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Don’t Get Fired Or Quit, Get Laid Off Instead

Updated: 12/06/2022 by Financial Samurai 202 Comments

Don’t get fired or quit your job. Instead, get laid off. If you quit or get fired, you get no benefits. But if you get laid off, you can receive a severance, unemployment benefits, subsidized health insurance, strong referrals, and so much more.

A baby panda dies in the woods every time you quit your job or get fired. It is so much better to negotiate a severance and leave on your own terms with money in your pocket!

Another recession is likely coming due to aggressive Fed rate hikes. As a result, you may have more opportunities to negotiate a severance by getting laid off.

Big Difference Between Laid Off And Fired

First of all, there’s a big difference between getting fired and getting laid off. In addition, there’s a significant difference between a person who gets laid off by surprise versus someone who is able to negotiate a severance.

Most of what you read in the papers is about people getting laid off due to a “reduction in force,” or RIF as many companies call it nowadays. Getting fired is almost always due to cause.

You may have sent out a blast e-mail with company secrets by mistake. Or perhaps you said some sexist joke about women when the female HR manager so happened to walk by. Whatever the case, you don’t want to get fired, nor should you quit if you don’t have to.

People don’t get fired because there’s a big recession and the CEO says 10% of its employees must go. People don’t get fired when there is a reorg. These people are getting laid off without cause. As a result, a severance is often given.

Reasons Not To Quit Or Get Fired

The vast majority of workers quit their jobs when they want to start a new job, go back to school, etc. Most people don’t think there’s any other way. It’s a herd mentality.

On the other hand, those who learn how to negotiate a severance are open minded individuals. They are not afraid to think outside the box. To help explain why it’s not ideal to quit or get fired, here are some unexpected negatives.

If You’re Fired Or Quit, Many Bad Things Can Happen

1) You will not be eligible for any unemployment benefits. The logic behind this is simple. You did something wrong that forced your company to fire you. Or you voluntarily quit your job. Hence, it is your own fault you are unemployed!

2) You might have a black mark on your record if you are fired. Word can travel fast. Thus, you’ll likely be passed over by future employers. No firm wants to risk hiring someone who was previously fired.

3) You may lose supporters and mentors who would have otherwise written letters of recommendation for you. They might not want to risk their reputation on quitters or miscreants.

4) You might die alone. Few things in life are worse than dying alone. If you don’t have a job and don’t have a backup plan, who will want to be with you for the long term?

Get Laid Off And Make More Money

Now that you realize the downside of getting fired or quitting, you should logically seek an alternative. If you just can’t stand the company you are working for anymore, figure out a way to get laid off of course!

If you want to leave your job, get “riffed” and negotiate a severance package. Don’t just quit and walk away with nothing. Cashing out smartly is the way to go.

Here are some of the main reasons why it’s beneficial to negotiate a severance and ask to get laid off.

Reasons To Negotiate A Severance

1) Getting laid off typically you eligible for government unemployment benefits. Here in San Francisco, you can get up to $900 every two weeks. That’s $1,800 a month for at least 26 weeks.

2) You may get severance. Many companies offer one to three weeks per every year worked. Please note that severance is completely at the discretion of the employer and is not required by law.

3) If you have deferred compensation in the form of stock or cash, you are eligible to receive these assets during the scheduled time table. My friend Paul, for example, has around $400,000+ in deferred compensation he loses if he quits!

4) You can get all your unused vacation days paid. If you quit there’s no guarantee you’ll get them. You may even receive unused sick days, but that is very rare.

5) You will have no black marks on your employment record. This is key if you want to get back into the game at a future time.

6) You can get COBRA (healthcare) coverage for at least month and often times 3-6 months fully paid for by your employer. Legally, most companies must provide the option for COBRA for 18 months after separation. You most likely have to pay the monthly premiums after the initial grace period. It all depends on how well you negotiate.

How To Get Laid Off With A Severance

Let’s say you’ve been working at your company for five years, and you’ve decided selling vacuum cleaners no longer interests you. You are a bit burnt out, and you wish to take a three month break in between jobs to recharge.

You can’t just quit because you’ll lose out on 10 weeks of severance pay. In addition, you won’t be able to receive unemployment benefits or health care.

