• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
SuccessLayoffs

Gen Z and millennials are reframing layoffs, stripping away the shame and pointing the finger of blame at the company that let them go

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 17, 2022, 9:30 AM ET
A laid-off employee carrying a box of belongings out of an office
Young workers are taking to TikTok to share details of how they were laid off.Anchalee Phanmaha/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With the economy on shaky ground, many companies have announced layoffs this year in a bid to brace for a widely anticipated recession.

The tech sector has been hit particularly hard, with big names including Snap, Meta, and Peloton all cutting their headcount, but companies outside the industry, from Goldman Sachs to Walmart, have also slashed jobs.

What employers may not have counted on is their younger workers taking to TikTok to document the highs and lows of post-layoff life—and exposing their employers’ less-than-compassionate practices when it comes to job cuts.

Rethinking a “toxic mindset”

“It’s been about three weeks since I was laid off, and I’ve had so much time to think about everything,” TikTok user Stephan Brown said in a video posted last week. “In the beginning, I was kind of beating myself up—did I do something wrong? Was it based off my performance? Am I the problem?”

https://www.tiktok.com/@myepiclyfe/video/7153330988104387886?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

However, he said he had come to realize that this was “such a toxic mindset.”

“Now I’m using this time to figure out what do I want to do next? Do I want to make a career pivot? Do I want to stay in the same industry? Do I want to try something new?” he said in a video posted last week.  

Addressing people who have found themselves in the same situation, Brown said being laid off presented an opportunity to “really sit down and figure out our lives.”

“I think it’s important to really figure out what career will make you the most happy, the most fulfilled,” he said. “And it’s okay if you don’t know that right away. Take as much time as you need to figure that out and build the life you want to live within the next year.”

Brooke Humphries used the platform to share how she felt “really scared and really lost” after being laid off from her corporate job—but also said she was trying to put a positive spin on her unexpected change of circumstances.

“I’m hoping this is just going to open the doors for something better and more fulfilling in my life,” she said in a video posted last week. “Now I have two weeks of getting paid to do some soul-searching and figure out what I want to do with my life.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@blhumphries/video/7153698548561808682?is_copy_url=1u0026is_from_webapp=v1

Fortune reached out to a handful of TikTok creators who were posting about their experiences of being laid off, but none were immediately available to comment.

“I don’t know if I want a job again”

TikToker Allison Baird has also shared details with her followers about life after being laid off, with her content opening up about how she has made the most of her newfound free time while also acknowledging how upsetting being laid off was.

“It’s been a few days since my layoff now. I’m trying to take time and just enjoy this for what it is because I know I won’t always have this time with my family, with my friends and my town, and who knows where my next chapter will bring me?” she said in a video posted shortly after she revealed she had lost her job.

@avocado.allison

guess the city in the comments :) #myjourney #laidoff #mylife #bigdecisionstobemade #bigchange #figuringitout #unemployed #jobsearch #lookingforjobs #plshireme #mylifeisaparty #mylifeiskindacrazy #lovelife #livelaughlove #onedayatatime

♬ Storytelling – Adriel

“I think I’m just going to try and make it work,” she said in a separate video on Sunday, in which she revealed she had taken the opportunity to travel.

“I have been laid off for a month now and I haven’t had any luck finding a job, so this has pushed me to do something chaotic and different, and I’m excited.”

Ashleigh Carter, a writer based in New York City who has used TikTok to share stories about how her life has changed since being laid off, joked in a video last week: “I don’t know if I want to get a job again.”

@ashweecarter

make no mistake I cried the next day because I haven’t gotten one single interview yet. #unemployed #fyp

♬ original sound – Ashleigh Carter

“I’m having a lovely day—it’s a random Thursday—I went to the Natural History Museum, I went to a diner, had a great experience, now I’m in Central Park,” she told her 24,500 followers. “I feel great. I mean I have no money but…other than that.”

“Skipped the pleasantries”

As well as trying to see layoffs as an opportunity, TikTok users are also sharing details about how and why they’re being laid off, and the impact losing their jobs will have on their lives.

One woman took to TikTok to post a sound clip from a meeting where multiple employees were let go at once, saying in her video caption that she had $20 left and a 2-year-old to support.

https://www.tiktok.com/@manicpixiegrungebunny/video/7052061662655925550?is_copy_url=1u0026is_from_webapp=v1

In the video, one of her colleagues can be heard criticizing the company for what they insinuate is a lack of professionalism, while another is heard worrying about how being laid off will affect her maternity leave.

“So, you’re saying we’re not going to be given a specific reason—it’s just going to be ‘blanket restructuring’?” the woman who posted the video to TikTok then asks her bosses, before getting visibly upset.

“Yeah,” the employer replies. “Unfortunately, we’ve had to restructure the entire organization. This isn’t just affecting you guys, it’s affecting a lot of different people.”  

Meanwhile, another TikTok user posted a video update in June after being laid off from an unnamed “ride share” company.

“I don’t know the process of being laid off, so I was completely oblivious—100% blindsided by this,” she said. “This [was] a new manager. We don’t have a rapport, we don’t know each other that well, so he skipped the pleasantries. He’s like: ‘We’re eliminating your position.’”

@keyna_beenaa

I got laid off from a tech company! #womenintech #diml #fyp #chicagovlog #blackgirlluxury #blackgirltiktok #chicagotiktok #storytime

♬ Campfire – Charmer & Klay

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

mj
CommentarySuccession
Morgan Stanley on life after selling your business: a roadmap for entrepreneurs
By Mark JansenJune 26, 2026
2 hours ago
Singapore grads battle low-paid trainee stigma to get hired
AsiaSingapore
Singapore grads battle low-paid trainee stigma to get hired
By Gabrielle Ng and BloombergJune 26, 2026
4 hours ago
kid
SuccessSocial Media
Kids want to be influencers when they grow up, because they ‘gets lots of money’ and ‘they want to be famous’
By Matthew Simoneau and The ConversationJune 26, 2026
5 hours ago
spiegel
Personal Financephilanthropy
Snap’s Evan Spiegel joins MacKenzie Scott in the billionaire race to erase medical debt—wiping out $550 million for 260,000 Californians
By Nick LichtenbergJune 26, 2026
6 hours ago
p
Personal Financephilanthropy
American giving hit $617 billion in 2025 — and the Paul Allen effect exposes who’s really driving it
By The ConversationJune 26, 2026
7 hours ago
merlin
North AmericaWorld Cup
Merlin the Duck was allowed inside Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, but only to film a commercial
By Nayara Batschke and The Associated PressJune 25, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
2 days ago
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
Success
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 25, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 25, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Thursday, June 25, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Thursday, June 25, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
Trump turns on Big Oil donors who spent nearly $100 million to get him elected—now he wants the DOJ to investigate them for price gouging
Economy
Trump turns on Big Oil donors who spent nearly $100 million to get him elected—now he wants the DOJ to investigate them for price gouging
By Tristan BoveJune 25, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.