With a Tap On the Shoulder, Jacob's Great Job Was Over; His Career Flipped Upside Down

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It was Friday afternoon, and Jacob was looking forward to spending the weekend with family and friends. Suddenly, an HR assistant director, a security officer, and an HR clerk arrived at his office. His executive assistant was asked to go to the coffee room.

They refer to this as the Friday afternoon Tap On the Shoulder.

“You are being laid off effective immediately.”? Jacob was handed a folder with details of his package.”?

“You have until Noon on Monday to accept the terms and conditions of the severance agreement, or it will be rescinded,” the assistant HR director told him.?

Jacob was asked if he had any questions. When he inquired about why he was included in the layoff, given his recent excellent performance evaluation, the HR representative provided nothing more than a lackluster hackneyed response: “The company is facing strong headwinds, and we are going in a different direction.” ?

 He later learned that he was among several hundred supervisors, managers, and executives who were not invited to take? “a different direction.”        

While Jacob was surprised to be included, he knew a layoff was imminent when he read the WARN notice on the state labor department’s website. WARN stands for the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. All companies with more than 100 employees in one location must give the state 60 days' notice when layoffs are planned.

Jacob was told to pack his personal items while the security officer observed the contents he placed in the box.? He was then told to “surrender your company cell phone, laptop, and ID/ security swipe badge.? You will be escorted immediately from the building. Your team members are being informed now.? We do not believe permitting your contact with them is in anyone’s interest.”

“I felt like a criminal,” he would later recall.”I was a loyal, productive employee for more than 10 years, not a common criminal.? That really floored me.”

While Jacob was concerned the company was experiencing financial challenges, his tenure and consistent exemplary performance record, he believed, would protect him against a layoff. Thus, he had not even considered planning a job search or what it would entail.

 If this happens to you, here are steps you should take (before) or when you are notified.        

1. Do not sign severance or non-disclosure agreements before your legal counsel reviews them. If the company insists, tell them politely but firmly that it will not be possible.
2. Ask for a verbal explanation of the severance benefits, whether you will receive a lump sum check or be paid in the regular payroll. Verify whether health coverage will be administered as an employee or as part of a more expensive COBRA plan, which you will be responsible for purchasing.
3. Ask how the organization will handle references or verification of employment. Ask the HR representative to specify who will be the designated contact for calls about your employment. ?
4. Ask for a confirmation of your official final day.? If your severance is paid out through payroll, you can sometimes claim the last payment date as the “final” day. Many times, executives receive 180 days of paid severance.? Lower-ranking supervisors and managers may receive only two weeks to 90 days in severance payments. Beware: a six-month difference between the date you use on your resume and the date your former employer provides could prompt additional questions from your prospective employer.?
5. Plan to consult an attorney if your severance is inappropriately low for your title, scope of responsibility, and years of service. However, before you depart the building, ask the HR representative how the formula was calculated and whether everyone at your level in the organization received the same package.?
6. When the termination meeting is complete, exit the building as quickly as possible. Do not stop to engage colleagues. If you are approached while walking out with the security officer, say, “Call me,” and leave.
7. Do not take any proprietary information with you. Doing so can have serious repercussions and impact future job opportunities. Software or other company assets are typically considered the employer's property, even if you are the author/designer. There are exceptions, and you can take steps to protect your financial interests, but consult an attorney to ensure you are legally protected.
8. Ask if your package contains assistance for transition or outplacement services.? This could be an invaluable resource in a highly competitive executive or management job market. Specifically, ask if you are required to use the company’s designated outplacement representative or if you can choose your coach.
9. Take your professional contacts. If these are contacts you worked with regularly, they are typically not considered proprietary information. They could be helpful in your job search. Do not wait until you receive the layoff notification; at that point, recovering contact information is too late. The best practice is periodically downloading or manually recording your contacts from your company CRM.? Do not take any other CRM information that might be considered proprietary,
10. Never keep your resume on your company computer or laptop. Courts have ruled that employees are not granted an expectation of privacy even if they have not been laid off. Applying for other jobs from a company computer on the company network could expose your interest in finding another job.?
11. A layoff is not a secret to keep from your family, especially your spouse or partner. If your children are old enough to understand, explain what happened and reassure them that everything will be OK. Be upbeat with smiles and hugs. ?
12. Take several days to relax and reflect. Losing a job is like losing a friend. Our work is integral to our identity. If necessary, take time to grieve, but then get up and go to work, finding your next better job. It is now your full-time job.

What’s Next: The Intersection of Tariffs and Job Security

Uncertainty is one of the few specific economic facts. While some say tariffs will have no appreciable impact on our economy, they are decidedly in the minority. ?

A common mistake in uncertain times is believing you will not be affected if tariffs trigger more inflation, slow consumer spending, and will likely result in layoffs.

The more prolonged economic uncertainty continues, the more likely widespread layoffs will happen. Companies are already implementing strategic or targeted layoffs that are impacting thousands of workers across the nation.

From John? G Self:? “We are advising current clients and members of our Career Community to prepare in advance. With the current oversupply of management and executive talent crowding the employment pipeline, being caught off guard in a layoff could significantly extend the time it takes to find a new position.” ?

The current time-to-hire timeline is between eight and 14 months. Some executives who were unprepared and struggled with the new job search “rules” have taken as long as two years to find a new job.