Instead, negotiate a severance package and get paid to take your three month break.

Steps To Negotiate A Severance

Here are some ways and thoughts to get laid off:

1. Google “WARN notification your state” 

Then search by your company. WARN stands for “Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification” where a company legally must file with the state if they plan to do a mass layoff.

The goal is to provide potentially laid off workers time to adjust to a job loss (2 months in California, 3 months in New York for example).

2. Talk to your manager about the company’s staffing levels

“Bloated, lean, just about right?” Basically tell her that you empathize with how difficult her decision must be to lay people off, and ask how she copes?

As the dialogue ensues, bring up a suggestion that you are willing to sacrifice your position for the good of the firm if she is asked by senior managers to choose people to layoff.

This way, you seem like a good team player. You should also make clear that with your sacrifice, you wish to receive severance and any deferred compensation you might have.

Being a manager is very difficult during rough times. If you can help managers make some difficult decisions for them, more often than not, they will accept your proposal.

 If you ever wonder why C-level execs hire consultants like McKinsey for strategic reviews, now you know why. The consultants are often the scapegoats for letting go of staff, so the blame doesn’t go on the big bosses.

Of course, if you are one of the top performers, they will make it difficult for you to leave, and might ask how they can help make your life better and might even give you a raise.

Quitting your job is selfish. Getting laid off is the more thoughtful way to go.

3. Bring up the topic of a sabbatical with your manager

There’s never really a good time to ask for one. When things are busy and booming, the last thing the company wants is for an employee to take a nice 3 month long break.

When things are bad, your manager will think you’re being thoughtless and foolish with your career. That’s fine, since you want to get laid off anyway! 

You can recharge and enjoy your time off, and if you get back and find yourself laid off, then what a fine choice. Here’s a post that goes through the decisions on whether to take a sabbatical or not.

4. Fade to mediocrity

This is a riskier strategy that must be tactfully managed. Companies let go of their bottom 5-10% performers every year. Some call it the “Jack Welch Rule” from GE. 

So long as you are one of the average 70-80% of employees, you’ll likely never be let go. Falling to the bottom 10% in performance requires: not being a team player, but still being nice e.g. “Sorry, can’t stay late, gotta go!“, being out of sight, not feeling you’ve put in your best work, and maybe even arriving 15 minutes late at times.

Be very careful not to do anything wrong. Most people at firms are mediocre, so don’t feel bad. You can adopt the quiet quitting movement.

5. Become disliked, but not hated

Another strategy to get laid off with a severance is to become disliked. Are you the type of person who likes to whistle at your cubicle to the agitation of your colleagues? Do you like to bring back from breakfast or lunch the stinkiest meal possible and disgust your neighbors?

Well then, you are on the right path for getting put on the “RIF List.” I’ve had a couple managers tell me they can’t stand someone because of their loud noises and whistles.

Because they can’t stand that person, the manager finds nitpicking things to justify a RIF. As the annoying person, you should continue to be nice and smile.  Just be a little oblivious.

6. Use the “It’s not you it’s me, but really it’s you” strategy.

When you’re afraid to let someone down who loves you more than you love them, employing this strategy works. Here’s a whole post on how you can lessen someone’s pain during breakup.

Important: It’s really all about planting a seed of doubt in your manager’s mind. Once your manager thinks you’re a pain in the ass, annoying, or not pulling your weight, you will have a very difficult time convincing him or her otherwise.

People are naturally biased and will find reasons to let you go if you sufficiently bother them. For example, if your manager is a Republican, you can mention you are going to a Democratic fund raiser. Totally legal, but you will crawl under your manager’s skin to the point where all he’ll think about is finding ways to legally get rid of you!

Avoid These Mistakes To Get Laid Off

* Do not write anything in e-mail that could condemn you to getting fired. Assume all your e-mail are read. If you are embarrassed to read your e-mail on the front page of the newspaper, the e-mail is not legitimate and should not be written.

* Do not abuse your corporate card or any channel where you can spend the firm’s money. You should never abuse your corporate card anyway. All expenditure must be above board.

* Do not harass your colleagues. This is a given. Now is not the time to go hit on the hot tamale at the other end of the floor. Many companies have a non-interoffice dating policy.

