Google employee returns after mother's death, only to get fired
A Google employee was sacked by his employer just days after returning to work following the death of his mother. The San Francisco-based software engineer Tommy York took to LinkedIn to share his layoff story. In the post, he said his mother died in December after battling stage-four cancer. Read on to know further details of this unfortunate layoff.
Tommy York joined Google in December 2021
"I was laid off from Google last week. I found out on my fourth day back from bereavement leave for my mom, who died from cancer in December," York wrote. Recalling his "challenging" time at the company, York, who joined in December 2021, said that around February 2022 when his formal orientation was over, his mother was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Termination felt like a 'slap in the face'
York said his termination felt like a "slap in the face, like being hit when you're down". Remembering the time he spent with his mother, he wrote, "I'm grateful that I spent the time and energy I did with my mom, and not overworking for a company who might decide on one cold Friday morning that my badge doesn't work anymore."
A parent dies only once: York
York remembers his time at Google, saying his onboarding was challenging with a lot of "just figure it out." He added further, "It was even more difficult when also dealing with my Mom's chemo appointments, moving her in with family, or the extremely challenging last few months of her life." Certainly, more opportunities await him, "but a parent dies only once," he wrote.
The sacked employee is thankful for the 'generous' severance package
York said he was thankful for a "generous" severance package. He said that he will be taking a break before resuming work. "I am open to starting to search for new work around the end of March," he wrote in his LinkedIn post. "If you hear of any opportunities you think might be particularly suited to me, get in touch," York requested his network.
Many on LinkedIn offered him help
Many of his LinkedIn networks commented on his post extending support to him. One commenter offered to help him by providing "a large list of job search websites, Twitter accounts, and some insights on companies laying people off and those that are hiring." Another user commented, "I'm glad you'll have time to get away from everything to process."
