You spend years settling into a job. You know the people, you know the work, and somewhere along the way, you start believing you’ll probably be there for a long time.That’s why getting laid off can feel deeply personal, even when you’re told it has nothing to do with your performance.Delhi-based marketing professional Anukriti Vidyarthi recently shared that feeling in an Instagram video after revealing that she had lost her job at Wipro, where she had worked for nearly five-and-a-half years.She wasn’t angry in the video. She wasn’t blaming anyone either. More than anything, she sounded like someone trying to process a life change she never saw coming.Anukriti said she worked as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator with Wipro AI Solutions. According to her, on June 29 she joined what seemed like a regular meeting with her manager and HR.Instead, she was told that her role had become redundant.“I had a call with the HR and the manager and they told me that my role is redundant and I have been asked to leave the company where I was employed for five-and-a-half years,” she said.Anyone who has spent years in one workplace knows the feeling she described. A company slowly becomes part of your routine. Your weekdays revolve around it. You make friends there, celebrate birthdays, complain about deadlines and wait for salary day every month. You don’t really imagine that one meeting can change everything.“I never thought I’ll be here at this stage… But I am,” she admitted.One part of the video particularly struck viewers.Instead of asking “Why me?”, she tried to make sense of what had happened in her own way.“Maybe it’s a sign from the Gods because I don’t think I would have ever quit this job on my own,” she said.That doesn’t mean she isn’t worried.She openly admitted that the biggest adjustment will be losing the comfort of a fixed monthly income. It’s something many people don’t think about until it’s suddenly gone. The salary isn’t just money – it pays rent, EMIs, groceries and countless everyday expenses. Losing that certainty overnight can be unsettling.Her video quickly found its way to thousands of people, many of whom had gone through similar experiences.Some simply offered words of encouragement.“You’ll be fine, trust me,” one person commented.Another wrote, “All the best. The sun will rise again.”Others shared stories of their own.“I got laid off on June 26. Same feeling… Worst feeling,” one user wrote, reminding everyone that job losses have become increasingly common across industries.Someone else suggested taking a short break before making the next move.“It’s the new normal. Go on a vacation for a few days. You’ll feel refreshed and then decide what you want to do next,” the comment read.A few people encouraged her to see this as an opportunity to explore freelancing or even build something of her own instead of immediately searching for another corporate role.One comment reflected a concern many professionals have today.“I saw your LinkedIn. Do Wipro too lay off their employees? Don’t you think it’s morally unethical? God knows when such job-related insecurities will end in the corporate sector.”Corporate layoffs have become an uncomfortable reality over the past few years. Employees who have spent years with one organisation are increasingly finding themselves affected by restructuring and role redundancies, often without much warning.For Anukriti, there’s no clear roadmap yet.Like thousands of professionals in similar situations, she’s probably updating her résumé, reaching out to people in her network and wondering what comes next.But by talking openly about losing her job instead of quietly disappearing from social media, she gave a voice to something many people experience but rarely discuss. Sometimes, knowing that someone else is navigating the same uncertainty makes the road ahead feel a little less lonely.