* Do not come in late or leave early more than once a week. Companies can terminate you for being incessantly late, so don’t slack too much.

* Read your employee handbook. There are many dangers you must avoid that are contained in the hand book.

Don't quit your job, get laid off instead

Empower Yourself With Knowledge

Getting laid off can be a wonderful thing if you have other things planned. The better an employee you are, the harder it is for you to engineer your layoff because you are clearly more valuable to the firm than what they are paying you.

Also, if a manager lays you off, by many state laws, they can not replace you with another candidate for a certain time period because that would violate the reason for a layoff. If you are a bad employee, you should probably be fired, but that opens up reputational risk to the firm as well as litigation risk.

Getting Laid Off Has Benefits

If you are thinking about quitting your job, please at least attempt to engineer a layoff instead. You may get severance, all your deferred compensation, healthcare coverage,  as well as unemployment benefits from the government.

This is real money that shouldn’t be taken lightly, since there’s no guarantee that after the layoff you’ll succeed in whatever new thing you want to do. Besides, after all these years of paying taxes, don’t you want at least some of that money back?

Although your employer pays the unemployment insurance directly on your payroll, you are still indirectly paying for unemployment through a lower wage equivalent to the tax they must pay!

Sooner or later, our careers end. If you want your career to end sooner, consider getting laid off instead of quitting or getting fired. And if you have an incredible opportunity lined up already that will pay you handsomely, go ahead and quit. Just make sure you know what you’re missing if you do!

Note: It is very important to work together with your HR staff. The HR staff’s main purpose is to protect the company from litigation and NOT you. Remember who pays the HR staff’s compensation. Finally, a severance comes with you signing a document protecting the firm from you. In essence, a severance package is like hush money. 

Recommendation For A Better Life

If you enjoyed this article, I wrote a comprehensive 200-page ebook entitled, How to Engineer Your Layoff. It teaches people like you how to get laid off profitably. The book is updated for current times.

I go through the framework of how to negotiate a severance package in further detail. There are lots of case studies, negotiation tips, and guides to help you plan and execute a severance package.

Corporations have a team of lawyers and HR professionals looking out for their own interests. On the other hand, employees have to fend for themselves. I’ve taken in feedback from thousands of readers to make this book as impactful as possible.

How To Engineer Your Layoff is here to help those who feel they are at risk of getting let go, or who simply want to leave. Everybody whom I’ve coached or spoken to has said that engineering their layoff feels like winning the lottery. In my case, my lottery ticket amounts to six years of living expenses.

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Special Promotion For How To Engineer Your Layoff

For another example, you can see my wife’s case study on high she negotiated a six-figure severance as a high-performing employee. Never quit your job, get laid off instead. You will feel like you won the lottery as you move on to do something new.

As a special promotion, if you order five hard copies of my instant Wall Street Journal bestseller, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Freedom And Wealth, I will send you a copy of How To Engineer Your Layoff for free. Just e-mail sales @ financialsamurai DOT com.

For more nuanced personal finance content, join 55,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter and posts via e-mail. Financial Samurai is one of the largest independently-owned personal finance sites that started in 2009. 

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Filed Under: Career & Employment

Author Bio: I started Financial Samurai in 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner. Financial Samurai is now one of the largest independently run personal finance sites with about one million visitors a month.

I spent 13 years working at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. In 1999, I earned my BA from William & Mary and in 2006, I received my MBA from UC Berkeley.

In 2012, I left banking after negotiating a severance package worth over five years of living expenses. Today, I enjoy being a stay-at-home dad to two young children, playing tennis, and writing.

Order a hardcopy of my new WSJ bestselling book, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. Not only will you build more wealth by reading my book, you’ll also make better choices when faced with some of life’s biggest decisions.

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Comments

  1. fabian says

    June 6, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    I work as a hotel supervisor, the hotel recently was bought by a new management company, i just had a baby 2 month ago. My boss hates me, i’ve been telling him i cant stay late because i have to take care of my baby, two weeks ago they told me since im not flexible they were letting me go or I had to accept a demotion, i have one more week to decide. I was wondering if i would still receive benefits for being let go even if a new company just bought the hotel out???

