u/blinker-studen

I've been waiting for a long time for a promotion or a salary increase, but it's become very clear that there's no hope for that in this place. This call with my manager was truly the straw that broke the camel's back, and it solidified my decision.

I'm now seriously planning to look for a new job at another company that truly values its team members and pays good salaries.

My head is still spinning. I feel like this is a sick joke. Why me? Why am I one of the three they decided to keep while everyone else was let go? I feel a terrible sense of guilt for being the one who stayed.

We were a team of 12 and we were very close. This morning, 9 of them, including my manager, were let go. Without even a chance to say goodbye, their Slack accounts were suddenly deactivated. Just a cold 15-minute call and that was it. We were literally just in a Q3 kickoff meeting last week talking about our big projects.

I can't stop thinking about what they're facing now:

My manager's wife just gave birth to their first child.

One of them literally relocated his entire family for this job just six months ago.

A woman on our team just got back from her honeymoon.

Another one is the sole provider for his elderly parents.

And then there's me. Single, no mortgage, and no dependents.

Honestly, I've been coasting. I do the bare minimum to not get fired, take 90-minute lunch breaks most days, and I barely show up for my two required in-office days. I'm almost never on time.

The whole thing feels so unreal. The stress level here is through the roof. Part of me feels like I should be grateful... Like I owe the company for choosing me. But honestly, I'm already planning my exit, which makes the guilt even worse. One of them should have had my spot. I feel completely lost.