What Your Job Doesn’t Want You To Know About How They Choose Who To Lay Off, According To A CEO
"You've got to go and prove that you are the aspirin to their pain."
wavebreakmedia | Shutterstock When layoffs occur, most employees hope their past job successes will keep them safe and employed. However, according to a CEO, that is not the deciding factor for many bosses.
J.T. O'Donnell is the CEO and founder of Work It Daily, a job search and career coaching company. In a recent TikTok, she shared what happens behind the scenes in preparation for layoffs, and how companies in corporate America determine who gets to keep their jobs.
The CEO revealed how corporate America chooses who to lay off.
"All across the country, there are boardrooms, there are C-suites, there are teams are meeting to discuss who stays and who goes," O'Donnell explained. "And in that moment, your value is being put into question."
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"What most corporate workers think is that your past performance will have an impact on this moment," she continued. Employees assume that their positive performance reviews, past raises, and yearly promotions mean that they are safe from losing their jobs. However, the CEO warned workers that none of that matters.
"In this moment, they are saying, 'What can you do for me today to justify your value?'" she said. "Because to them, you're a service provider, and over the years, they properly paid you for that service. That's all gone today. They have to figure out the work that you're doing — is it creating enough value, is it saving them enough money, making them enough money, solving problems, and alleviating pain?
Don't assume that your job is safe because it has been in the past. O'Donnell claimed that, when it comes to layoffs, only the now matters, which is why many outstanding employees get blindsided. They falsely assume that their past performances will keep them safe.
O'Donnell shared a few tips to avoid layoffs.
O'Donnell suggested employees focus on their UVA or "unique value add." She further advised workers to put together a document that lists out exactly what their contributions are to a company and highlights the value that they bring. Focus on how they save or make the company money — after all, we all know the dollar is the bottom line.
Then, she said, employees should meet with their boss, share their list, and ask what else they can be doing. It's important to be proactive.
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"You've got to go and prove that you are the aspirin to their pain," she insisted. "Right now companies are cutting. That means they're in pain. You need to be the aspirin to not be cut. You can't be the vitamin, you can't be the nice-to-have. You need to be the must-have."
Many employees have admitted to having 'layoff anxiety.'
While some workers find themselves blindsided by layoffs, others live in fear of losing their jobs. According to Clarify Capital’s 2025 survey of 1,000 Americans, one in three adults have layoff anxiety. It’s especially impacting younger workers — 40% of Gen Zers report being anxious about potential layoffs.
This worry is also shaping how employees view their jobs, the report found. More than two-thirds of workers now value job security over career growth, and nearly one in three would take a 10-20% pay cut to avoid being laid off.
In another survey from ZipRecruiter on job seeker confidence, most workers said there was about a 25% chance they would be laid off in the next six months, indicating the valid fear many employees have of being dispensable.
"Layoffs are coming in droves," O'Donnell cautioned. "So, if there's a way for you to show your value and keep your job, you do want to do it."
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.