Say one thing does opposite

[SAli]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MN

I was very surprised when my manager announced that they had eliminated my position and they let me go after 7 years of my praising record. My reason for surprise is: (1) week before they laid me off, we were told our job is fine. (2) Within the last two weeks they hired 4 contractors to add to our 9 person team, (3) Days before my separation notice, we were told if necessary they will hire additional resource. During my separation notice meeting, I was clearly and sympathetically told the decision is entirely financial and nothing to do with my performance. I never had any performance issue in my annual review. (4) Finally, I was the only one (out of 9) got laid off in this office location. They have hundreds of employees in other states.

Question: Can an employer selectively lay off one person showing financial reason while hiring additional contractors at the same time?

 

[Hot Topic]

There's nothing illegal about what your employer did.

I was the only person laid off out of about 300.

 

[commentator]

There's no requirement that they lay off by seniority, or fairly, or based on performance, or that they tell you the truth about the situation of the company. The key here is that they are hiring contractors. Who don't require benefits, supervision, wage records, etc. As long as you were not classified as a contractor, you can file for unemployment now due to lack of work.

At least they didn't try to force you to quit, or make up some reason to fire you. Sign up for your unemployment benefits immediately, and go forth seeking something new. It's bruising, but nothing they did was illegal.

 

[SAli]

At least they didn't try to force you to quit, or make up some reason to fire you. Sign up for your unemployment benefits immediately, and go forth seeking something new. It's bruising, but nothing they did was illegal.

Thanks for the useful info. This was the first time I got laid off and obviously took some time to digest what just happened. Yes, they were very civil and offered severence package also.