‘Tired…’: Google engineer went on leave for mother’s death, then was laid off

Layoffs at tech giant Google – billed as the ‘largest’ in its history – coupled with those at several other major IT services firms, including Meta, Microsoft and Amazon, have unleashed mayhem worldwide as tens of thousands of people scramble to find new jobs amid fears of a global recession. Over the past weeks several affected employees have taken to social media to criticise ‘haphazard’ layoffs, share their ordeal and question companies’ ethics.

One such person is Tommy York, who said on LinkedIn that he had been laid off by Google last week – after he returned from leave following the death of his mother in December.

Also Read: Google sacks married couple with 4-month-old baby; woman was on maternity leave

York shared his disappointment with corporate cultures that are insensitive to employees’ mental health. “In another world, I might’ve written something about the challenges of working with a parent dying of cancer or the benefits of taking space when you need it…”

“I probably would’ve written about mental health as a positive part of the culture at companies like Google… Instead, I’m tired and disappointed,” he said in his post.

Also Read: ‘Job cuts done to avoid much worse issues…’: Google CEO Sundar Pichai

York – who started at Google in December 2021 as a software engineer – said the layoff felt like a ‘slap in the face… like being hit when you’re down’. He also questioned the process of determining lay-offs and wondered if his ‘difficult’ year may have something to do with it.

“… my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer around when the formal orientation ended… onboarding was difficult when also dealing with my mom’s chemo appointments… the extremely challenging last few months of her life.”

“There will always be more opportunities to work at exciting companies, but a parent dies only once.” York said he valued the time he spent with his mother and had no regrets for not overworking for a company that might decide ‘one cold Friday morning’ to fire him.

York also said he felt like he had been ‘pushed into returning from bereavement’.

He did, though, acknowledge the ‘generous’ severance package. He ended his post by saying ‘life goes on’ as he sought fresh opportunities. Earlier this month, Google said it is laying off 6 per cent of its global workforce, or around 12,000 employees.

CEO Sundar Pichai said the move was to avoid ‘much worse issues’.