June 5, 2026

vmalvey

Shocker…

63.  Laid off.  4 years away from retirement.

Just freaking great.  At my age, I’m basically unemployable.  After all, who wants to hire someone looking to retire in less than 5 years?  No one, that’s who.  I’d never thought I’d be in this position as I always excelled at my job.  Winning multiple awards, being assigned to high profile projects, and other important assignments didn’t matter at all when my company decided to increase its profit margin by reducing work staff.  For over 4 years, I’d watched as thousands of coworkers were laid off every quarter, all the while the leadership touting how successful our return to our members looked for that year.  What our members didn’t realize was that those returns were all due to the layoffs, not due to any special or progressive programs within the company.  As a result, we all watched as the member satisfaction surveys came back lower and lower.  What else did management expect when you had one person doing the work of four people?  I know in my case I’d been lent out to other departments to assist in special projects as well as assist my senior management with their projects while handling my own work.  I’d literally been doing the work of 2 full time people for over 2 years, but I kept on telling myself it was “job security”.  What an idiot I was.

Just a number…

Worst of all, the layoffs were made with people being treated like numbers rather than actual people.  One woman was laid off the week her husband had died; another the week of her son’s graduation.  The company seemed to simply pick a job title and layoff anyone with that title, uncaring of an individual’s contributions or situation.  My senior management hadn’t even informed my boss that I was being laid off until immediately before they called me.  Think about that.  People who didn’t really know what I did, what impact I made, decided to not even engage my boss to see if I should be retained when my job title came around for layoffs.  Nope; they simply let it go through and informed my boss the day of separation without getting his input on how it would affect his team.  Class act.

As I said, my story isn’t the only one out there.  There are thousands more from my old company alone!

Regardless, they stuck by their model and before I knew it I was impacted.  To be fair, their separation package was amazing and I was actually relieved to be out of such a high pressure, toxic environment.  However, what was I going to do now?  I’d had the rest of my work life planned out, yet I’m too young to go on Medicare, too young to claim Social Security and not take a huge hit.  I was at a loss, feeling anxious and very angry at being let go for no reason.

How many others were there like me…

However, when I started to talk to people, I realized I wasn’t alone.  There are a LOT of people out in the world who are in my situation, who voluntarily left a job due to the toxicity of the environment, or are simply sticking it out in the high stress situation as they are in what I lovingly refer to as “golden handcuffs”, unable to quit as they have bills to pay.  What I also realized was it feels really great to be able to talk about what we either went through or are going through; it relieves the anxiety that you’re the only one who dealt with the insanity.

Making a stand…

As a result, I am starting a weekly blog where I’ll be sharing someone’s story about their toxic work environment.  It can be with a boss, coworker, or just the company itself.  The member will have the opportunity to decide whether they simply want to “vent” or if they want “help”.  If it is a story to “vent”, I’d love to hear if anyone else in the community has experienced or is currently experiencing something similar.  It was amazing to me how similar some of the experiences were when I started to listen to stories!  In the event that member is asking for “help”, I’ll be asking everyone in the community who has followed my blog to help provide suggestions that might assist the member in extricating them from the situation or just helpful hints on how to handle the stress. 

All stories will be emailed directly to me and I’ll be writing a blog using different names as well as softening any details that may expose the specific company about whom the member is referencing.  Then, if the member has any comments or if the community requests additional information, I’ll converse directly with the member and provide updates on the original blog to ensure that anyone who has engaged with the original story finds out what happens in the end.  We will all get to follow the member as they try some of our suggestions and see the results.  It will be an immersive, interactive experience that will truly form a strong, bonded community.

Truly a safe space…

All comments will be judgment free and positive, a community of like-minded people who have or are dealing with the same hot messes.  Sometimes it takes a community to find a way out of a hole.  It’s rough out there these days as companies tighten their belts, laying off people or demanding more out of us without adequately compensating us for the work.  With the economy being what it is, many of us are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to lose our jobs, so we take whatever is handed to us, swallowing our pride to ensure we get a steady paycheck.  Even if that is the case, we don’t need to suffer without any pushback at all.  There are positive, proactive ways to fight for your rights without risking your position.  Together we can come up with creative, common sense approaches to help each other combat the current toxic work environments that so many of us face.

How to reach out…

Email me your stories directly at Victoria@toxicworkspace.com.  I guarantee 100% anonymity for anyone who contacts me.  If you’d prefer not to put anything in writing, simply email me with your contact information and we can set up a time to speak.  I’ll support you all in any way you feel most comfortable.  Having experienced it so recently, I know how everyone feels!  Have you ever been made to feel like just a number?  Do you work unbelievably hard for no recognition or payback?  I want to hear YOUR stories!

So, follow my blog and check in daily for updates!  Share the blog and encourage any of your coworkers, family, and friends to follow as well.  The more our community expands, the stronger we become.  Let’s band together to support each other!