“So Why Did You Get Fired?”: 50 Memes To Brighten Your Day If You Just Got Laid Off

Some people may confuse, or even interchange, getting fired and getting laid off. The former may involve poor performance or policy violations, while the latter is more about company-related factors, such as financial constraints or downsizing. 

Mental health clinician Yvonne Castañeda had a more relatable analogy: getting laid off can feel like a breakup.

“Employers provide you with their reasons—‘We are reorganizing, downsizing, restructuring, making some changes, getting acquired’—but you hear, ‘You just weren’t worth keeping around,’” Castañeda wrote. 

Similar to a romantic relationship, you put the time and effort into a job, which ultimately leads to emotional investment. Castañeda says it’s for this reason that a layoff feels extra personal.

Meanwhile, getting fired is oftentimes an avoidable outcome. And whether or not it affects your future career will depend on the circumstances of the termination. As career expert Vicki Salemi explains, having an unfavorable reputation definitely won’t help. 

“It’s hard to get a positive reference when you’re not a good employee. People may be honest and tell your prospective employer, ‘Don’t hire this person,’” Salemi said.

As you would when dealing with an abrupt breakup, Castañeda shared the same general advice for dealing with a layoff: give yourself time to be upset and process the emotions, find a support network, and move on when you’re ready. 

“It’s healthy to take time to process this experience, and listening to your body will help you realize when it’s time to take control of your future,” she wrote.

As for moving on after getting fired, Salemi shared one crucial tip: get serious about your career and make your termination an exception, not the norm. 

“Produce exemplary work with a can-do attitude and be humble. You want to show future employers that you were able to bounce back and excel.”

Job terminations happen, but the question is, are they justified? For this, we sought insights from lawyers to provide accurate parameters. According to veteran attorney Nick Heimlich, a firing is unfair if it is driven by either discrimination or retaliation, or when employers change facts that cannot be verified through records. 

Employee-side attorney Steven Chizen added other examples of unjustified termination, including firing an employee for whistleblowing, taking protected leave (e.g., baby-bonding), or requesting a reasonable accommodation for a disability. 

So, how can an employee move forward from an unjust termination? Lawyer David Iancu urges documentation through emails, reviews, timelines, and any paper trail that shows what happened. 

“Then speak with an employment attorney who can sort out whether the facts support a legal claim. You can’t fix what you don’t document,” he told Bored Panda.

Layoffs, on the other hand, may be more challenging to bounce back from, since they are a bitter reality that an employee must accept, sometimes unwillingly. In such cases, expungement attorney David Weisselberger advises filing for unemployment immediately, especially since processing typically takes approximately 3 to 4 weeks. 

“It is essential to file as early as possible to begin the ‘waiting week’ and establish your base year wage rate for the state. When your severance payments cease, your state benefits will activate immediately, eliminating a lapse in income,” he said.

For some companies, layoffs are inevitable, especially since no company is immune to economic pressure, according to Iancu. As an employee who got the axe for such reasons, he advises taking immediate steps to keep the momentum going. 

“Review the separation documents, confirm what benefits continue, and know what rights you keep. That gives you control,” he said. “From there, update your professional materials and reconnect with your network.”

It is likewise essential to note that not all layoffs are legal. According to litigation attorney Thomas Ricotta, it is similar to an unjust firing where companies let go of employees because of their age. This is why he recommends seeking professional assistance. 

“Consult with an employment attorney, particularly if you believe that you may have been selected for a layoff instead of someone else because of your age or some other protected class,” he said.

Negotiation is another step a laid-off employee can take, something that people tend to forget, according to executive coach and career strategist Susan Peppercorn. She advises requesting the following: 

1. Additional severance pay
2. Extended health insurance
3. Outplacement or career-coaching support
4. A neutral or positive reference
5. A written LinkedIn recommendation
6. Paid job-search time