I’ve been laid off a few times in my career, and it’s never easy. My first layoff hit me hard, but over time, I’ve learned to take it in stride, especially when I think about the pay I was receiving for the workload. Today, I was reflecting on the disparity in how we treat employees who leave voluntarily versus those who are laid off. Recently, a senior executive at my current company decided to leave, and the farewell was a grand affair. The email announcing his departure was filled with accolades, and we even had a celebration with food and drinks to honor his decade-long contributions. Everyone was in high spirits, wishing him well on his new journey. In contrast, I recall a vice president at my previous job who was laid off. I had spoken to him that morning about a project, but by the afternoon, I found out he was gone—security had escorted him out. There was no farewell, no acknowledgment of his years of service, just silence. It struck me how differently we treat these situations. If the senior executive had been laid off instead of choosing to leave, I doubt we would have celebrated him at all. It’s ironic to think that the contributions of those laid off are often overlooked just because of the circumstances of their departure. It feels like a huge disconnect in how we value people based on the timing of their exit rather than their actual contributions.