You are not alone... (recovering from being suddenly terminated or given severance)

I felt ashamed even though the real cause of my termination was not my fault. I did not know what to tell people since I am not really retired. Feeling betrayed. No heads up. I am letting it go. I got the wrong person mad and they (the four levels of management) wanted to keep their jobs. I was asking too many questions. I made myself an easy target when I took vacation because there is always a recovery struggle when you go on vacation. I was preparing for the office closure 1-1.5 years away but was not expecting this sudden turn of events.

Those words “you’re terminated.” Why? you ask after you catch your breath. “Failure to fulfill job requirements.” They can pin that on anyone very easily. They really do not have to give a reason. If they start giving you a memo or rate any part of your work a “1” it is potentially coming. Speak up then. See an attorney to give you counsel on how to respond and do not sign the memo or EPR until you do if you plan to stay and fight. Otherwise, prepare yourself and grieve the loss of your career, the sudden shift in your life, and the new opportunities.

It was the best thing to happen to me. I am still getting over the shock. I am in recovery from the PTSD that was created by the last few years in claims. I am now following my other inteterests and building a new life with new and renewed relationships with family and friends and myself.

Some helpful reads (see links below). The local unemployment office should have good resources. Lifeworks still has benefits whether you are terminated or given severance.

What they are doing is unethical, in some instances illegal but all I can do is forgive and move on and try to get the word out — you are not alone, it will get better, there are resources out there and success for you ahead. An even better career and life. Management’s poor decisions, self preservation, and lack of character are on them. Good luck, you have worth, you were a dedicated amazing employee, you will survive and thrive.

https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-lessons-ive-learned-from-being-laid-off

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/laid-off-now-what

https://www.theminimalists.com/fired/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/12/27/the-ten-best-things-about-getting-fired/

Comment! It's anonymous!

33 replies (most recent on top)

With some QTDs coming up I hope everyone is doing ok. Remember you are not alone and there is healing and life after SF. I look back with appreciation on what I’ve been able to do since leaving earlier than planned. Although unexpected and upsetting at the time it has worked out very well. I am healing and moving on and building my new chapter. Give yourself time and space to find your joy and path. It has been a tough last several years at SF. Good luck and know change can be invigorating and lead to wonderful unimagined opportunities. Hang in there. Be bold. Be kind. Have courage. You are amazing!

Seven Billion gain in reserves we can’t give anything back

OMG

What a f--- job

I too Am laying off tomorrow it k--ls me I. The end good people. I can’t imagine 7 billion in growth I’m never going to another convention to listen to the horse Sh-- the young girl I’m laying off just had a baby. If things are that destress then every executive needs to take 50% income-reduction at minimum we always took care of our people reduction what the hell is going on with our company

I’m with you as well I had a barbecue at my house last night with 12 agents and here families we are all laying off this week nobody trust the SL we just couldn’t believe the Seven Bilion in reserves.

ITS like Trump is running STATE FARM

I’m with you brother we had 22 auto cancellations last in my agency. My team is getting really nervous. I tell them we will work thur this cycle but it’s been going on the last two years. I’m getting exhausted explaining double rate increases to long term clients.

I was just at a area meeting and the agency Vice President said to spend more

Money on marketing it’s NOT working I’m spending 2500 on leads and direct mail and we get nothing. I agree with you 7 billion in first quarter and we are Happy. Mutual company suppose to be rate neutral.

I’m really worry I’m also going to let someone go.

I can’t imagine why they decided to take this route it will be the death of us. Policyholders always remember

I’m an agent in a small town it’s really gotten to the edge our Farm Bureau is 50% less than us the rate increases over the last four years have k--l my business.

