Being Laid Off

I was laid off within the last 2 years. My experience thus far, has been one of immense relief. If you're lucky to have a good cultural pocket at Nike, I envy you. I was unfortunate enough to be in a toxic one for several years, and it weighed on me heavily. Very glad to be out for that reason alone. The job market is sh-t, and I don't have a ton of leads but I have been trying like he-l. And it's really baffling, because everyone on the inside was so friendly with the "we all have each other's back" sport team analogy vibes....except we really didn't.

The lack of any outward communication from 99% of people I used to work with has been validating, disappointing, and consistent with what everyone's saying on this site.

Nike's culture is so phoney baloney in this regard. It's not a good sign for your company's culture when you rave on and on about people's performance on the job (e.g., "this person's a rock star!", "they're so great", etc.), spend time over countless lunch outings, barbecues, and happy hours outside work, have spent years of hearing about each other's personal lives, families, and weekends, only to completely ghost the ones at work you supposedly "care" about now you don't see them anymore.

If you read the above, and scoff at it for being too "naive", or "soft"....you're part of the problem. We all gave/are giving the company so much of our time and mental energy. For what? To treat each other like Nike treats us all? Aren't we better than that? Despite what Mitt Romney once said, corporations aren't people. We can do better than treating each other the way Nike treats us.

To people who reach out - please continue to do so. Your words have been so helpful. To those who don't / haven't reached out....consider your team members who are now in isolation. They could use a familiar face or a check in from time to time.

#Layoff #ToxicEnvironment #Culture #PersonalStory #MentalHealth

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OP, same! So crazy to be absolutely ghosted by past bosses and “friends” who all said they would help and now it’s been almost 2 years since the layoffs and not one person is actively trying to get me back to the company and friends I loved so much. Once you get exiled outside the berm, you no longer exist.

OP I share your experience as I too was RIFed during the last JD era reorg. Was with Nike for ten years and thought I made strong connections throughout my time inside the berm. Once I was on the outside I quickly found out what relationships were transactional and which ones were built on care and connection. I do think there is some nuance of survivors guilt and people not knowing what to say to teammates who were impacted but similarly to a previous response, reach out and check in. Any touch point during this time definitely helps. Job market is real rough out there so the support and encouragement go a long way. Stay with it OP, we’ll land back on our feet.

I joined the company in late ‘23, right before the first wave of layoffs started happening. I remember reaching out to a coworker who was laid off, and they were touched by my gesture. I was surprised, as the new person, that they even remembered me. We still keep in touch today, and they've expressed how shocked they are that others, who they worked with for years, haven't reached out. Not even a text message, email, or LinkedIn message. It's almost as if some folks are more interested in virtue signaling about inclusivity and community, but in real life, they're nowhere to be found when it actually matters.

To some people’s defense, I didn’t know how I should react and what the RIFed individuals wanted to hear from former colleagues until it happened to me. I thought that they might be embarrassed/down and didn’t want to hear from someone/wanted space to heal. Turns out to be the complete opposite on the other side.

If you are close to someone who has been impacted, reach out to let them know you are thinking of them, ask how they are doing and to let you know if you can help in anyway (if you mean it).

The people in my social circle that were let go have all experienced the same thing. I still maintain relationships with them, do social and recreational events together and they've shared I'm one of the very few who reached out and continues to invest in these relationships. I see my former colleagues just as valuable for my professional growth as my current ones. People remember how they were treated when they were down and maintaining these relationships can and will open future opportunities. I wish OP well and at least now you have clarity who the fake people are.

This has been my exact experience as well. People I thought I was close with, have completely ghosted me. But then there are those that have been beyond kind, supportive and helpful. I know who I’ll be helping out when their number is called.

Good post. I have experienced the same. At least you know who really matters when you are no longer within the berm.

Keep your head up. The job market su-ks but you’ll find where you are supposed to be.

Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Being Laid Off

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