November 2, 2006Laid Off for Speaking Up
I did speak for myself and have been laid off as a result. I was asked to perform a function and I said I would be glad to do it but I wanted to express my concern about how I had done it 13 times and my coworker had only done it 4 times. I told him this was unfair to me. He just selected the staff he wanted to lay off with no regard to seniority. It has been very humiliating. Does speaking up really pay?
Meryl Responds
I’m very sorry to hear this.
As far as, does speaking up really pay, that’s a question I’d like to ask you in a year. Most people (75%) who are laid off say it was the best thing that ever happened a year later. From the information you provide it sounds like you were laid off unreasonably. Do you really want to work somewhere where you get laid off for asking for parity, especially when you express willingness to do the task as you speak up? I don’t mean that question rhetorically…it may be the benefits justify tolerating injustice and unfairness, and tiptoeing around the issues, but it might not.
My experience is that more often than not, people who speak up are glad they did, but certainly not always.
Of course, only you can answer your question for you, but my hope is that this doesn’t case you to hesitate to speak out when you need to in the future.
I wish you the best and I hope this turns out to be a positive step in the big picture.
There’s an excellent article on how not to be afraid of losing your job here.
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I agree with your answer completely. I spoke up once on my opinions of racism and was fired the next day because I “didn’t fit in”. At the time I was upset, but given a choice I wouldn’t do anything differently.
Comment by Andrea — November 2, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
This sounds like an unfair boss; something other than
work is going on here. You might have stepped on the boss’ little girlfriend (the co-worker) by accident. Perhaps next time the issue should be addresed by placing someone in between
both of you. There are times to use Human Resources to your benefit. Many companies have policies and procedures in
place to deal with these matters. The boss may prevail, but
you have alerted the company that there is a potential
problem for them. Please seek legal advice, the Bar
Association in your town, or the courthouse or library, should have a list of pro bono labor attorneys. Good luck!
Comment by Phoebe — April 3, 2008 @ 7:57 am