Getting laid off

Every single day, for years, he'd bolt into the office and frantically hit 'refresh' on the latest layoff forums. "Who's getting the axe today?" he'd wonder, his heart racing with each new post.

Meetings were the perfect cover. While others discussed projects, he was underneath the table, phone in hand, thumb scrolling feverishly. "Uh-huh, yeah, the quarterly targets," he'd nod absentmindedly, all the while thinking, "Is she next on the chopping block?"

The idea that years of obsessing over layoffs, while neglecting his actual work, could be the reason for his own layoff was a connection he just couldn't make. He could only muster a stunned, "Laid off, me? But why?" when his own email arrived.