I’m not sure what direction to go all my friends in operations over the last 25 years are leaving or are gone, the new people just say it’s a new way of doing business. If you cancel everyone for an 1 accident and 2 towing claims I’m not sure why we are

In business. I got friends getting cancelled for four road services claims. They are hurting severely from the Trump Tariffs on the Farm, I was at church today and the pain I see in my market is unsettling, I just look at our gain in reserves at close to 7 billion and I couldn’t say anything I was so upset it made me sick. I am so sad we’re we are going i think they should of just lay it out we are going the way of Gieco because we couldn’t figure it out. The fall off from my friends around the country is unstable at best. I wish all my friends and colleges the best of luck. I have to go

In and lay off two team members tomorrow,

What away to go down 107 billion in the bank and as one of policyholders put it you just k--led me.

I am an AA97 agent who is much closer to the end than the beginning. Never been a Superstar-mostly because my priorities do not fully mesh with a sales first mentality. I grew like crazy 20 years ago when service and insurance understanding were important.

A few years back, I did the annual mad scramble to make my Life numbers in December. For an agent, that often means buying more permanent life on yourself to get premium. Anyway, I did all that and ended up with a zero dollar scorecard because I just couldn’t write auto and fire—we were 50-100% overpriced. Since then, I have backed way off on marketing and sell financial products when customers ask for them. State Farm says my numbers are my worst ever. But my income is my best ever and I sleep at night, and even get along with my wife again.

Pressure in Agency is insane. I have come to realize that SF’s #1 position is not my personal responsibility, and that it makes no sense to spend all of MY money building THEIR business. They call us business owners when it’s convenient for them. But. I cannot sell or even name a successor. My retirement is what I’ve saved, period. SF Agency is a job with above average income but with massive personal risk and stress. I have reached the point where I’m not quite ready to leave, but if they cut me loose one morning I would actually breathe a sigh of relief.

Profit is just one element of a successful company. When you have unit count leaving in droves especially in California & Florida it will come to a head.

Management is scrambling to understand why agents have put the brakes on marketing, agents over the last couple of years are losing PIF at a alarming rate. Writing and qualifying new business has become almost impossible based on new underwriting model.

AI is only as good as the implementation and support. I would suggest getting your house in order. The future doesn’t look as lucrative as one mite imagine. The Brand damage that has been accomplish mayn’t be recoverable this time around.

You sound like a grade A loser. My metrics are running this company amazingly. We're seeing the best profits in years.

I will turn this company around if I have to fire every claim handler and shift it all to automated machines.

AI IS THE FUTURE!

Very good post

Share your experience here and tell others about this site.

Hang in there. Let coworkers know about this website.

Remember -

Time will tell if we have enough for class action for those of us unjustly strategically targeted for termination or forced into retirement early so the company could save money on severance and pensions. Move on but also keep in touch as this is our only communication portal at this point. Have courage, resilience and know you are not alone and you have value and worth.

Targeted those over 50

Targeted those who used FMLA, sick time

Targeted those who spoke up or questioned

Creating impossible work conditions and expectations then rating people’s as 1/2 or 2/1

Targeting and hounding people to retire early, or quit, or terminating them to reduce pensions, retirement benefit costs, possible future severance

This has been going on for a long time, years. It is going on in claims today. Huge inventories with more and more requirements added every day and upper management telling you to NOT follow the company procedure guide because if you do you will not keep up ... then writing you up for not following it.

Let everyone know about the layoff.com so they can share there experience. You are not alone.

I was laid off in April 2017 and I am still recovering ! It s---s but it has given me a different outlook on my life as well as the workforce. I highly urge you ALL to get a Plan B that pays. I started my journey as a travel agent soon after getting laid off. Ever since I have been on a mission to help those also affected by lay offs. Take control of your life and stop building somone elses dream, invest in your own !!

Reach out to me I really want to help I hate how this world is set up for bosses and not employees.

Taylomadetrips@gmail.com

I’m feeling good that the management that does all this is now getting totally screwed over with termination. Has anyone heard anything in their local offices?

