Blinded by years of service.

An employee was laid off after 35 years of service.

Another employee was laid off after 3 years of service.

A third employee was laid off after 15 years of service.

We should be sympathetic to all, given the hardship that a layoff can cause. We know there is grieving that must be done for them, and we can acknowledge the employee with the longer years of service likely needs longer to grieve.

We must also have clarity of mind to see whether the service is valuable or not. Did the experience help the employee be a top performer, or did the experience push them to complacency?

Meritocracy is essential, it provides fairness, and it creates a better world for us all. Basing decisions on other factors such as looks, friendships, or even years sitting in a seat is anti-meritocratic, which creates a slightly marginally worse world.

Let this be a reminder to see that employment is always a mutual decision between an employee and an employer, and never allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking one owes the other anything more than the mutual benefit of the agreement.