My COVID-19 Unemployment Journey: I Got Laid Off From My Corporate Job
As an ambitious entrepreneur, I’ve always had multiple sources of income and my time has been diversified between my corporate job as well as my role in the wedding and events industry. On April 16, 2020, I received an unexpected calendar invite to attend an HR check-in meeting with my co-worker scheduled for the following day. When I asked HR and my immediate supervisor at the time the reason behind the random meeting, their response was, “There are going to be some departmental changes that may affect you.”
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All-day, I pondered and came up with a million different changes that could impact me. Perhaps, the company wanted me to switch departments. Or maybe they are planning to reorg again and transfer me to a different business vertical. If anything, they may want me to take on additional duties such as an official trainer since I have been training all of my department new hires for about a year now. As you can imagine my shock when I found out none of my theories were proven correct.
On April 17 at 1:00 PM, they announced via a video conference meeting that my co-worker and I were being eliminated (this was the term used) along with several other colleagues due to COVID-19—what took years to build fell apart in a matter of minutes. I was caught in am unexpected wave with no warning, no time to put my life jacket on. My resilience muscle and survival mode were instinctively activated as I struggle to not drown in my inner mean girl thoughts. This devastated me for many reasons: the loss of the interpersonal relationships I’ve developed with my clients, the impactful projects I never saw to fruition, and the strong friendships I’ve created with passionate individuals. Here’s the kicker: Six months prior, I had a recent senior title promotion as the company’s top producer with a high volume book of business. Earlier this year, I was selectively chosen by the CEO to attend an all-expense-paid trip to Cabo San Lucas. In March, I was invited to host and keynote speak at the company’s tech conference in Dallas. Subjectively speaking, I was at the height of my role. As the ole’ saying goes, all that glitter isn’t gold. While I was overly confident in my ability to build a bullet-proof indisposable armor, I was hit and somehow chosen to be let go.
On top of that, the wedding industry has been impacted in immeasurable ways. I spent four years building a business I am immensely proud of only to put everything on hold for what could have been my most significant year-to-date. During this time, my heart has been touched by the tremendous support I’ve received from mentors, co-workers, and friends. They’ve reached out and extended their love with no questions asked. When a turbulent change happens to you, the community you’ve built will amaze you.
My mentor once said to me, “Doors do not open and close. You leave a house when you’ve outgrown it, and if you’re truly fortunate, the universe will sometimes care enough to boot you forcefully into the unknown, where your best future lies waiting in pieces for you to build them.”
