Glossary Terms

layoff

A layoff is an employer ending someone's job for business reasons, restructuring, cost-cutting, a closure, or a downturn, rather than for anything that person did wrong. That distinction matters: being laid off generally means you weren't at fault, which affects unemployment eligibility and how severance gets discussed. For the person affected it kicks off a short list of time-sensitive moves: file for benefits before any window closes, read any severance offer carefully (and get legal advice if the amount is meaningful), reach out to your network while the situation is current, and decide whether to look for similar work or treat it as the push into a deliberate career change. In knowledge work, layoffs often turn into consulting work, since former employers sometimes want that expertise back on contract.