Laid Off: A Gen Zer Losing Faith in Corporate America
"Gone are the days of pensions, regular merit increases, and even regular promotions."
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In today’s issue, I talk to 25-year-old Niya Doyle on losing faith in corporate loyalty, juggling multiple jobs to stay afloat, and chasing a journalism dream she almost gave up on.
Niya Doyle, 25, joined digital consulting firm Publicis Sapient as a summer intern in 2022 and came on full-time that fall as a junior marketing associate, eventually moving her way up to content writer.
She said responsibilities had been piling up and she often worked past standard work hours. In February of this year, she was up late working on two pieces of content, each more than 3,000 words.
The next day, she was laid off.
“In this economy, finding full-time employment is like finding a needle in a haystack,” Niya said. “It's no wonder people are turning to the creator economy where at least you have some control over your own employment.”
Around 20 people were cut across the marketing team, she said. The company cited restructuring and said it wasn’t performance-related. Still, Niya suspects the real reason: she was a writer on the creative team, and believes she was replaced by a “barely competent” AI program.
“My layoff gave me a brief moment of respite where I thought, ‘finally I can write and work on the things I care about.’”
How did they handle layoffs?
It felt like an ambush. I received a random Teams meeting invitation from my boss's boss the night before for the next morning. I frantically messaged everyone including my manager asking if they knew what it was about. I even messaged my boss's boss about the meeting, which she didn't respond to. I have never been laid off before as this is my first big girl job out of college, but had a sickening feeling about the whole thing and was shocked when it happened. It felt like a betrayal. No one knew layoffs were coming, not even my manager. I was given a few days to save everything before being locked out of Microsoft Office and other applications.
What were some of the projects you worked on while you were there? Anything you were especially proud of?
I wrote a lot of AI trends articles across various industries such as travel and hospitality, retail, and energy. I am most proud of a beauty trends article that was in the process of being edited, but sadly I don't think was ever published.
Can you expand a bit on your suspicions that you were replaced by an AI program?
My company changed their complete product and service offerings to center AI. They launched a lot of AI tools internally and externally, and were working on an AI tool that can write content. But I can't say for certain that AI took my job.
What was the first thing you did after receiving the news?
Cry. Make a TikTok about it afterwards.
What made you decide to share the news on TikTok?
I just saw it a lot of my FYP even before I got laid off. I guess it makes it feel like you're not alone. It's comforting.
You’ve got a full-time job, freelance gigs, a barista shift, and, on top of that, grad school on the horizon. What’s driving you to keep all these jobs and projects going at once — is it financial, creative, survival, something else?
I think it's a mix of all. I feel like I'm running out of time to achieve my goals, and to be honest, I live for the hustle and I like staying busy. I took a considerable pay cut from my last job. I don't regret it because I disliked the industry I was previously in — tech. I have to make up that gap somehow so that's why I kept my barista job. As for my freelance writing, it's been something I've been doing for a little over a year. I love to write, and it's my way of working towards my goal of becoming a full-time journalist and writer. Of course I know not all of this is sustainable and something will have to give at some point, but I think it's short-term pain for long-term gain.
You applied to grad school before the layoff, and got into CUNY Craig Newmark School of Journalism. How did getting laid off change your outlook on going back to school? Was grad school always the plan?
I always knew I wanted to pursue some form of higher education, but just couldn't decide on what it was. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, so I studied for the LSAT for a bit until I realized I probably wouldn't be happy as lawyer. I've always wanted to be a journalist but have been too scared to pursue it. I actually started as journalism major in college but got discouraged out of it based on how people talk about the industry and all the fear-mongering. I started freelance writing in 2022 very casually, but it wasn't until I received feedback that I was really good at it that I considered J-School. Freelancing helps me work towards that goal and I hope grad school helps me make more connections in the industry. I feel like CUNY Newmark is an opportunity I shouldn't pass up, especially considering I got enough funding to cover the whole program full-time.
You mentioned losing faith in corporate America. What’s one thing you used to believe about work life that feels laughable now?
Loyalty. Loyalty means nothing to an employer no matter if you've been there two years or 20 years. Some of my coworkers that got laid off along with me were there for decades. I believe we were all given the same severance package of one month. Why stay loyal to company that wouldn't hesitate to cut you tomorrow despite all the work you're putting in? Not to mention, gone are the days of pensions, regular merit increases, and even regular promotions.
What do you wish older generations understood about how Gen Z is approaching work right now?
It's been said that it's easier to follow your dreams than to find a job in this economy. I think a lot of people in my generation are running into the wall of struggling to gain experience and employment in their field when there are fewer opportunities than ever for entry-level and post-grad candidates, or if there are those opportunities, employers want someone with mid to senior level years of experience.
It seems like employers are less willing to invest time and money into training young and/or early career candidates. I do wonder where we will be when the Boomer generation finally dies off and Gen X is approaching retirement. Will there be anyone competent to fill in for these roles? Maybe we'll all be replaced with AI by then.
You were in the middle of planning surgery, prepping for grad school, moving cities — how did the layoff crash into all of that?
I already moved when I got laid off. Definitely panicked about how I was going to pay rent, so that's what lead me to get a barista job. Thankfully, I am still covered under my parent's insurance so I can still get my much needed surgery. And I have started to save again for the out-of-pocket bill post-surgery. Getting laid off just reinforced my commitment to grad school.
Has the layoff changed how you think about financial milestones — things like buying a home, saving for retirement, or even taking a vacation?
It's hard to predict things and save for financial milestones when everything in America is crashing and burning. I don't even know what my finances will look like or where the country will be by the end of this year. But my layoff has taught me the importance of having a healthy savings account. Thinking about my next vacation is what keeps me sane. I'm already planning to go back to Japan hopefully next year.
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AI definitely took Niya's job and it's a warning for other Gen Zers.
I'm 33 and I experienced my first layoff when I was 23. I was 5 months into my first "real" job and I was let go after my employer lost it's government contract. My career never recovered from that layoff.
Like Niya, I did all sorts of things to try to achieve all of my goals: applied to grad school, started a business, began freelancing, traveled the country, side hustled like crazy...
Eventually, I discovered the goals I had assigned myself weren't really my goals. They were everyone else's.
If I could give my younger self a piece of advice, I would offer this: don't work harder, change your goals.
We've been set up to fail and things are going to get worse because of AI. I wrote a bit about that here: https://open.substack.com/pub/tomorrowtodaynow/p/gen-z-employment-crisis-part-1?r=4h8lp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I empathize and respect Niya for wanting to pursue higher education, but the writing is literally on the wall. AI is going to do most writing moving forward. Taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt for a job that no longer exists is reckless.
I think Gen Z needs to change their goals. Don't do what your parents did and don't peg your success against society's expectations. Do your own thing.
Go WWOOFING, learn to farm, start a homestead. Teach English overseas and travel. Start an old school business in a small town.
Don't go to grad school and try to get a traditional desk job. Think outside the box.
Niya points out a real, real problem that most hiring managers have not figured out - industries do not foster loyalty so many, regardless of generation, don’t either. 3 year tenures should be considered long these days. Yet companies are still looking for people with 5 year tenures in their last few jobs.