Utah Veterans Affairs worker shocked to be fired for 'performance' after glowing review. What to do if you're laid off

Gregory House was six weeks shy of completing his occupation probation astatine Veterans Affairs successful Salt Lake City erstwhile helium got unexpected quality — he’d been terminated for “performance” issues.

The disabled veteran, who served 4 years successful the U.S. Navy earlier returning to Utah, learned astir his layoff via email, not agelong aft his manager gave him 5 retired 5 connected a show review.

"I felt numb,” House told CBS Channel 2 KUTV. “It felt similar a betrayal."

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House thought he'd recovered his imagination occupation successful nationalist affairs astatine the VA bureau erstwhile helium was hired successful March 2024. Now, he’s 1 of 30,000 national workers let go arsenic portion of Elon Musk and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting measures.

DOGE has targeted national workers similar House inactive successful their probationary periods precisely due to the fact that they person nary occupation protections and tin easy beryllium fto go.

On Feb. 13, a VA property merchandise announced the dismissal of much than 1,000 employees connected probation, a play that tin past up to two years. The adjacent day, House saw an email from Veterans Affairs’ HR announcing his ain layoff.

"After skimming done the email to spot if it was joke, I noticed a enactment successful determination that said owed to my performance, the bureau has decided my employment was nary longer successful the public's interest,” House recounted.

It's not conscionable national workers astatine risk. TechCrunch reports that much than 6,000 tech workers were laid disconnected successful January. Corporations including Chevron, Starbucks, Kohl's, and JPMorgan Chase, person besides announced layoffs.

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No wonderment astir 1 successful 3 Americans has "layoff anxiety,” arsenic a Clarify Capital survey reveals. Being prepared tin assistance you navigate the uncertainty and assistance you get backmost connected your feet faster.

If you're inactive employed, enactment connected saving an exigency money that covers 3 to six months of surviving expenses. If you bash get laid off, travel these steps:

Even if your leader doesn't connection severance, it doesn't wounded to ask. If they bash connection severance, inquire to negociate the magnitude — conscionable beryllium prepared to backmost up your inquire with impervious of the worth you provided. Some companies volition besides widen wellness coverage, connection a payout of unused idiosyncratic clip disconnected oregon sick permission oregon supply occupation placement assistance.