    Reply
    • fabian says

      June 6, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      i forgot to say i’ve been with the hotel for about 3 years, but i dont know if that matters since new management company just took over

      Reply
  2. Rebelstar says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    I started working for an information security startup in the beginning of March (In CA) in an inside telephone sales role. After 6 weeks at the job I was pulled into a meeting with my boss in which he said I had not been performing as expected and was put on a performance plan. Now after 2 months at the job I was laid off. They gave me an unemployment brochure and a cheque for my vacation days , no severance pay. Any suggestions on next steps would be appreciated.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      April 29, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      Unfortunately, 8 weeks on the job is not long enough to build any sort of good will. I would just apply for unemployment in the meantime while looking for another job, and discover why you think you got laid off.

      Reply
  3. M.J. says

    March 31, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Hello! I work for a small company (20-40 employees), and I am curious if your book would still be useful to someone who works for a small company.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      March 31, 2015 at 8:24 am

      Probably even more useful since smaller companies are more intimate and you can have easier frank conversations.

      Reply
  4. sabacool says

    March 29, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    My husband was approved for leave of absence for 3 months. He worked in the company for 7+ years. Let’s wait and see the outcome.

    Reply
  5. Brian Allen says

    March 5, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Yes I live in jax FL I was working with a company for 8 months I’ve had back problems sense 2009 I put it on my app that I did. In 2014 my back when down on me so I had to call out about two to three days a week till I got to my doctor doc gave me a notice to stay at home for a couple weeks I turned the notice in and my Forman told me if I was unable to make it in that day to let him know so I did a week later they laid me off. That was the first week of October well October 31 I was laid off do to me not being able to work and I was under doctors note . But it is now March 5 2015 and I’m applied for disablity. Is there anything I can do to get any finance help from the company is state. I’m going to look up your book and read it and learn much as possible I’ve never have been to book smart bout this stuff Thanks my email is Damnskippy1978@gmail.com

    Reply
  6. Confused Daughter says

    March 5, 2015 at 11:12 am

    Dear Financial Samurai,

    My mom worked for this company for more than 5 years. My dad, who leaves abroad, was sick and she had to take care of him. So she told her employer that she would take some time off, leave with out pay, and even sent email with the detail. She was asked to send proof of his sickness. She couldn’t get a working fax machine to send HR the proofs. But she got it scanned and emailed it through internet service provider company. She then send the pictures of the papers to my sister. My sister emailed the HR office what she got and explained the hardship my mom is in. Then, without her presence, the HR office sent letter to my mom that the company has let her go. When she came back after a month, my mom found the letter. The letter was dated almost a month before it was stamped. Few days ago, my mom called her company and asked why they did that. They said, she can come in as a new employee if she wants. But, if she chooses not to, they told her not to enter the building and they would put her personal belongings. Is this how things should go. Since my mom doesn’t speak good English, she couldn’t express herself. Her company doesn’t talk to anyone but her. She is frustrated and crying. What do you advise? Thank you for your service by the way. Reading your site gives some kind of hope.

    Confused Daughter

    Reply
  7. tee says

    February 16, 2015 at 4:10 am

    I’m on medical leave, if job let’s me go will I be able to get unemployment

    Reply
  8. Tee says

    February 14, 2015 at 4:08 am

    I was on FMLA for a back, shoulder and neck injury. I used all my FMLA and now the doctor still feels i should not be back to work, my job has placed nice, and not said a whole lot as to what will happen next. I have been told that they can not continue to wait much longer for me to return. If they lay me off now, will I be able to qualify for unemployment since they have been working with me? I was suppose to be back to work on January 15,2015, and have not been released as of yet from the doctor. I am currently on Long term unemployment as well.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      February 14, 2015 at 7:13 am

      Have an open conversation with them and ask. It can’t hurt, since you can’t work well now.

      Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    February 10, 2015 at 6:53 am

    My husband just got laid off after 9 years and was given a 19 week package, but it all goes away as soon as he finds another job. Is this usual?

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      February 10, 2015 at 7:45 am

      The 19 week package should be paid in lump sum, although other companies are crafty in that they just pay 19 weeks, one week at a time. It’s a negotiation. Have him ask for the lump sum, or coordinate to start a job on the 19th week and relax during this time while job hunting.

