Man Laid Off & Commits Suicide

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Yeah, being dead for the rest of your life really sucks.

(Just thought I'd get that in before Scrut beat me to it)

That phrasing may have been a little clumsy.

Anyway, don't do anything stupid if you think you might get fired or actually get fired.

You will find another job.

You can't undo being hit by a 4,000 pound car, like that poor woman nearly did.

 

[TmoonII]

He had a broken ankle, maybe his pain medication causes depression.

 

[blutoski]

I've been let go from plenty of jobs, and never with a security escort. Your idea of what should be professional and routine seems wildly at odds with my experience of reality.

It depends on the size of the organization.

My employer has 60,000 employees, and probably terminates hundreds a day in buildings with thousands of staff, so there's a process to reduce risk based on sheer numbers.

An employer with headcount as large as a city, in the process firing what sounds like hundreds of staff in a day, should be using these best practices. They're not Joe's Diner.

ETA: my rule of thumb is that if the organization is large enough to have a security guard; they should him to escort terminated employees - that's exactly what they're for.

 

[blutoski]

Actually, I'm IT staff. My last layoff, they didn't even revoke my badge. I spent the last few days making sure the documentation was up to date on my current projects, that I'd rounded up all the odd bits of company gear I'd acquired over the years and needed to return to their rightful owner, and generally putting my affairs in order.

They didn't change any of the passwords for the business-critical systems I worked on. They didn't revoke my badge. My supervisor never bothered me, except to say thank you when I turned in my final status report. I never saw hide nor hair of the security staff. My last interaction with the firm was the day I voluntarily walked into the office of the departmental HR rep, dropped off my gear and ID, and walked out on my own.

I guess I don't know much about the old adage, but I do know this: there's layoffs, and there's layoffs.

And this is more what I meant by "unprofessional" - whether they trusted you or simply forgot to collect your ID &c, they did expose the business to some risk, which shows an omission in due diligence. It's not like nobody's ever heard the expression "disgruntled ex-employee"

 

[Sledge]

Fnord, is there something more to this story you're not telling us? You seem rather angry about it, but I honestly can't see why. I agree that it's sad a young man took his own life, but I can't see why you're blaming anyone other than that young man.

Hello? Was this a troll and run thread or something?

 

[Nosi]

Not true.

You may loose [sic] your free health care (insurance), but you can still pay for it on your own. You don't lose health care anymore than you lose your house or car.

Health care can cost more than Donald Trump's house & car. I should know, my mother's spent three months in ICU...

 

[Nosi]

That's what savings are for.

Besides, if your house/car is already paid for you can't lose it.

Savings are a lovely suggestion if you only have yourself to look after and no bombs going off in your life.

Bombs can include disabled parents and children to care for suddenly...

Divorce...

Death in the family or several deaths...

Some families are carpet bombed.

 

[Nosi]

As you said, it isn't the end of the world.

For right thinking persons probably not. For those suffering from the silent plague of mental illness, things can look very different. Mentally ill look like everyone else. Their brains are chemically very different; like a Chimpanzee and a Dolphin. Many suffer in silence: Not knowing they are ill or fearing the stigma of treatment which is still very much alive.

I think the suicide we're discussing may have had mental illness along with a high dose of stress, a killing combination.

 

[nathan]

If you have medical conditions and or debts, they can often preclude you getting a new job.

How would they know you had debts?

Why would knowing you had debts stop someone hiring you?

 

[23_Tauri]

Actually, I'm IT staff. My last layoff, they didn't even revoke my badge. I spent the last few days making sure the documentation was up to date on my current projects, that I'd rounded up all the odd bits of company gear I'd acquired over the years and needed to return to their rightful owner, and generally putting my affairs in order.

They didn't change any of the passwords for the business-critical systems I worked on. They didn't revoke my badge. My supervisor never bothered me, except to say thank you when I turned in my final status report. I never saw hide nor hair of the security staff. My last interaction with the firm was the day I voluntarily walked into the office of the departmental HR rep, dropped off my gear and ID, and walked out on my own.

I guess I don't know much about the old adage, but I do know this: there's layoffs, and there's layoffs.

You, theprestige, are a well-mannered and law abiding gentleman. Fortunately, most people are. I guess the point is that if there was someone with a grudge, and they were I.T. staff, and they wanted to create havoc and wreak their revenge, they would probably know how to, with knobs on.

 

[TragicMonkey]

How would they know you had debts?

Why would knowing you had debts stop someone hiring you?

Credit checks. Some employers do them as part of the pre-hire screening.

 

[Bell]

Credit checks. Some employers do them as part of the pre-hire screening.

Having a (huge) debt can make you vulnerable to bribery. When you work for the police for example, that could mean criminals offering you money in exchange for information.

 

[Rasmus]

Having a (huge) debt can make you vulnerable to bribery. When you work for the police for example, that could mean criminals offering you money in exchange for information.

I am in the process of moving to a different city for a new job. I'll be broke for a good while now, and the cost of moving could have easily made it impossible for me to take the job.

 

[keale]

Very unfortunate Costa Mesa is not far from me. Mayor should have at least said a few words and paid this guy some respect.

 

[Nosi]

How would they know you had debts?

Why would knowing you had debts stop someone hiring you?

Many employers do credit checks as well as background checks and resume checks nowadays.