Dear Evil HR Lady,
I am writing to ask if my position was wrongly eliminated. I am currently going through the last few weeks of employment and soon to start a severance package. I am 46 years old, been with (the) company 16 years, manager for 6 years and a very well respected employee. I was told that restructuring was occurring and my position was being eliminated.
Another manager in the same department, who happens to be 29, manager for 1 1/2 years, not a good performer and with the company for 6 years, had her position “eliminated” but she was offered the same position on a different unit. Another manager from a different unit was promoted to cover both of our positions. I was not given any reason for why my manager position was being eliminated and not the others, other than it was not performance related. Does this sound right?
To read the answer click here: Why was I laid off instead of my coworker?
Same exact thing happened to me (only not a manager). They also laid off my 30-year-old coworker. Then hired a new admin for the new VP, a new manager for one department, and fired two other managers (a third has since been let go, I heard). There’s really nothing you can do except go on.
I had about thirty seconds to prepare for my layoff, but I kept myself together and now they’ll remember me as handling it well and not crying or getting angry. Not that you would do that, at least not at work.
I read this to my husband before publishing and his response was, “she just needs to get over it.” He’s right. None of they whys change anything.
People do really want to know why, though.
Let’s for a minute say that it was wrong and illegal to be laid off. What are you going to do about it?
Even if you have a strong case (doesn’t sound like it here) do you really want to spend the next several years devoting all your time to a case that you may not win?
And if you do win, the lawyers will take at least 1/3, you will have to pay court costs, expert testimony costs, etc. You will be lucky to get half of the settlement/award amount. Don’t be fooled that you will win big like you read in the news – those cases are reported because they are news, not because they are typical cases. Most court cases are NOT like winning the lottery – we only dream that they are.
If you take someone to court – they will not play nice! Their lawyers will use very trick in the book to win their case. Most tricks will be legal, many will be unethical by non-lawyer standards. You will be dragged through the mud, your reputation will be dragged through the slime, you and your family members might very well be followed by a private eye (paid for by their lawyers) to find any “dirt” on you. You will be secretly filmed while out in public.
Even if you don’t have any dirt they will twist and distort things as much as they can to win. You have an unpaid parking ticket – “You’re a law breaker!” You took home a pen or some blank paper from work – “You’re a thief!” And don’t expect co-workers to take your side as the company will be forcing them to support the company or they will lose their jobs and NOT get professional references. You will be on your own.
Once you decide to sue, you will lose if you don’t follow through – and they will use every legal tactic to delay, delay, delay, with the hope that you will eventually give up and settle out of court for peanuts.
So, ask yourself – what are you going to do? I suggest move on – bitch and moan to all your friends – but move on.