I joined a new company almost four months ago, and today the bottom 20% of my team was told they are being let go, most of whom started in the same class of new hires with me. My manager sent me a message this afternoon saying I wouldn’t be impacted “this quarter.” The one friend I have managed to make at this company is part of the list that was let go; she called me crying, she couldn’t believe this was happening again, after so many of us were “let go” during peak COVID.
I’m tired. I’m tired of corporations talking about us like we are numbers. I’m tired of politicians talking about us like they give a shit. I’m tired of going to bed with a pit in my stomach, wondering what the next day is going to bring. I’m tired of feeling like I can’t take time off, because if I do, I’ll lose my spot in line. I’m tired of making money for somebody that’s not me, that doesn’t know me, that doesn’t care to know me as long as I PRODUCE.
I’ve been working since I was 15, my only real break happened during the pandemic when my entire business unit was shuttered over a 10 minute Zoom conference call. A mass layoff of 800 employees. It didn’t make “financial sense” to keep us on. I’m tired of feeling expendable.