Prepare for a Layoff as a Tech Worker

 

There is plenty of good general advice on how to prepare for termination: build up cash, warm up you network, control your emotions, don't sign anything. In this article I share more specific tips on how tech workers can prepare.

In my 14 years as a consultant I must have been "laid off" 30 times; it just means that it's time to move on to deliver value at the next place. So when a layoff became imminent at my last company, I prepared the way I always do.

The approach

Act like a vendor who lost this sale, but still wants repeat business in the future. No matter what happens, you will see some of your coworkers again. Conduct yourself lawfully with professionalism and honor. In particular, do not take any company property, intellectual or physical; do not violate your NDA or employment agreement. It's not just wrong, I have personally seen people go to jail for it.

Begin your preparation as soon as you think your position may be affected. You will do nothing more than reduce your technical debt, and make sure that you leave with your own memories of acquaintances and your professional accomplishments intact. 

Prepare your legacy in advance

At work you probably have a lot of loose ends. If you leave the company with your affairs in this state—even if was not your decision—you look bad. So prepare your legacy of conscientiousness and organizational ability:

• Prioritize. Don't bother with cancelled projects.
• Tidy up projects and anything else for which you are responsible. Do not leave behind a mess or traps that will make others resent you.
• Review and update your documentation so you look up to date
• Commit source code, as long as you are sure it improves the code base and does not break anything
• Examine your company email Drafts folder. Delete obsolete or nonconstructive messages. You know they're there.

Collect your stories and contacts

In future interviews and sales situations, you need stories to tell. You also need your professional network. Scour Slack, email, your notebook and maybe even the bug database for:

• Stories: lessons you learned, your successes and even your failures. Make a note of these anecdotes: no confidential details, just a few words to jog your memory later.
• Business contacts. Just as usual, invite your business contacts to connect on LinkedIn. Do not even look at confidential prospect, customer or vendor lists.
• Compliments: congratulatory messages from your boss or customers. Retain a copy after redacting any confidential information.
• Public work samples. Did you write a freely distributed brochure, blog article or web page? Get a copy to preserve it, as it may soon become unavailable. Never take confidential materials.

Open source your code

Now is the time to open source your code. Nobody cares about code from cancelled projects so it will be easier to get permission now. Assemble the code in a private private repository in your company's GitHub organization. Once authorized, the code can be made public at the press of a button.

Ease out your stuff

Clean up your personal files on company computers, particularly those that are none of the company's business. Don't forget freely distributed white papers and e-books that vendors may have given you.

Unobtrusively take home excess personal belongings. Return, or at least identify, company property in your car or home.

If you mix personal notes with your company notebook, stop and never do that again. Personal notes belong in a separate notebook. Your company notebook is company property. You must leave it behind in its entirety, with no missing pages.

Mediatek was my next job; they did not lay me off

Prepare to continue communicating with the outside world without access to company email. Use (or change to) your personal email address for:

• Notifications and email newsletters you want to continue receiving
• Conferences, trade shows and networking events you attend. Retain control of your most valuable job hunting tool: future conference registrations.

Confirm your company email on LinkedIn

Acquaintances can invite you to connect on LinkedIn using your name and any of the emails registered in your account. Help them by adding your company email address to your LinkedIn account. LinkedIn will send you a verification email, so do it now while you have access. Also, verify that your LinkedIn primary email is your personal email.

Are there are other places where registering and confirming your company email might be useful in the future? Tell us in the comments.

Adjust your benefits

If open enrollment comes along (usually in November), consider choosing the health insurance you would want if you had to pay the premiums yourself under COBRA. For example, you might switch to a less expensive HMO plan. Also understand that you will get another chance to make adjustments—open enrollment still comes every year while you are on COBRA.

If you already have enough emergency cash to handle unemployment, adjust your 401(k) payroll deduction upward so you reach your annual contribution goal before you are laid off. You can usually do this any time, not just during open enrollment.

If you need to save up cash, consider decreasing your 401(k) contributions. Another strategy might be to defer taxes by switching from Roth 401(k) to traditional 401(k). Before making changes, consider the opportunity cost of contributing less, but then not getting laid off.

When the ax falls

If you are laid off, control your emotions. Don't seem too happy or sad. If it helps, imagine you are a sales rep who lost a customer, which is at least a little sad.

Sign nothing.

If you are told to leave immediately, collect your things and go quietly. Say as little as possible. There is nothing you can do about your technical debt so it will have to remain. Everyone will understand.

If you are given time to wrap up your affairs, this is your final opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism to those who remains. If necessary, go outside and calm down.

One last time, prepare your legacy as instructed above. However, this time your actions will be under extreme scrutiny. Do nothing that could be interpreted as malfeasance:

• Do not delete company files or discard documents. Tidying up is no longer your job. If you find something that is obsolete, archive it in a way that it can be recovered later, or add an explanation to the top of the document.
• For uncommitted source code, create a pull request and assign it to your successor or manager
• If you must take a personal file after you are laid off, email it to yourself, cc to your manager 
• Send meaningful email drafts to your successor or manager. Delete only completely useless drafts.

Take a moment to recall events that occurred since you last searched your communications for stories. Add them to your list.

Turn off any annoying reminders sent to your personal email or smartphone.

Collect your things. With a firm handshake, say goodbye to as many people as possible.

And now go out and get a better job. I did, and you will too.