      Reply
  10. Melissa says

    January 18, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    I work full time and go to graduate school full time, but I have 3 month long clinicals coming up and need to take a leave of absence from work for 3 months. I live in NY, if they fire me during my leave of absence, do I still qualify for unemployment?

    Reply
  11. julian says

    December 16, 2014 at 1:25 am

    You are my guru!

    Reply
  12. Mark says

    July 22, 2014 at 8:30 am

    After working for a really great contract, a new one took over. They doubled performance goals and do not know how to efficiently run the company. I also got accepted to a graduate program on the east coast and am planning to attend.

    Do I ask HR about being laid off or the manager? Can I receive CA UI benefits on the east coast? Unemployment would help tremendously for paying rent while I’m there, and I just want to leave this ridiculous management and avoid taking out loans.

    Reply
  13. Sharon says

    June 25, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Question- we live in Colorado and my husband has been working for a construction company as a driver. Today his boss said he is “restructuring” and that he no longer wants my husband to be the driver and is giving the position to someone else. The boss then offered him the position of laborer. Well there is no way hubby would have applied for laborer, he has a chronic illness that prevents him from doing things like digging ditches and hauling concrete bags up and down stairs. Boss also didn’t give a reason for wanting someone else and hubby has never been in trouble, written up or threatened with firing. If he declines the laborer position would he still be able to receive unemployment? Technically they are not liquidating his position. I think CO is an at-will state which allows employers and employees to terminate employment without reason.

    Reply
  14. Kael says

    June 25, 2014 at 3:11 am

    Any ideas how to get me made redundant? I want to continue my masters to completion, ended up going part time after new manager wouldn’t give me day release that had been promised by previous head of dept after I moved into the dept due to medical redeployment. In job that’s pretty mindless, thankless, for less money now part time, and really want to give up to concentrate on the course for a year. I’ve got a condition that worsens with desk based job, so guess what redeployed to desk based duties! Had one day work from home to manage fatigue organised but emailed late at night, told this was unacceptable and so I wasn’t to be trusted and this was then removed! I have a physical disability. Micromanaged too, goal posts moved, they want rid of me I suspect. Accused of hiding my outlook calendar from my manager and a host of other nonsense has me questioning my sanity.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      June 25, 2014 at 4:27 am

      Getting redundant and getting laid off is synonymous.

      Reply
      • Kael says

        June 25, 2014 at 4:20 pm

        Thank you but yes, I’m aware that they are synonymous. Sorry I didn’t clarify, my disability is physical not anything else. I was looking for an appropriate set of tactics to use, but I can see that perhaps I’m best resolving this myself. Thank you anyway for your thought provoking and considered response.

        Reply
  15. Kathy caldwell says

    June 8, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    I have worked for this company for 13 years I got a new boss every scene he has been belittling me now I get fired after telling him im not coming in on my day off to do the job he said was fine doing on sunday,he new me and my husband was going out of town, then after im fired tell tell them the store is closing.and he is fighting me for my unemployemt.do you think they did it so they wouldnt have to pay me serversnce pay.

    Reply
  16. Marg says

    June 1, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    I’ve worked for a school district for 21 years. I am a highly credentialed, highly qualified employee without a blemish in my file. A new director is hired that I previously worked with and 3 months later, my contract is not renewed! Supervisor stated, “You’re a contractor and your rates are too high” when I was hired as a non-contractural employee ~ I’m in the pension, supervised, receive sick/personal days ~ my position has to be filled~ can they just “at will” say adios?? The district set my pay rates and each year has given me a raise!

    Reply
  17. Greg says

    May 25, 2014 at 2:59 am

    I work overseas and i have been filing tax exempt becouse I did not plan on being in the states for more than the 35 days allowed,but now I am getting laid off and will be home for the remainder of the year,so my question is will I now have to pay taxes on the money I allready made? I have been told by some of the people that work here that if I lose my job at no fault of my own I will not have to pay taes on that money, is that true.

