I was laid off in early 2020. Fortunately I had worked in management for many years, and knew a lot about Human Resources, company benefits, and what the layoff process involves. In the past I had actually been told to execute the process to layoff people so I had first hand experience on one side of the table. In larger companies it involves completing a lot of paperwork on the person to be laid off to ensure you are not violating any laws around discrimination. This layoff experience in 2020 was the first time I personally had been laid off in a career spanning across four decades.
I can save you a lot of time, don’t bother contacting a lawyer, unless you have a ton of evidence to prove you were being discriminated against. The majority of jobs are “At Will Employment”, which means at any time the company can let you go, and at any time you can quit and instantly walk away. The sword cuts in both directions. The selection process on who will be laid off goes through multiple reviews through management, HR, and the legal department. If you are being told your employment is ending, it is very likely they have checked every legal angle before telling you.
In general, larger companies have a defined LAYOFF or SEVERANCE policy. You probably never bothered to look at any of your company’s policies since the day you were hired. Those policies…
