just stunned and staring at my laptop screen. It happens.” Another expressed, “For the last month, I have also been unemployed, but I resigned from my role while you were laid off. That's the difference. I really understand your situation right now. I believe you will get a new and better opportunity soon. More power to you, and best of luck.”
A third commented, “Take a break for a couple of days. Watch a show you like. Then recollect your thoughts and get going. Do not get anxious. You will land something good.” A fourth wrote, “Shock >> Hatred >> Disappointment >> Relief >> Perseverance >> Opportunity or an absolutely new path opens up >> Business As usual, the timeline can vary from 1 month to 6 months.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Hindustantimes.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
