I had a conversation yesterday with a colleague. A mutual acquaintance we know in another sister organisation was laid off as a result of some infractions that led to losses for the company. We both felt sorry for him, as he recently became a father. We then talked at length on the immediate effects of job loss and what it does to us.
There's almost no one in the World who would prefer being laid off to a voluntary exit. It's sudden nature, immediate consequences and sometimes sketchy circumstances are just a few reasons why most people would opt for different. The impact is largely felt in the first few days/weeks after, even though with time it gets easier to cope with.
It certainly brings a lot of contrasts in the discussion about loyalty to an organisation. There are exceptions but for the most parts, it simply isn't worth the effort to express unwavering loyalty to an organisation that doesn't reciprocate, even when one is a top performer. There are even instances (though rare) when high performers are laid off due to 'right sizing' or some ridiculous KPI metric.
Knowing one could be laid off even as a high performer does make people edgy, I certainly am in that group. Apart from the immediate financial consequences of not having a pay-check coming in, there is the mental and emotional support one greatly needs during the period. For some people with significant responsibilities there is barely any time to mourn their loss as they are often required to pick up the pieces early and move on.
In the end we both agreed that since an organisations employment decision is something not fully within our control as employees, the best approach would be to take each day like the very last and give our best. It also won't hurt to save up a bit incase things go south without notice.