Indian engineer’s ordinary day ended with a 9 PM HR call and sudden layoff news

Most people after getting off work have a particular plan for the evening. They have dinner, catch up on their favorite TV show or discuss their day with family or friends. Hence, getting a call from the Human Resource department on such a day can turn out to be devastating for anyone. Recently, an Indian employee working remotely for a US-based organization went through a similar incident. This is what he tweeted about his experience of getting laid off in the middle of his night.
The most intriguing part of the tweet is that the employee stated that there was no prior warning or discussions with his managers about his performances. His work was going as usual until the evening. The employee described the day he lost his job as a ‘completely normal day.’

There might not be a single person who hasn’t feared the possibility of being laid off from their jobs one day. But, not a lot of us have experienced such a situation when our careers took an unexpected turn. The ‘normal day’ of the engineer has certainly struck a chord with many employees.

The day that felt completely normal

The engineer described getting laid off as just another day at work. He worked as per his usual schedule and got his work done. The only difference was that the day ended with a call from his manager, notifying him that his position would no longer be available.

Such situations are hard to cope with for obvious reasons. When an employee is working remotely, there are hardly any indications or discussions to prepare them for the possibility of redundancy.
The reality of such situations can sometimes be hard to comprehend. It’s not every day that an employee wakes up to the news that they have lost their job. This is why the engineer’s tweets are currently so popular on social media. We can relate to the fact that sometimes we may have the best of days and the worst of days without any prior expectations.

When the news has nothing to do with your performance

One of the most shocking things that the engineer stated in his posts was that the ‘job loss had nothing to do with his performance.’ As he mentioned that the company was restructuring, it made more sense for his role to be completely eliminated than for his efforts to be wasted in the process.

In reality, that’s not how things usually work when an employer decides to downsize. More often than not, whenever a company announces structural changes in its hierarchy, the impacted employees are unaware of the fact that their jobs are at risk until the news breaks.

If we take the analogy of a restaurant, a chef who has been working at the establishment for a long time can lose his position if the owner decides to revamp the menu. The same way, when a company decides to take a different route, employees are impacted, irrespective of their performance.

As much as we try to understand the situation logically, there are times when such situations are emotionally challenging.

The isolation of being the only one

The engineer also mentioned that he was the only employee from India in the engineering team and that he was the only one whose position was eliminated. Such a scenario is quite common for remote employees.

When you work from home, the ‘workplace’ for you is your home. Hence, the only place a remote employee goes to for discussions and interactions with colleagues and managers is through a video call screen. Such employees, when faced with a difficult situation, have no one to rely on other than their own understanding to cope with the reality.

Unlike in-office workers who can express their feelings and thoughts to their colleagues, remote workers are more isolated when it comes to such scenarios. The video calls and emails stop, and the employees are left alone with their thoughts, contemplating the sudden turn of events. It’s for this reason that the engineer’s tweet is relatable to remote workers across the globe as we fear having to lose our jobs one day, without any prior expectations

The few minutes that changed the course of an employee’s life

According to the engineer, the phone conversation with his manager lasted only a few minutes. It’s a part of the story that makes us think about the suddenness of the situation. It’s hard to believe how a phone conversation can change the course of our lives forever.
We are so used to the idea of big life changes coming as a result of longer discussions. Be it a call to get admission to our dream college, a doctor’s call to let us know about a disease, or a phone call to inform us about a new job offer. Such life-changing moments do come as a result of long talks. It’s what often makes a phone conversation, especially with unexpected news, seem difficult to process.

The engineer spent years of his life working for his company. He probably thought that the organization was a part of his professional journey for the long-term. But, the conversation about losing his job came as a surprise since it only lasted a few minutes. It’s similar to the dramatic movie tropes where we see a character walking into a room only to walk out being unemployed.

Not only for engineers but for remote workers, in general, the scenario of the engineer losing his job can be relatable. In recent years, the concept of remote working has witnessed a significant rise. Organizations have hired remote employees for different departments and work roles. This way, companies have managed to bridge the gap between the in-office as well as the on-site workspaces.

However, the reality of a remote employee’s job is that they have to take on the responsibility of being productive without much supervision. Such employees often end up being a part of the workforce that can be first to be eliminated by an employer when there are no roles for remote workers.

Why so many people related to the story

The engineer’s post caught so much attention on social media that it started a wave of reactions from many employees. Some of them mentioned that they, too, once looked at their laptops and felt devastated upon receiving the news about job loss. Many tried to console the engineer by letting him know that it’s not the end of the world.

That’s how we can understand the emotional impact of losing a job. Despite being a frightening experience, it does not define an employee’s career forever.

We are often caught off guard by the news about the end of a professional endeavor. Such situations can be related to by many of us for different reasons. Some of us have actually experienced the fear of waking up one day to the news that our services are no longer required. The shock of losing a job is what makes us question the unpredictable nature of our careers.

As long as we continue to fear losing a job, such fears will remain relevant to many of us. As much as many organizations are growing rapidly, there are others that are downscaling, thereby creating a need for professionals to look for new opportunities. It’s the uncertainty of the ever-changing corporate world that makes the engineer’s tweet so relatable to people across the globe.

What happens after the shock

The engineer mentioned that he is currently looking for new job opportunities.

His posts regarding the incident have sparked quite an interesting discussion on social media. The comments that followed the remote worker’s posts prove that there are many people who have gone through a similar experience. It also shows how such experiences are perceived by many to be a part of one’s professional journey.

Once the shock of losing a job is over, the most practical thing an employee can do is to begin their search for new opportunities. Looking back at their experience, many professionals state that it’s always necessary to keep an eye on new job roles, prepare relevant applications and go through the process of applying, interviewing, and negotiating offers.

It’s not a pleasant experience to go through the process of losing a job. However, it is often viewed by professionals as a turning point in one’s career.

Losing a job can be an unfortunate reality for many people at some point in their careers. But, in the long run, it’s not something that defines who we are as professionals. It’s only a stepping stone that leads to bigger opportunities as long as one takes the right step forward after the unexpected incident.

It’s for this reason that the engineer’s post can be related to by many people, despite it being a scary experience. The abrupt change in such scenarios is what can resonate with every employee, regardless of their experience with job loss.