The Morning I Got Laid Off
November 13, Wednesday 9 AM.
At 7 AM, I got a calendar invite to a meeting in a conference room on a different floor than where my team works with a senior member of HR (we’ll call her ‘HR Lady’). The WSJ had reported Visa was laying off 1,400 people a couple weeks prior, so I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw the invitation.
“Visa plans to lay off around 1,400 employees and contractors by the end of the year, according to people familiar with the matter, as part of a plan to streamline its international business.”
https://www.wsj.com/business/visa-plans-to-lay-off-around-1-400-employees-and-contractors-cd278c71
My manager, a VP, works in Texas. I work in DC. As I entered the conference room, his face loomed large on the 60 inch virtual conference screen hanging on the wall. He took less than a minute to read a pre-canned statement, and HR Lady said, “thanks, you can go.” She handed me a few sheets of paper that summarized my severance package.
HR Lady went over a few high level bullet points. My severance pay is based on my tenure at the company, I was to leave that day, I’d technically stay employed for the next 2 months, and facilities would pack up my belongings in my office to be sent to me at a later date. I’d have access to my laptop and email through the end of week to send myself any personal digital items. She handed me an Uber voucher to use just in case I felt too emotional to drive. She asked me if I had any questions. But, she did not have answers.
Me: “What happens to my unvested stock grants?”
HR Lady: “I don’t know. I’ll send you a Frequently Asked Questions document that might have that. If not, I’ll also send you a contact email for additional questions,”
Me: “Will I get reimbursed for the unpaid tuition reimbursement funds I’ve utilized.”
HR: “I don’t know, please review the material I’ll send you.”
I went back to my seat, grabbed my messenger bag, walked to my car, and drove home from the office for the last time.