I recently received an email from a manager in my department who just left the company. In their message, they expressed that they believe I am one of the best workers in our team and that I am not getting the recognition I deserve from management. I saved the email, but I'm uncertain about how to utilize it. Given that we've had three consecutive quarters of layoffs, I worry that if I try to leverage this email for better compensation, it might backfire and lead to my own termination. I'm considering printing it out to include in my resume as I am currently searching for new opportunities. I've received some advice suggesting that this email could serve as a reference letter, but I'm hesitant to use it that way. Some comments recommended keeping it for leverage or even framing it as a reminder of my worth. Others pointed out that I should start my job search immediately, especially since layoffs seem to be a pattern in our company. They also advised me to adjust my LinkedIn privacy settings to prevent colleagues from seeing my job search activities. I'm conflicted about whether to reach out to the manager for a more formal reference or to just focus on finding a new role.