Employee Told 'Not To Worry' About Layoffs Was Eventually Let Go After Completing All Of Her Unfinished Projects
Neither she nor her coworkers saw the impending layoffs coming.
Dean Drobot / Shutterstock An employee was blindsided by losing her job after being promised that her position was safe and the company she worked for wasn't doing layoffs.
In a TikTok video, a content creator named Eda revealed that she was laid off in early November 2023 along with hundreds of her other coworkers. She offered up some prime advice for anyone who has been putting work over their well-being.
Eda was told 'not to worry' about layoffs but was let go after completing her unfinished projects.
In Eda's video, she explained that her company recently handed out a bunch of layoffs after previously promising that everyone's jobs were safe and they were in a financially good place.
"I just got laid off yesterday, and I felt like I needed to come on here and remind everybody that companies genuinely do not [care] about you," Eda insisted. "Yesterday, our company laid off almost 250 people that they promised last year wouldn't need to be laid off."
She claimed that the company gave no indication that there was an impending chance of layoffs. Instead, Eda and everyone else were told that things were fine, financials were good, and they had no reason to worry at all.
Eda and her coworkers had no reason to believe that they were being lied to, and up until the moment they all lost their jobs, they were working super hard on projects, adhering to "imaginary deadlines" and "super tight turnarounds." Now, though, after losing her job, Eda realized that her managers were only trying to squeeze every last drop of work out of their employees before telling them that they were no longer needed.
"It turns out that they were doing that because they wanted the work done before they laid off everybody on mass," she said. "So, you're working late nights trying to make some imaginary deadline or not taking a vacation, not taking care of your family, or spending time with your loved ones because work tells you you have to."
Speaking strongly about the importance of work-life balance, Eda urged anyone who was listening that a lot of companies will be quick to fire you after they've gotten what they want from you. To them, they view their employees as replaceable — another cog in the capitalist machine. "Daily reminder to always put yourself before your work," she wrote in the caption of her video.
The majority of employees don't trust their leaders at work.
One of the major things that stood out about Eda's experience is how often she and her coworkers were lied to by their leadership at work. They were told, point blank, that their jobs were safe and had no reason to doubt that the loss of their positions was on the horizon.
Unfortunately, in the workplace, many employees have admitted that there's a lack of trust between them and their bosses. In a study conducted by Gallup, only 21% of American workers strongly agree that they trust the leaders of their organization. When people who are required to give two weeks' notice to quit are getting laid off out of the blue, it's easy to see why.
Eda also made the crucial point to never put work above oneself, which is rooted in being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Constantly prioritizing work at the expense of self-care can contribute to stress, fatigue, and burnout.
Not only can it impact your physical health but it can also lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation because you're spending so much time at work trying to please your boss that you neglect the activities and relationships outside of work that bring you joy.
Photo: PBXStudio / Shutterstock
It's this outdated American lie that we must all work until we drop dead and the only things we have to look forward to in this life are working, making money, and paying our taxes. Eda's experience is a call to action that we must prioritize our own needs and there's no job on this planet that is worth more than your wellbeing and happiness.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.