Linked – Microsoft’s layoff : How corporate downsizing is sparking a global mental health epidemic
This week, it was Microsoft; last week, it was Crowdstrike. Next week, it will likely be some other company making huge profits that still wants to look better to stockholders and venture capitalists by cutting the expense of human beings.
The lesson, as always, is that you don’t owe your job any loyalty above and beyond doing your work and getting paid, because there is no longer any loyalty toward the workers.
We also need to talk once again about the mental health of both those who were let go and those who are left behind. The shock of having your life turned upside down on the whim of an organization’s managers is overwhelming. Anyone who has been part of a layoff can tell you that. I went through it, and I know plenty of others who have also done so. It’s a traumatic experience.
I’ve also had the experience of watching people I worked closely with get let go more than once as part of a downsizing. That is also traumatic, and the impact goes much further than being sad the day it happens. You’re also likely adjusting schedules and workloads, taking on more work and stress for the same pay, and feeling guilty because you are at least still getting paid while others are not.
So, if you know someone affected by these layoffs, please reach out. Keep in touch with them as best you can and help keep them connected to a community within their industry.
Don’t be shy to reach out to those who watched team members get let go. They also need support and connection.
In 2025, we all need support and connection. Do what you can where you are to be part of that connection. We can’t fix this system that disregards workers’ humanity so easily by ourselves, but we can all do something to remind the people we know that they are still part of our world.
Follow these topics: Mental Health
