Life after Retrenchment (LAR) step 1: Keep calm.
Our first reactions is most likely the following:
1) Silence: until the VP on the other end of the line thinks you’ve dropped dead.
2) Ask if this is a joke: to which the response is a tombstone NO.
3) Ask what are the options: We like to do this. As Malaysians especially, since everytime we get in a pickle, we always ask: “Abang, ada jalan tak?“, i.e “Brother, got any option or not??” Unfortunately, international rules of engagement doesn’t take Malaysian tactics (especially when caught speeding or beating the red light) into account. At this point, your VP will probably respond with a tombstone NO.
4) Ask if everything has been done, if there’s any chance of placement in the company: This might sound like you’re grovelling, but there’s a point to it, since a company’s ethical obligation is to ensure all things have been done to avoid this current situation. Well, most likely, it’s a NO as well.
5) Ask what the heck is the compensation package: Here’s where the crap hits the fan, because it’s negotiation time, which we can go through in another article. Unfortunately, in many cases, the guy calling you won’t talk to you about package. He’ll say it’s being worked out by the finance and will be in touch with you shortly. That’s standard excuse, because most of these guys calling you are having their B**LS wrenched from senior management who are out playing golf.
6) Shout out some flowery language to the other guy on the line. If you have a long history of feud against him, it might be a good time to tell him to shove the notification up his own ****. You won’t be getting any more satisfaction from here on out. Do be careful though, as you don’t want him to cause too much mischief.
My recommended tactic (not that I’ve gone through this many times..) is to go through steps 3-5 calmly. If it’s clear they are releasing you, that’s it. Bite the bullet, live to fight another day. We need to regather ourselves and get reinforcements from other guys who got the sack and strategise a way to fight back. No point yelling around. It’s highly likely your head is spinning around too much anyway and you need some time to think. Even if you have expected the axe, it’s always something that will affect your day one way or another.
