Career Advice Talk

FOX Reality Show on Layoffs: Someone’s got to go

8th April, 2009 - Posted by Chris Fogarty -

I am disgusted.

They call it survivor meets the office.  Difference being, those who lose at survivor
go back to their life as it was.  I view up front and personally the true ‘reality’
of people being laid off.  And it is not at all entertaining.  While some of my
clients are okay with being let go, (some hated their jobs, others had another job
lined up, and a few have the money to just be happy for the break), for most people
being laid off is a devastating experience and one that threatens their very
livelihood.

And to make this reality show even more disgusting, the individual selected for
layoff will have been ‘voted out’ by fellow employees.  It’s one thing to have an
organization decide to let you go, it gets just a little too personal when you know
that your coworkers made the choice by vote. Being laid off often goes to the core
of a person’s identity (and their ability to pay their bills), and to be told that all
your coworkers voted you out could be devastating.  How cruel, in my opinion anyone
who would want to rubber neck this experience is the lowest form of life.

The fox production company calls it timely and topical.    If this is what Fox thinks
the American public will be entertained by, why not look at other realities of today?
Let’s watch a family get evicted from their home.  Let’s watch them move into a shelter.
Let’s vote on who gets to lose their health care benefits.  Let’s watch someone choose
which bill they are going to pay this month based on whether food is more important
than heat.