Two weeks ago, I was laid off from a job I had started just this summer. The official explanation was budget cuts from a client, but the timing couldn’t have been worse—right before the holidays and exactly a week before I would have been eligible for severance pay. Because of this, I walked away with nothing.
As a remote worker, the company sent me shipping boxes to return the equipment: two monitors and a company laptop. The laptop had been a constant source of teasing from my former boss. He often made snarky comments like, “Oh, Jenny’s got the shiny new laptop no wonder she’s so efficient,” or, “If I had a laptop like yours, I’d be unstoppable.” It was an unprompted jab that added to an already toxic work environment.
When the shipping boxes arrived last week, I requested they schedule a pickup because the box was large, and I wasn’t going to pay out of pocket for a Lyft to FedEx. They arranged for a pickup on December 27, but that didn’t work for me since I’m away visiting family for the holidays. I let them know I wouldn’t be back home until January 5 and that I’d happily schedule a pickup then.
Their response? They asked if I could cut my trip short to hand off the equipment earlier. When I said no, they escalated the matter, roping HR, IT, and other people into an email chain. They insisted the laptop must be returned before the new year because my former boss had turned in his own device and expected mine to replace it so he could work after the holiday break.
I told them respectfully, but firmly that their deadlines weren’t my concern anymore. I’m no longer an employee, and I wasn’t going to interrupt my holiday plans for their convenience. Their choice to lay me off right before Christmas and deny me severance was their prerogative, but that also means they can’t dictate my schedule anymore.
While part of me worries about any potential legal fallout, I believe I’m being reasonable by offering to return everything promptly after the holidays. I can’t help but feel like their urgency stems from poor planning on their part, and it shouldn’t become my burden to fix.
Was it petty to stand my ground, or was I right to draw a line after the way they handled the layoff?