    Reply
  18. pimpdawg says

    May 1, 2014 at 2:10 am

    you can still collect unemployment if you have been fired. It’s just when you quit voluntarily or if you were a 1099 worker that you cannot collect unemployment

    Reply
  19. it's windy out here says

    November 4, 2013 at 8:15 am

    OK, so I’ve almost managed to accomplish this (OK, I lucked into it) and I need some ideas for what’s next. I’m about to get laid off for the rather mundane reason that my company is moving / eliminating my position and they offered me the choice between leaving with a severance or moving 1,000 miles away and taking a different position. My wife has a great job here and we’d prefer not to uproot our daughter, so we’re staying.

    So, the conundrum: my job for the last 5 years can be best described as new business development in a very narrow energy niche that’s not a great place for opportunity right now. It’s been a decently heavy travel job (25-50%) but the pay has been really good and I’ve progressed up the ladder a little. However, I want to reduce that travel to <5% (i.e. zero) or as close to that as I can get. So I'm talking about changing both my industry and my field. I'd describe myself as a generalist with some leadership experience thanks to Uncle Sam and an MBA from a top 20 school and industry-specific experience in wind energy, which despite what you may be thinking doesn't necessarily translate very well to solar or nat gas. Most of the jobs that are popping up on my radar are management consultant, biz dev or sales jobs, all of which I'm generally trying to avoid due to the travel requirements. I also clearly am not willing to relocate. I have the resources to get additional credentials to go from being a generalist to a specialist, I could even pick up a masters degree for free or at half price, but would like to avoid that if possible because I want to keep earning. Along those lines I have considered CFA / CPA / CFP to target financial services or taking a more technical / quantitative approach by getting an MS in CS or data science. Technical certifications may also be on the table.

    I am very open to the possibility of operating a lifestyle business or businesses online as I've really come to appreciate scheduling flexibility, but what I lack is a specific idea or direction to launch towards and I'd want to be able to start generating a decent amount of profit within a year or so.

    So to summarize, I'm looking for suggestions for jobs, businesses or fields with good pay ($100k or more, or the potential to get there within 18 months), zero or very low travel requirements, can be found in relative abundance in any reasonably major metro area and that are suitable for generalists with minimal additional credentials. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      November 4, 2013 at 8:23 am

      Congrats on getting laid off!

      A lifestyle business that doesn’t require travel and $100K more in pay? Look no further than being a personal finance blogger. You won’t even need to work for more than five-six hours a day either once you get the first couple years under your belt!

      I think you’ll enjoy this post: https://www.financialsamurai.com/2013/10/18/the-startup-riches-myth-selling-for-millions-and-being-rich/

      Reply
  20. femmefrugality says

    October 21, 2013 at 8:37 pm

    I really never knew you could do this before. The sabbatical option is by far my favorite.

    Reply
  21. Help says

    July 27, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    Financial Samuri,

    Thanks for your website. Psycho boss I worked for told me I wasn’t “working out” and that I had “30 days to find a new job.” I told her I would not be back. I’d like to write a letter “accepting” her termination. Will this help me get benefits? I’m in Texas.

    Also, info I found on WARN doesn’t seem to apply to most…am I wrong?

    Any info ASAP would be greatly appreciated. I need to make contact Monday since everything was verbal.

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    I live in UT. I am a top producer at my job. My boss was a hired gun to get rid of me. I was told I am layed off as of August 16, 13 BUT if I do anything disruptive intential or unintential I will be fired. My husband said this is illegal and they cannot lay me off for a month and then fire me. I am walking on egg shells to not do anything wrong, but they have odd ideas and preceptions at this place. I just had a great yearly employee review in June 2013. They are already advertising for my job and I have a BS degree. Was I wrongfully terminated and should I seek legal advise?

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      July 25, 2013 at 5:49 am

      I’ve never heard of that type of language before. Sounds like they are having everything all ways. They CAN file a motion to fire you for cause, but only you will know whether you have a history of insubordination.

      The positive is that at least you know ahead of time that you will be laid off, and you can start looking for work ASAP. Since you know the end date, please talk to HR now about your severance package. And also please consider buying my book about how to get laid off. This is serious stuff where you need to arm yourself with as much knowledge and strategy as possible.

