Podcast Season 5, Episode 4: The Emotional Toll of Being Laid Off is Real

Jason hosts this episode of the Radical Candor podcast and interviews Amy, Kim and Brandi about layoffs. The team discusses layoffs from a few different perspectives — the most important one is the impact on people who are being laid off. The emotional and financial toll of being laid off is real. Amy says, “Looking back on it, it was a huge transformational time that set my life up in a way that I really wanted. But it felt like absolute sh*t in the process.”

Listen to the episode:

Radical Candor Podcast Episode At a Glance

@realisticrecruiting If you were laid off you probably never could have stopped it so dont take the blame for yourself. And always remember to prioritize you and your people first #jobsearchtips #jobsearching #careertiktok #careertok #careeradvice #layoffs #jobinterviewtips ♬ original sound – Mike Peditto | Job Search Talk

We’re going to talk about layoffs from a few different perspectives — the most important thing being the impact on people who are being laid off.

Kim and Amy share their layoff stories and Brandi talks about how while she did “everything wrong” while she was out of work, those things ended up being right for her.

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@brittanypeachhh Original creator reposting: brittany peach cloudflare layoff. When you know you’re about to get laid off so you film it :) this was traumatizing honestly lmao #cloudflare #techlayoffs #tech #layoff ♬ original sound – Britt

1. This is a time to over-index on the care personally part for yourself. This is a challenging emotional moment and we’ve learned there’s no one right way to navigate a layoff. So start with self-compassion.
2. Ask for help. Don’t think about it in terms of asking for a handout—what you’re doing is you’re asking for an investment in yourself, and you are a good investment. Be as clear as possible about what you need and people usually are happy to help. They’re eager to help and in fact, they’re lucky to be able to invest in you.
3.  If you would like to take some Radical Candor courses, email us at learningsupport@radicalcandor.com  to receive some free Radical Candor resources.

Radical Candor Podcast Resources

• Why It’s Important for Leaders to Double Down On Radical Candor During Times of Uncertainty
• Layoffs Are Not Unethical, but They Also Don’t Have to Be Cruel
• A former Google and Apple exec explains the key to politely firing an employee
• Big Tech Is Really Bad at Firing People | WIRED
• Why the Google layoffs are about personal ambition and poor leadership | by Andy Walker | Jan, 2023
• Emotional Reactions At Work Are Awkward: Here’s How To Deal
• Laid Off: What It Means and What To Do Next | GOBankingRates
• All the Ways You Will Be Laid Off
• Who Was Affected by the 2022–2023 Tech Layoffs? A Comprehensive Study by 365 Data Science
• Mass Layoffs in 2022 & 2023: What’s Next for Employees?
• Op-Ed: Being laid off is devastating. Yet society never measures that toll
• What Companies Still Get Wrong About Layoffs | HBR
• The toll of job loss
• Journalling: A Strategy To Better Navigate Career Transitions
• Expressive Writing and Coping with Job Loss
• Work From the Office, Get Laid Off at Home – The New York Times
• A Boss’s Guide to Leading Through Uncertain Times – WSJ

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