A man has sparked a discussion about job security after sharing how the sudden dismissal of a colleague left him worried about his own future at work. Writing on Reddit, the man said watching someone being asked to leave without any prior warning made him realise how uncertain employment can feel, even when everything appears to be going normally.
The Reddit user said he had joined the company only two weeks ago, but the incident had already left him thinking about how quickly things could change.
‘It shakes you’
“A person from my company got fired today. On spot, fired, bags packed, left. No prior indication. She was in sales but it still made me wonder if this is what job security is like these days. They can fire me anytime they feel like if I'm not valuable in their organisation and it scared me,” he wrote.
(Also read: Tech worker fired in just 2.5 hours over ‘poor hygiene’ says ‘my clothes didn’t stink’)
He said the incident made him question whether even a small mistake could put his job at risk. “One code crash and I'm out? Who knows? Or maybe without any crash, i could be out. I have seen this in previous organisations too, i joined this company two weeks ago and I don't want to think about all this but since that incident I'm thinking about this only. I might not have a job tomorrow or a week later.”
{{/usCountry}}He said the incident made him question whether even a small mistake could put his job at risk. “One code crash and I'm out? Who knows? Or maybe without any crash, i could be out. I have seen this in previous organisations too, i joined this company two weeks ago and I don't want to think about all this but since that incident I'm thinking about this only. I might not have a job tomorrow or a week later.”
{{/usCountry}}The man added that switching companies did not necessarily feel like a solution because layoffs and sudden job losses were no longer limited to one section of the industry.
“And the thing is joining other companies isn't a solution because it is not a startup thing, it is happening everywhere, from startups to FAANG. Where does one go?” he wrote.
He also explained how even ordinary financial commitments had started worrying him. “I also got a six-month gym membership two days back, if they fire me, I’m in serious trouble, I've one month rent security as a deposit too everything will become a mess. I know there is no point in thinking what hasn't happened but when you see it happening, it shakes you.”
The post was shared with the title, “Does job security exist in today's world? Layoffs everywhere”.
Take a look here at the post:
Reddit users react
The post drew several reactions from users who said they could relate to the anxiety surrounding sudden layoffs. One person wrote, “This fear is sadly very relatable.” Another said, “Job security feels like a myth these days.”
A third user commented, “This kind of uncertainty affects you mentally,” while another added, “Seeing a colleague fired like this is scary.”
(Also read: US company lays off ‘entire Indian customer service team’ over Google Meet: ‘All 80 employees’)
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)