I'm in the same boat I was let go in the middle of October I had just gotten back from a medical leave and my supervisor went out of her way to find mistakes from the first six months of her not even being there then in my epr that she rewrote for me the whole epr said how unorganized I was how I never met any deadlines I couldn't keep up my 24 hour requirements I felt so so low and self-esteem and confidence the day I was let go I felt horrible I had never ever gotten fired from a job my whole 16 15 and a half years at State Farm I've never had a bad epr until a year and a half ago and this last time I wish I could sue but I don't know what the attorney will take on State Farm

If the managers in your area are targeting specific types of employees to avoid paying severance, that will show up in the statistics. If the type of employee being targeted is one of the protected classes (age, race, religion, disability, etc.) then there is most definitely a case here.

If the type of employee being targeted is not a protected class, I don't think there would be much of a case except with regard to collecting unemployment and the like.

The hard part is proving it. You'd need a lot of people to come forward, or an attorney who could get his hands on a whole lot of data.

Best of luck if that is the road one chooses to go down. Me personally, I'd just move on. But that's just me. Courts and lawyers are a pain.

When you are terminated you can email/write to State Farm HR as soon as possible and request they preserve your desk and computer contents and ship you your desk personal performance files (if you have any). You can also ask for a copy of your corporate company shield (they do not have to send all of it to you but it can be subpoenaed later). Discuss it with an attorney. Every situation is different. Best advise I got early on was “find something you love and move on.”

I am moving on but speaking out to let others know they are not alone and there is life after State Farm.

I have retained an attorney for my cumulative trauma workers comp claim for all the things I did not make an issue of because I was such a company person. I have pain and health issues but was prepared to tough it out alone until I was suddenly terminated.

I am consulting with attorneys re wrongful termination and age discrimination and FMLA retaliation but these are hard to prove cases.

Time will tell. I don’t plan to let it eat up my life but it is the principle of holding people responsible who behave unethically and discriminate and maliciously with intent strategically target people to get ride of them before the office closures to then save money by avoiding paying severance.

Good luck to all. It’s not how you fall down but how you get up that’s important! You can do it.

Better yet.....did you take home any copies of your EPR’s? Pay stubs showing a raise? A attorney might find it of use to prove they rated you well, complimented your work, gave you a raise and then suddenly you aren’t meeting standards?

What do you have to lose by calling the ethics line? Even if you call and it can’t help you right now it might help someone else. Sorry this happened to you. I would still talk to an attorney. They can subpoena to get emails that have your proof or whatever else.

Had you already been given a QTD and a severance offer? Just trying to figure out of they are firing people before their QTD to avoid paying severance.

I have some emails I was able to forward from my phone in the parking lot, but didn’t have the foresight to send it to my self. The hr rep dismissed the idea of letting me provide documents proving I was actually doing drastically more work than was claimed. I thought about calling the ethics hotline but I doubt it would matter.

Did they give you proof of what you supposedly did? I hope you got out with your own proof. Get an attorney and sue their *sses.

I worked in systems and was just terminated for completely false accusations. When I asked if I could present proof why they were false I was ignored and walked out shortly after.

This is #GOLD - Job Searching and Bouncing from Layoffs Advice

Thx for the replies. I was Over 50 but under 55. I am getting unemployment. And, yes - there was a memo (secret memo - management told us about it repeatedly but would not let us see it or read it ourselves) that came out to management mid to late 2016 telling management they needed to write us claim specialist for anything off procedure or out of Time goal (SLO), etc and if the Team Manager did not then they would be written up and on up the line.

They’ve become desperate in my opinion. Getting fired at State Farm for the longest time was almost impossible. Now, they probably sent all managers a memo stating to find any way to reduce headcount before all the offices close.

I was in the exact same boat as you. I however was jumping for joy as I was walked out of the building. Never having to go back to that god awful environment made me so happy. I also do agree. It’s become a keep your head down kind of place. Can’t ask questions otherwise you just get a target on your back. Hang in there!

On the same boat as you. Thoughts and prayers go out.

Are you in your 50s?

What a story! How wonderful you can react this way. I do have a question...when you were terminated for not fulfilling duties, were you still able to receive unemployment? Thank you.

God bless!

Thank you amd the best of luck to you.

Thread regarding State Farm Insurance layoffs

You are not alone... (recovering from being suddenly terminated or given severance)

33 replies (most recent on top)

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