When You Love Your Job but Layoffs Are Coming: Should You Go?

Your friends, your experience, your social life are all tied of in the job. It can be really hard to know when it is time to say goodbye to it.

This article hits very close to home for me, as I was probably right where you are right now, clicking on this article.

I had worked a decade at a company that had started as a close-knit, fifty-employee startup, to then be acquired by private equity, then acquired again by more private equity until I was working at a 3,000-employee conglomerate functioning under some of the worst business management I have ever seen in my career.

But the people I spoke with in my day-to-day work were my friends. Sure, a lot of them were now leaving for new opportunities due to the constant executive mismanagement of our products, but there were still so many faces I loved working with on an everyday basis.

Not to mention, I had worked my way up and spent the last 10 years learning the ins and outs of everything we did. I couldn't seriously be thinking of throwing all of that effort away to start somewhere new, could I?

In the end, I did make the leap. And now, looking back, it was the best decision I have made for my career, as I went to a company with a positive growth outlook that is actually serious about investing in an employee's career growth.

But that decision was incredibly difficult, and I found myself leaning more on emotional decision-making than objective facts at times.

So here is the framework that got me on track to make the right decision for me, and one that you can use to decide whether it is time to say goodbye to what you have known in your corporate career.

First, Give Yourself Permission to Feel the Contradiction

It is genuinely disorienting to love something that might not last. Part of you wants to dig in, work harder, and prove the doubters wrong. Another part is quietly updating a mental résumé at 2 a.m. (or in my case, on calls where they were announcing some new initiative I couldn't stomach). Both of those reactions are normal, and neither one is disloyal. You are allowed to care deeply about your work and protect your future at the same time. In fact, doing both at once is a sign of maturity, not betrayal.

What was truly poignant for me was sitting on a call being told by executives that most of my incredibly hardworking and experienced team was going to be replaced by new grad hires from our outsourcing office. I seriously opened up LinkedIn on my phone and set my "Open to Work" status to private on that call. But afterward, I felt so guilty to be thinking of abandoning the others who were going to need me, and whom I cared about, during this very difficult transition.

So before we get tactical, let's name the truth plainly: you can grieve and feel guilt about a job you have not even left yet. Acknowledging that feeling (rather than shoving it down) is what lets you make a clear-headed decision instead of a fearful or a stubborn one.

Read the Warning Signs Honestly (Without Spiraling)

Not every rough patch means layoffs are coming. Companies have bad quarters and recover all the time. The goal here is not to catastrophize every piece of bad news, but to tell the difference between temporary turbulence and structural decline. Look for patterns, not one-off events.

Financial signals

•     Repeated missed earnings, revenue shortfalls, or public warnings to investors.

For me, my organization had not met revenue projections in the last three years. The only "solution" that seemed to ever be initiated was cutting costs with outsourcing and executives bringing in their friends to replace long-time stalwarts of these products. This was a sign of a systematic leadership issue that was not going to be able to solve the crisis the organization was facing.

•     A hiring freeze, rescinded offers, or budgets that keep getting cut mid-year.

We had spent so long in a hiring freeze that I actually couldn't tell you how many years it went on. Needless to say, attrition not being backfilled caused more chaos than it did to offset budget concerns.

We were also told that all contract hires would be let go at the end of their contracts and not rehired, which, in tandem with a hiring freeze, dumped a huge amount of work on the existing employees.

•     Delayed or shrinking raises, bonuses, or promotions across the board.

Part of my decision to ultimately leave was that promotions for management positions had become nonexistent, so there was no upward trajectory for anyone at this company any longer. The only new job openings came in the form of executive roles given to hires from outside companies (conveniently, always to people who had worked at the hiring executive's previous company, imagine that).

Not seeing any path forward in my career was one of the biggest motivators for me to move on, as it was best to start building my career somewhere else while time was still on my side.

•     For startups: a long stretch with no new funding, or a "down round" (raising money at a lower valuation than before).

In my case, this took the form of constantly adding new minority private equity stakes. And each new PE firm had new expectations of how it was going to see a profit for its investment. Those goalposts just kept getting farther and farther away for anyone to actually meet.

Organizational signals

•     Frequent reorganizations, especially ones that consolidate roles.

I had four reorgs in two years, and went through six different bosses in that time. Review time was always an interesting time of year, trying to track down someone to even talk about what I did that year among tons of different managers. It was clear the reorgs were happening to hide the financials of struggling business units in the ones that were doing well, which is not a great reason to be reorganizing anything.