      Reply
  23. TiredT says

    May 22, 2013 at 7:49 pm

    Financial Samurai,
    Need your help. I started a position 6 months ago after being recruited for the role. With in 3 months I have had multiple managers and my position has been changed drastically. I working in a training field but the travel has increased significantly from 50 to 95 percent. I have expressed concern to HR but they have stated this is the job now. In addition the new role has duties which I do not have the skill set for. Although training has been offered I am feeling stuck as most of the new information is geared towards someone with a completely different background/work experience than what I bring to table.

    I have thought of quitting but realized although I can show proof in the job change/role and unwillingness to reduce travel schedule, I am afraid I won’t qualify for benefits. I left another job which I was at for years for this role. What suggestions do you have to walk away from this situation and receive a severance or be laid off and qualify for benefits.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      May 22, 2013 at 9:40 pm

      You’re in luck! I wrote a 100-page book about the topic of negotiating a severance, understanding your rights as an employee, and profitably quitting. Check it out here.

      Reply
  24. Joeson says

    February 16, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    I am being laid off at the end of this year due to company moving division back east. The problem is a lot of the senior people moved on before the announced layoff so a lot of the current employees didn’t bother to stay for a limited package. So now I am stuck with limited resources and temps. In addition, they want to build inventories to make the transition to the new location easier. Sticking around for this severance package may put me in an early grave.

    Reply
  25. Rachel says

    February 11, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    My employer just issued a confidential letter stating that some departments will be downsize, and certain employees have been notified already. My department jhired five new employees. I am under disciplinary action for attendance. I have improved. Can they fire me for past reliability issues?

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      February 11, 2013 at 6:32 pm

      I’m afraid you are at risk. If you take a proactive strategy and perform some of the suggestions in my book, you can possibly maximize your separation package.

      Reply
  26. peaches edelstein says

    January 26, 2013 at 8:54 am

    I work as Administrative Assistant for a large university in a small department where there will never be a layoff, but i REALLY NEED to get laid off because boss is psycho and hates me. I know she is setting a paper trial to get me fired and annual review is next week. I need to work on my own paper trail, but do you have any advice for putting forth my best effort to get unemployment benefits even though it’s due to firing?

    Reply
  27. LaidoffGoodman says

    December 16, 2012 at 10:09 am

    Dear Sam,
    I have been employed at this company in California for almost 22 years on a salary basic. Recently, the company said that their work loads were slow so they told me to work only 3 days a week and take 2 days vacation pays so my checks would be the same. After one month, the Office manager told me that they had to lay me off, and if they get busy again, they would call me back. They also told me to leave my stuffs there, I didn’t have to take them home. A month later, I came back to visit them and saw my stuffs were all packed up in boxes, ready “to go”. There was a new guy in my office, sitting on my chair…doing my job! I am a Planner and Programmer. There were never any warnings or any indications that this would happen to me. They did not give me any paper work to say that I was laid off or would be rehired back later. They only gave me a check for the remain hrs and a check for 2 week vacations that I did not take and that was it.
    Do you think they can do that to me? After 22 years working hard and being so loyal to them, is this it? I am lost…. I think it will be hard, very hard for me to find a new job or a job that would pay the same! I am currently looking for a new job, at the same time applying for UI, I am also trying to learn new software to update myself at home….
    I have a family with kids, a mortgage and a car payment to manage!
    Please advise.
    Thank You for you help.

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      December 16, 2012 at 11:57 am

      Mate, I think your rights have been violated. Did you get any severance, COBRA, vacation days paid, retraining benefits, or anything? 22 years is a long time. You seriously need to read my book if you are talking about family with kids, mortgage, car payments etc. I think you are being screwed over. S

      Reply
  28. laid off lady says

    November 3, 2012 at 5:05 am

    This was an awesome read! I was laid off a few months ago, only to find I did everything that was mentioned in this article! Some of my coworkers found me annoying, I was late ever now and then, I was actually top of my company but began to “slack off” because I saw others getting paid for doing my same job less efficently. I ddecided to take a “leave of absence” for 3 months to “benefit the company” since things were slow, only to return to my boss laying me off! And you’re right!I have worked for over 25 years and paid my taxes, why not take advantage of it! Thanks Sam!

    Reply
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