'Glad I'm getting laid off': Microsoft employee's honest post about the relief from 'uncertainty' goes viral

Layoffs are among the scariest and most daunting threats hanging over employees around the world. The constant wait and stress over the possibility coming true put one's life in limbo, neither moving on nor staying back.In this case, a Microsoft employee's honest post about being 'glad' for being laid off has gone viral on the internet. In the post shared on the professional networking platform Blind, where verified employees discuss workplace issues, the employee said they believed they are likely to be affected by Microsoft's latest round of job cuts.They shared that their manager is expected to receive the final list of staff facing layoffs on July 30, while notifications could arrive this week.

Moreover, they had observed numerous signs of redundancy.They claimed to have been removed from projects, while a colleague was brought in to assist with ongoing work and even they were unsure about the reasons behind the changes. The employee further noted that the manager had become less communicative and had provided minimal feedback in recent months.Despite the uncertainty, they said they felt a sense of relief.

The constant speculation about layoffs, repeated reorganisations, discussions about efficiency and seeing colleagues lose their jobs had created an environment of prolonged stress and uncertainty. "At some point you stop worrying about being laid off and start worrying about what staying is doing to you," they wrote.

Social media reactions

The employee's post resonated with numerous readers online."Not a single person who is good at their job has ever worried about layoffs.

Only people who think they are doing a ‘good job’ (but aren’t) are worried or even think about layoffs. Victim culture" wrote one user."Better a painful end than a never-ending pain" added another."I hear you and I feel the same. Being moved and switched every 2 months due to crazy reorgs. Waiting for an announcement by the end of the month, am I fired? Who knows? Just stop the uncertainty so I can look for something else.

In my country, we have a super good contract and they need to pay us a lot to fire us without legal reasons. I dare them to fire me, I am waiting. I'll find another job, and enjoy the vacation. I admit that i am in a privileged place, I would get about 16 months of salary for getting fired, plus the country's unemployment benefits," another shared."Market is very bad right now. You have to think about exit strategy. You have no safety net.

Perhaps it is not too late to dump your manager and switch teams internally? I would reach out to my contacts, perhaps their teams are hiring. If you can, it is time to go back to academy now for another profession," a user advised.Recently, Microsoft has joined the long list of tech giants announcing layoffs while investing heavily in AI and trying to control costs. The firm plans to cut under 2.5% of its workforce, as per a Business Insider report.The employee's post also highlights a growing trend in corporates which is called 'quiet firing', a passive-aggressive practice where managers make the employee's job so uncomfortable, stagnant and unrewarding that they are pressured to quit. The signs of these are exclusion, reassignment, withdrawal of support and a cold shoulder, all of which were mentioned in the post.