Saw the news floating around about the Fox Sports Radio layoffs. Doesn’t really shock me, honestly. Seems like every other week you hear about stuff like this, especially in media, right?
It actually got me thinking about something that happened at an old company I was with. Not radio, it was some kind of software place, but the vibe was probably similar behind the scenes. We all came in one Monday, business as usual. Then, around 10 AM, these emails started going out. Meeting invites. But only for certain people.
The Day Things Got Weird
You could just feel the mood shift. People started looking around, whispering. Trying to figure out who got an invite and who didn’t. I didn’t get one immediately, so I tried to just keep my head down, you know? Pretend to be busy. Typed a bunch of nothing into a document.
Then, my manager walks over. Super awkward. Tells me they need to see me in HR. My gut just dropped. Walked down the hallway, felt like the longest walk ever. You pass by other offices, some empty, some with people packing boxes. It’s a grim scene.
- Got into the HR office.
- Sat down. Two people I barely knew were there.
- They gave the whole speech. “Restructuring,” “synergies,” “difficult decisions.”
- Handed me a packet.
Turned out, my specific role was being eliminated. Not because I did anything wrong, they made sure to say that. Just… gone. Poof. They wanted me to stick around for two weeks to “transition” my work. Can you believe that? Like I was super motivated to help out after getting canned.
Moving On From That Mess
I remember just sitting there for a second. Didn’t really know what to say. Just kind of nodded. Took the packet. Walked back to my desk. My neighboring cube mate, Sarah, she also got the talk. We just looked at each other.
Spent the next two weeks basically doing nothing useful. Forwarded some old emails, deleted personal stuff off the computer. Mostly just browsed job sites and tried not to look too bummed out. It was surreal. One day you’re part of the team, next day you’re just… overhead to be cut.
So yeah, when I see headlines like Fox Sports Radio layoffs, I think back to that day. It’s rough out there. People are just numbers on a spreadsheet sometimes. Glad I’m not in that corporate shuffle anymore, doing my own thing is way better, even if it’s less predictable sometimes. At least I’m calling the shots.
