A Reddit user recently admitted that he had continued to pretend he was employed even after being laid off; and that he had landed a better job by doing so! He also shares with utmost honesty that he did not really feel guilty keeping up the pretence to find another job. After all, he had been terminated all of a sudden, and that too, rather brutally on a Zoom call that lasted a couple of minutes. He had not been paid a severance package either.
After being laid off, he decided not to share the news of his termination with anybody. He hid it even from his family and friends but kept searching for jobs and applying for positions. He also continued to pretend he was attending meetings and even posted updates pertaining to his work on LinkedIn to keep up his presence online. Finally, he did land a job, which was much better than his previous one. Even during the interview he did not reveal that he had been laid off and continued to pretend he was employed. Not only did he bag a higher package, but his new employer allows him to work remotely too, which ensures that he enjoys work-life balance.
Though the employee made his confession only after five months of landing the new job, many users supported him. Many thought his pretence was justified since his previous company had not really done right by him, laying him off without any warning or severance. Most people who have read the post probably feel glad things turned out alright for him. However, his confession has triggered a discussion on employee ethics and drawn attention to the importance of background verification.
