The day I got fired

Just when I thought I had it going, life threw me a curveball

Photo by Saulo Mohana on Unsplash

After a long hour of commute, I finally reached the newly-opened Ikea Delhi store with my mother to shop for the upcoming Hindu festival of Diwali. We were still an hour away from the beginning of my work shift which began at 12pm, so I had some free time on my hands.

Out of the blue

For a freshly inaugurated store and the first-of-its-kind in the capital city, it was decently crowded and generously sprinkled with aunties, kids and young shoppers. I didn’t think that we Indians had such an appetite for furniture shopping, that too at a Swedish brand. I had lots to do — lights, new bathmats, bedsheets, kitchenware — all this and more was on my list.

In the midst of all this, I remembered that there was a work call that I had to attend. It wasn’t anything important, just another random, no-agenda call set up by one of the C-suite executives of my company. For context, I worked for a media company based in the US, with a back office in India. The call was scheduled before my official shift began, so I wasn’t too worried about being in it.

The bombshell

Still, I plugged in my earpods and tuned in to listen just in case, being careful not to switch on my video or my microphone. It turned out that everyone was already muted by the host. I waited for a bit, but heard nothing, so I quit the call and focused on my Diwali shopping.

Turns out, it was an announcement regarding layoffs.

I got to know from my colleagues that a senior leader came on the call, made a one-line announcement that some of the India employees were being terminated as part of a business restructuring decision, and that some of us would receive an email with further instructions.

The next thing I know, an e-mail had landed up in my inbox as well. My role was terminated, effective immediately. Soon after, I was logged out of Outlook and Teams and couldn’t access any of my chats or previous correspondences.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

First stage of grief

It was really brutal, seeing that mail in the middle of my Diwali shopping.

My first thought was, “Is this a joke?” Did the IT team make this up as a test for a phishing scam? It couldn’t possibly be intended for me. I was doing so well (or at least I thought so)! I had completed three months as a Senior Editor, somewhat learnt the ropes of the brand and how stuff worked around there, made my peace with the US-timings and evening shift and built some sort of rapport with my team that I was managing, as a first-time manager.

It was like someone pulled the rug out from under me and all this professional progress was thrown to the winds.

What made it worse was that we were barred from using our accounts and laptops as soon as we received the mail. It was as if someone broke up and blocked you immediately from their life.

I couldn’t save my previous work or any emails, which were important to say the least!!!

Photo by Lynda B on Unsplash

Comprehending the calamity

Nobody could’ve seen this coming. Not even my manager.

Yes, I know this layoff wasn’t in my control. It wasn’t because of something I did. Even the mail from HR said, “This decision is in no way a reflection of your performance, commitment or contributions, which we deeply value and appreciate. Rather, it is the outcome of structural changes necessary for the future direction of the organisation.”

They also promised to give a month’s salary as severance pay, along with any pending dues.

What’s worse is that I’ve never taken a career break in my life. I’m the kind of person who never sits idle, who finds pleasure in working, who finds a lot of purpose and meaning, not to mention a whole lotta confidence.

I know it’s not my fault, just a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It could happen to anyone. But yes, in spite of this, it still feels bad.

It feels bad that everything was going so well and it was suddenly taken away from me.

Why does the universe have its way of testing you? And why do these random tests come up at the most unpredictable of times?

And yes, I am questioning “Why me?” even though there are so many more layoffs happening all around the world.

Dream job now a distant dream

Because this was my dream role: I was getting to be a manager and an editor. I was writing and working for a brand I loved for so many years. The timings were flexible, as were the hybrid work arrangements. It could have been the job which I worked for 30 years and retired from.

And it’s not just about it being a dream role. I was learning a lot, working alongside some really hardworking people. Thanks to the US blogs I edited, I know a lot more about dog breeds, cleaning and random home hacks. I finally got the difference between ‘which’ and ‘that’, and understood AP’s style guide and the nuances of U.S. English.

I learnt to be a people manager (it’s really hard, by the way!). I got two certifications on LinkedIn during this time, as well as reimbursements for setting up my home office.

Now, I’d have to go back to square one and search for jobs and apply endlessly, the way I did just six months back before I landed this role.

Ah, I guess some things are learnt the hard way. It’s impossible to run after the “could have beens” in life. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

Job market is changing

The bottom line is that the job market is undergoing a huge upheaval and this definitely is here to stay. I don’t know if it’s because of the AI-first momentum, economies going into recession, companies cutting costs or geopolitical pressures. But surely, as they say, nothing is permanent — life is the only constant.

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

I tried to get some closure by talking to former colleagues from the US company which fired us. Talking about it did make me feel much lighter. Support from family and friends further restored my confidence.

I’m hoping there’s something better in store for me, although at the moment I can’t even imagine what could be better than this.

My former manager once said adaptability is the key sign of a good leader. The ability to thrive in the face of adversity shows that you’re capable of handling literally all kinds of circumstances.

I guess what I can do best is to keep applying, try some freelancing and up-skilling, reach out to contacts and keep my chin up.

And yes, now I’ll remember to ask prospective employers, “any chances of firing?”

Have you been through a firing yourself? Would love to hear your experience in the comments!

Follow me @Aditi Ahuja for more relatable content.