How to Know if You Were Fired or Laid Off From Your Job

Many got a kick out of Donald Trump's TV Show "You're Fired" and in reality, hearing those words will not be any less traumatic than they are for the actors and actresses on the show. Daily we read about "corporate cut backs, downsizing, layoffs" and several other "sweet terms" adopted by corporate America to tell you that you no longer have a job. However, whether you were fired or downsized is significant as it plays a heavy role in what assistance, such as unemployment benefits, will be available to you. With this in mind, learn now how to tell if you were fired or laid off from your job.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet Access

Instructions

1. Learn the different terminology.

   Psychologists are constantly urging change in behaviors that may cause undue harm to others. For example, being abusive and calling an employee names and telling them they are fired could lower that person's self-esteem to the point of catastrophic results. Therefore, words like downsizing, cutbacks, and lay off take center stage and replace the words "You're fired". Employers should be careful, though, because they don't mean the same. Firing someone means the person's performance was sub-standard and they need to be replaced. People who are fired typically cannot get unemployment compensation or they have a very difficult time getting government assistance until they find another job. Search the labor department website in your state and learn what various terminology maybe used if you are terminated.

2. Look at the situation and determine if work is available.

   If you are let go from your position because there is no work, you were NOT fired, but laid off, or downsized and you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Companies typically downsize, layoff or cutback on manpower to save money. They will not tell you this, but that is the bottom line. If they constantly lose money, they go out of business and therefore, they cut jobs to save money and in some instance the company. So review your situation and note if the workload is the same, has it increased or do you spend the day twittering your thumbs?

3. Read the pink slip.

   Termination papers are not always pink. According to Wikipedia, the term "pink slip" came about around 1910 when personnel managers included a slip of pink paper in the employee's pay envelope telling them they were no longer employed, or in essence, they were fired. The term currently used is "separation papers" and it usually indicate why you are no longer with the company. Read the papers carefully and insist that any incorrect information be corrected.

4. 

   Author Sarah Wilson owns the copyright to this article. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. Contact author at http://www.wqats.com/aboutus.html

Tips & Warnings

• Always look busy, especially if you don't have a micro-manager. You can always find away to improve a process so even if the typical day to day activities are slow, invest this time on some thing else other than talking at the water cooler or playing on the internet on company tie.

• Brush up on current industry events or learn something new. Keep busy!

Resources

• How to Find Compliance Jobs Working for the Food and Drug Administration
• How to Select Great Healthcare Jobs and Kickstart Your Medical Career