Your supervisor is going to call you into a conference room. There will be HR present, and probably security. What they say is well rehearsed and they are very careful not to say something that is not 100% legal and correct. They will state that there is a reduction in headcount, and your employment is no longer required. They will state that it is not a reflection of your performance, but a reduction in headcount. They will lay out what they are offering, typically 30 days of salary and benefits. They will again reinforce that it is not your performance, but a reduction in headcount. You will be asked to sign paperwork which says you understand and accept the terms of the separation. You will be told you will be eligible for rehire when and if the industry recovers and your services are needed. They will ask for your phone and pass. You will be then be escorted to your desk where you can pack your personal belongings, watched closely by security. You will then be escorted to your vehicle and watched as you leave the premises. Your email and network access is cut immediately, and you will not be given opportunity to log in to recover any archived data. At the end of your separation period, understand they will be looking for any reason to sever all ties with you, so one misstep and they will not hesitate to completely sever all liability.
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Almost a play by play of what happened to me, with the exception that HR was on the conference line. Was called into the conference room under the falsehood that we were to discuss an upcoming project. My Manager read a scripted speech citing the downturn in the Oil and Gas Industry. It was a business decision and wasn't personal. Right. Instead of Security, a fellow co-worker was used to facilitate my exit from the building. My Manager retreated to the comfort of his office almost immediately. This classy move was only surpassed by having a police car waiting outside in the event that things got ugly. Sorry to disappoint.
My experience couldn't have been more different than what was described above. I was called into my +2 and +3 managers office (no HR, no security). We had a talk, nothing seemed rehearsed. They let me walk myself out and say goodbye to my coworkers. They let me keep my cell phone until the next day when I picked up my belongings. Honestly, the way they handled it was appreciated.
What rubbish. Any corporation would want to lay you off with the utmost care because of litigation. In the UK layoffs were carried out over a period of about three months. Meetings, discussions, and all done quite well as far as i could see. I had nearly 20 yrs service and took voluntary redundancy. The package was ok not great but i had another position to go too. It was a win win for me. I believe that leaving where i did with a sum of money (close to years salary) and another job to start after a 4 week vacation ! was the right thing to do when there were jobs to go into. Now is a different matter. There are tens of thousands of people who were laid of but no jobs for them. My advice is. "If you get notice for redundancy" find and take any job and ask for voluntary if you have a lot of years service. Dont wait until they march you out without a job !!!! Best of luck folks.
The only thing not done was hand cuffing and cavity searching. It was that bad.
Here's how it happened for me. I strolled into the office at 10:30 on Monday (flex hours are 7-9am to 3-5pm. The manager calls me into the office and has a shoe box on his desk with HR sitting right next to him. He asks me if I know what the shoe box is for...I said no. He then continues by explainingnthe company is downsizing, needs to stay competitive, etc. and I'm being let go for the greater good. I sign a few papers and he yells me security will escort me out.... Then he reachesmover to the shoe box and says "go back to wherrbyou came from and don't forget your shine box"
When the deed happened to many of us last year, we were NOT allowed to grab our belongings from our office. We were escorted to the car. Pretty sh*tty experience.
Whatever you do, don’t be stupid like I did and give HR my computer password. I was told at the time it was mandatory or I would not get my severance. Found out later not true by others who were laid off at the same time. My manger was sending emails to our customers under my name after I left. She did not want any of the customer to know I was gone. What she did not know is one of my close friends prior to joining the company was employed by one of our customers. I should sued her and Baker-for falsely impersonating.
Your webmail login works for that day
So go blast away when you get home
I did when I was let go last year
Now is the time to get all our personal belongings together, and bring it home now.
Go through your computer and copy any information that you will need when severed. Take that home now.
Go through your computer and remove all unnecessary files. Only have files that are essential to your job at this time.
Be prepared to be terminated now.
Don't go through denial.
Do it today, no matter how secure you feel in your job.
I haven't experienced being laid off but saw what happen to several people in my department and it was a humiliating experience to watch management or security stand watch someone pack their belongings into a box and then escort them out, usually requiring them to walk by their former peers. The first time I saw that happen, I took every personal belonging that I had home with me that evening. If it happens to me, I will walk out empty handed.
What many people don't accept is that when they cut you, they want you gone. As in outta here, good bye. People think that after X years the company wants to keep in contact or you are still a part of the team. Nothing could be further from the truth! They want absolutely nothing to do with you, so piss off, don't call, and if they can find ANY reason to fukk you out of anything they won't hesitate to do so!
Awesome. My manager did it all by phone. He was pretty stupid about it all, and asked me to return everything to the office. I live just over 200 miles away and I told him I wasn't comfortable driving the vehicle due to liability, so I parked the vehicle in a secure parking lot down the street,and FedEx ed him the keys. It sat there for about a month and finally two people showed up to get it, and called and asked for the keys. I just said sorry,no idea, ask dickhead. I went on a job as a consultant for 3 weeks when I got back it was still there. The next time I passed that lot it was gone
Here's how it happens for me. Supervisor calls and says I'm needed at the office. I ask why. He gives a vague answer, just that I'm needed. I say I'm in my personal vehicle and ask if I should come on as is or if I need to get my company vehicle. He says go ahead and get your company vehicle first. I again ask why. He again responds vaguely. I then say, nah, sounds too important, I'm on my way. He insists I get my company vehicle first. I say ahhhhh, layoff, huh? He goes silent. I tell him to bring HR to my house with the paperwork and someone to collect the vehicle. I call the cops to watch them while on my property and to escort them off after. They get mad. I don't care.
All of that is true. If you think you may be on the list, it's advisable to copy your contact list as you won't be allowed access to the network ever again. I would suggest that you look up and print copies of the company policies concerning benefits, etc so you have them, as it's difficult when you find yourself on the outside. I would also forward any important emails etc that you want to your personal account. Look up and print hard copies of training transcripts, performance evaluations, or important information that would not be easily available if you can't get into the databases.