•     Leadership departures, particularly quiet ones without a clear successor.

There were a lot of founders of the startups we acquired who were clearly being asked to move on. Probably because they had their original employees' best interests in mind. Or they saw the writing on the wall.

•     Pilot programs that move work to contractors or offshore teams (a common precursor to broader outsourcing).

At one point, we were told there was not a single job at the company that shouldn't first be considered for our India team. (Except, weirdly enough, the executive jobs... funny how that works.)

Hilariously, they tried to say it was because we were a global company and needed to embrace that mindset. Our company operated exclusively within the American healthcare system... just what about that was global, exactly?

•     A sudden emphasis on "documenting your process" or heavy knowledge-transfer requests, which can mean your work is being made transferable.

Consulting firms were specifically brought in to figure out our processes and "improve" them. And by "improve," I mean automate them or outsource them. And once they hit the gas pedal on logging this information, it was only months before teams were being let go.

A useful rule of thumb: one signal is noise, two or three related signals over a few months is a pattern worth taking seriously. Trust the pattern, not the rumor mill.

How Safe Is Your Individual Position, Really?

Even in a struggling company, not every role carries the same risk. Layoffs and outsourcing are rarely random, so it helps to look at your specific seat with clear eyes. This is not about flattering yourself, it is about being honest. Ask yourself:

•     Is my role tied to revenue, or is it seen as a cost center? Roles closest to bringing in money tend to be protected longest.

•     How easily could my work be documented and handed off? Highly proceduralized work is the easiest to outsource.

•     How visible is my impact to the people who make budget decisions? Being valued by your direct team is not the same as being visible to leadership.

•     Am I one of many people doing similar work, or a genuine single point of failure? Redundancy cuts both ways here.

•     Does my team sit at the center of the company's stated priorities, or on the periphery? Peripheral teams get trimmed first.

If most of your honest answers point toward risk, that is important information (not a reason to panic, but a reason to prepare). If most point toward safety, you may have more runway than your anxiety is telling you. Either way, you now know more than you did an hour ago.

The Grief of Leaving Coworkers You Love

I won't lie to you: I still have a little bit of grief. And I think if I had gone to a new job that wasn't at a company with a great culture and new coworkers I liked, I might feel that grief more acutely.

For a lot of people, this is the hardest part, harder even than the money or the logistics. When you have shared deadlines, inside jokes, and hard days with a group of people, they stop feeling like coworkers and start feeling like family. The thought of leaving them (or of them being let go while you stay, or of the whole thing scattering) can feel like a small heartbreak.

Staying on a sinking ship to be near people you love does not actually protect them. If the company outsources your team, loyalty will not have saved anyone, and you will simply be job hunting later, alongside all of them, for the same openings.

This is what ended up being the case for me. A lot of the people I wanted to stick around for actually ended up being let go in one of the layoff rounds, so my staying to support them would have been for naught anyway.

Protecting your own livelihood is not a betrayal of your coworkers. The best thing you can often do for the people you love is to land somewhere stable, because a well-placed friend becomes a door for others later (a referral, a heads-up about an opening, a soft landing when they need one too).

And those real work friends? They aren't just going to go away with a new job. I am still having monthly happy hours and brunches with people I used to work with. But now, instead of talking about how our jobs are doing all they can to destroy us, we get to reminisce about the good old days and talk about what we hope the future brings for us all. It definitely isn't the same as getting to work together every day, but the friendships were never really confined to the workplace to begin with.

Thankfully the relationships I made were not confined to the workplace and I still chat with old coworkers. But it definitely isn't the same as getting to work together everyday.

The Fear of the Unknown

"But I know this place. I know how everything works here." That is the voice of the devil you know, and it is powerful (I say this as someone who really despises change). A new job means new systems, new personalities, new expectations, and the exhausting vulnerability of being the person who does not yet know where anything is. It is completely reasonable to be afraid of that.

Here is the way you need to look at the decision: you were new once at the job you love now. Everything that feels comfortable and second-nature today was once foreign and intimidating. You did not always know these people or these systems, and yet here you are, thriving in them. The comfort you are afraid to lose is proof that you are capable of building comfort somewhere new.

