I was laid off from my position during a second mass layoff this year. They informed me that my role is no longer needed, and I will be receiving two months of severance. Surprisingly, in the same call, they offered me a contract position at the same hourly rate as my previous salary, doing the exact same job. It feels like a demotion since I'm losing my benefits. I understand they are trying to cut costs, but it still feels off. In a moment of pride, I countered their offer by asking for a 30% higher hourly rate to compensate for the loss of benefits, even though this new rate is still below the market rate for my role. Now, I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from them regarding my counteroffer. I'm trying not to take this personally, as I know it's just business, but I'm questioning whether I should have accepted their initial offer and continued my job search on the side. I feel like I might have jeopardized my chances by asking for more. It would have been nice to have some income while looking for something new, and I'm worried they might rescind the offer altogether. I'm feeling pretty emotional and devalued right now, and it's hard to see the situation clearly. I'm looking for some outside perspective on how to navigate this moving forward.