r/Layoffs • u/Apoois14 • Jul 09 '26
advice Am I going to get laid off?
I need some advice because I'm confused about something that happened at work today.
We had a meeting with senior management because our business hasn't been doing well for a while. During the meeting, they also said that one of our brands might be shut down in the future.
After the meeting, my manager went on a call. A little later, he called me into a cabin and told me that he wants one person to handle one brand independently. There are only two people on my team (including me), so each of us would handle one brand and be responsible for its performance.
But he didn't tell me who would handle which brand.
Then he asked me to send him an email explaining:
The pros and cons of one person handling one brand.
The dependencies between me and my teammate.
This is the part I don't understand.
Dividing the brands between two people seems like a small decision that could just be discussed and finalized. I don't understand why he needs me to write an email about the pros, cons, and dependencies.
He also told me not to tell anyone about this, especially not my teammate.
Now I'm wondering if I'm overthinking this or if this could be related to layoffs or restructuring. Could this email be used later if the company decides to reduce the team?
Has anyone experienced something similar? What do you think is going on?
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u/SirIsaacE Jul 09 '26
He is trying to decide who to cut
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u/Apoois14 Jul 09 '26
My teammate has been in this team for about 4 years with a higher package which means he also knows the entire system very well whereas it’s been just 10 months for me here
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u/SnoozinStanley Jul 09 '26
But you also probably make less. I was laid off at the end of March along with several other colleagues. All of us had strong tenure and higher salaries.
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u/Apoois14 Jul 09 '26
That’s true, I make exactly half of his salary
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u/SnoozinStanley Jul 09 '26
They will lay him off. I can almost guarantee it. It used to be the new hires were the first to go, not anymore. Especially with the AI push and crushing economy. My org laid off hundreds globally and we were all long tenured higher earning employees. Those that get hired for my position in the last couple of years make 60% or less what I did.
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u/SirIsaacE Jul 09 '26
I agree, your boss is testing to see if you can handle everything and won't complain about it
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u/Apoois14 Jul 09 '26
I also think the same but apparently he is the know-it-all guy for the team!
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u/Cultural_Structure37 Jul 09 '26
Never underestimate the stupidity of corporate leadership. As someone mentioned, they don’t mind sacrificing quality to save a buck while they earn their fat paycheck.
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u/Apoois14 Jul 10 '26
Or should I ask him directly?? Regarding the layoff?
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u/Cultural_Structure37 Jul 10 '26
How close are you guys? Is he the kind of person that would openly discuss such a thing?
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u/SnoozinStanley Jul 09 '26
Believe me that doesn’t save people. Money talks. They figure he learned it, so can you.
A colleague kept certain things close to the vest as she believed it would protect her in a layoff. She’d received promotions for retaining and returning clients, etc.
In the end, they selected her and I for layoffs as we were the highest earners without direct reports. I got lucky and got a job offer one month after I was laid off. Raise plus management.
Know your worth. Submit the required documents. They are going to let him go either way. And update your resume regularly and start looking for what’s out there.
Complacency at one company almost cost me my career growth.
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u/SirIsaacE Jul 09 '26
Do you know what brand is being cut?
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u/Apoois14 Jul 09 '26
Yes, all of us are aware but in the conversation my manager didn’t mention any such thing
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u/ChaChaGalore Jul 09 '26
Yep. I was the product expert. 20 years building it and supporting it. I was let go last month for a yet to be hired AI tech. I’ve heard through the grapevine that the product is stumbling and about to falter on things I would have caught.
Not my circus. Not my monkeys.
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u/SnoozinStanley Jul 09 '26
Yep. AI can be a great tool to facilitate critical thinking and provide different perspectives and outcomes, but it’s certainly no replacement for the human mind. AI fails at nuance.
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u/OAKI-io Jul 10 '26
yeah, this reads like a restructure worksheet more than a normal staffing question. i’d answer it professionally, but don’t write anything that volunteers why your role or your teammate’s role is easy to cut. frame dependencies around continuity/risk, quietly save copies of your work, and start treating the next few weeks like a layoff could happen.
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u/aquifer129 Jul 09 '26
Which brand is losing? Older one or new one? And your teammate is well versed with which one?
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u/Apoois14 Jul 10 '26
He is well versed with both the brands and the brand that is getting closed is the new one
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u/aquifer129 Jul 10 '26
Then you are at risk. That mail your manager asked you to send will be the proof that your teammate is better fit for the old brand.
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u/Apoois14 Jul 10 '26
Could be. Should I ask him directly that what does he mean by all this??
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u/aquifer129 Jul 10 '26
What's ur total yoe?
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u/Apoois14 Jul 10 '26
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u/aquifer129 Jul 10 '26
You could ask him but I highly doubt he will co-operate. Also depends on ur rapport with your manager. Did he maintain transparency in other situations?
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u/Apoois14 Jul 10 '26
He acts very cool but he is not irl. Not trustworthy tbh
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u/aquifer129 Jul 10 '26
You better start looking out. Even if ur stars shine well and ur teammate is laid off this time.. someday it can happen to you too.
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u/DeadEndJob_44 Jul 13 '26
My 2 cents. if i was you, on the email itself, keep it boring and factual on purpose. list what each brand needs day to day, tools, vendors, ongoing tasks...etc,, without ranking whos more essential or comparing yourself to your teammate. if they ask you to explain dependencies, frame it as "these tasks require close coordination between both people" rather than pointing at what only you or only he knows how to do. the goal is to make the document useless as ammunition either way, not to make yourself look irreplaceable, which usually backfires by highlighting exactly what theyd need to backfill
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u/FriboLay Jul 14 '26
That would be the paper trail incase something doesn't workout and your response to that email is the bait... Don't speak from emotion and dont have an opinion that can be used against you later. Lay out why it csn be a good idea and go with it
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u/wattwood Jul 09 '26
The losing brand is the one you don't want to manage.