The fear is almost always loudest right before the first step (the updated résumé, the first conversation, the first interview) and much quieter once you are actually moving. Momentum dissolves a surprising amount of dread. Once I was in the thick of sending applications and trying to find time in my work schedule to take Zoom interviews, I wasn't thinking as much about the job I would be leaving behind. I was leading with excitement about what my future could hold.

Remember That Loyalty Is a Two-Way Street

Companies, even good ones with kind leaders, ultimately make decisions on spreadsheets. When outsourcing pencils out, it usually happens, regardless of how devoted the affected employees were. This is not cynicism, it is just the reality of how organizations behave under pressure.

None of that means you should become jaded or stop caring about your work. It simply means you are allowed to make decisions with the same clear-eyed self-interest that the company applies to its own. Looking out for yourself is not disloyalty. It is the exact same prudence your employer practices every single day.

When I gave my two-week notice, my Sr. Director, VP, and General Manager all reached out to ask what it would take to stay on. I candidly told them that my trust was lost after not receiving a promotion I had rightfully earned for yet another year in a row, and there was nothing they could do about it now. It became clear to me that I was seen as too valuable in my current role to be allowed to move on from it, unless they had no other option. If your workplace is also like that, take the leap to see what other companies are out there that will value your career growth.

The Strategic Advantage of Looking Early

If you have decided the signs are real, there is a strong practical case for starting your search now, while you are still employed and the ship is still afloat. Timing matters more than people realize.

•     You search from strength. Interviewing while employed means you are not desperate, you can be selective, and you negotiate from a position of leverage rather than fear.

•     You avoid the flood. If your whole team gets cut at once, you will be competing against your own laid-off colleagues (people with nearly identical skills) for the same roles. Moving early means beating that rush.

•     You keep your income and benefits. Searching now means no gap, no lapse in health coverage, and no scramble.

•     You get to choose. Leaving on your own terms, for a role you actually wanted, is a very different experience than being handed a box and a severance letter.

You Can Look Without Leaping

One thing to remember: deciding to look is not the same as deciding to leave. You are not writing a resignation letter. You are gathering information. Updating your résumé, reconnecting with old contacts, taking a recruiter's call, and going on an exploratory interview or two commit you to nothing at all.

One of two good things happens. Either you look around and find that nothing out there beats what you have, in which case you get to stay with genuine peace of mind (and a fresh appreciation for your current role). Or you find something better, safer, or more exciting than you expected, and you get to make a real choice instead of having one made for you. There is no version of looking that leaves you worse off.

Protect Yourself Financially While You Decide

Whatever you conclude, the months of uncertainty are a good time to shore up your finances. A little preparation now buys you calm and options later.

•     Build (or top up) your emergency fund. Aim for at least six months of essential expenses so a sudden layoff is a setback, not a crisis.

•     Understand your safety net now, while you can. Know your severance policy, how your benefits work, and what any unvested equity or bonus timing looks like.

•     Pause big financial commitments. This is not the ideal moment to take on a large new loan or a major purchase that assumes your income is guaranteed.

•     Quietly gather your documents. Save copies of your work samples,

performance reviews, and key contacts to your personal email (never company property) while you still have access.

A Simple Way to Make the Call

If you want a plain gut-check, sit with these four questions. You do not need perfect answers, just honest ones:

•     If I do nothing and the worst happens, how bad would it be, and how quickly could I recover?

•     Am I staying because this is truly the best place for me, or because leaving is scary and change is hard?

•     Six months from now, would I rather be the person who looked early, or the person who waited and hoped?

•     What is the smallest, lowest-risk step I could take this week to give myself more options?

More often than not, the honest answers point the same direction: looking is the wise move, even when leaving is not yet the right one.

A Final Word

While writing this article I kept coming back to this quote:

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." (often attributed to A.A. Milne)

And sometimes that is the frame of mind you have to have about saying goodbye. There are people who are going to work 40-year corporate careers (or, if their retirement savings are looking paltry, much longer) who have not enjoyed the company or coworkers for one second of that time.

You had the chance to be part of something great, and you should hold on to the memories you created, for a lifetime. Don't look at this from a perspective of disloyalty or pessimism. Look at it from a perspective of a great chapter of your life that came to an end.

Still on the fence? Start small. Dust off the résumé this weekend. Send one message to one person you trust in your field. You are not betraying anyone, and you are not committing to anything. You are just making sure that whatever the company decides, you have already decided to look after you.