The psychological trauma of being fired or laid off of a job is significant. Stanford noted that “feeling anxious and depressed, having trouble sleeping, not being able to enjoy activities that you are used to enjoying are all normal feelings that you may experience after a layoff.”
Entrepreneur reported that, in some instances, being fired from a job may even feel worse than a breakup. The business magazine cited a study from the University of East Anglia, which found “that for British men, their emotional well-being returns to normal two years after the death of their partners and four years after a breakup with their significant other. Men’s emotional states continue to decline even after four years after losing their jobs.”
And much like a breakup, there can be some telltale signs that you’re being “let go” before it happens—something popular @admindandeve discusses in a now-viral clip.
@adminandeve How to see the signs of layoffs before it gets to that point! #careertiktok #hrtok #laidoff #remotework #corporate #realestate ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
The TikToker shares work-related advice on her TikTok account, which is followed by over 100,000 people. She says she already went through two sets of corporate layoffs unscathed and correctly predicted her company is going to lay off workers “tomorrow.”
“How did I know my company was going to be going through rounds of layoffs two months they were actually announced? And how can you take a look at these warning signs and see the writing on the wall too. Let’s get into it,” she starts. “I’ve been lucky, but, this time, I may or may not be one of them.”
The TikToker says that upper management may start acting “funny.”
“Maybe they’ll stop engaging with the team in ways that they usually would, or maybe they’ll start focusing on random things they don’t usually. Like they’ll ask specific questions about budget, and then, you know, OK, there are budget issues.”
She continues, saying, the company may start “scrapping big dollar projects that they were really excited about a few months ago, to conserve money.”
“Think office moves, renovations, hiring,” she adds.
She says her company enacted a “hiring freeze,” or halted hiring for new positions. She says workers who may get laid off may start to receive feedback they are not accustomed to.
“This might be to build a case to put you on the chopping block. Cause they can’t cite performance issues if there’s not one,” she continues.
@adminandeve appeared to be right, because, in follow-ups she reveals she was laid off via email. She also says she was locked out of her email while reading that email that announced she was laid off. She is now taking followers on her hunt for her next job.
@adminandeve Replying to @timespacehashira #CVSPaperlessChallenge #careertiktok #hrtok #laidoff #remotework #techtok ♬ Either Homeless Or Somewhere in Japan – Wingy
TikTokers who saw @adminandeve’s first post shared some of the signs their own companies were about to experience mass layoffs. One said that “soap” was a big indicator.
“Big sign: they start running out of soap in the bathrooms. They stop paying vendors first. Been through 2 and the soap is a red flag,” one claimed.
“The biggest warning sign for me in retrospect was them asking us to make sure we had all our passwords/subscriptions in a master list,” another said.
“If they are citing performance issues they are muddying the waters to make themselves feel better. Layoffs are terms without cause,” a person who referred to them as an executive said.
One TikToker said they “could see it but stuck around for the severance,” claiming it was “worth the break.”
So what are the benefits of knowing you’re being laid off before it happens? Well, Forbes referenced research that indicates “discrimination” against unemployed individuals is real. So if you’re still currently employed with another company that’s about to lay off workers and get called in for a job interview with another, that might up your chances of successfully snagging your next job.
The Daily Dot reached out to @adminandeve for further comment on TikTok.
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