22 Oct Layoff Anxiety: What Should You Do When Job Cuts Hit the Headlines?
Exceptional & Exhausted #13
When job cuts hit the headlines, be gentle with yourself and let the people who love you carry some of it with you, whether you are still waiting or have already had the meeting. Whatever happens next, it says nothing about your worth or about how well you have done your job, even if it feels that way for a while. And it is a good moment to ask one question: if the decision about my next move were entirely mine, what would I choose?
If you want a head start on that question, the Next Move quiz takes about three minutes and shows which move is pulling at you: stay, step up or step out.
This morning Barclays announced it will cut 5,000 jobs, about 5% of its workforce, as AI takes on more of the work. I read the headline twice, and then I was back in 2008.
What does a headline like this feel like from the inside?
From the outside it is a figure in a business story. From the inside it has a name in it. In 2008 it had mine.
That year, after RBS had taken over ABN AMRO, where I worked, a number very much like this one appeared in the newspapers. When I was invited into the meeting, I did not see it coming at all (I was a little naive back then, and my performance reviews had always been strong). Those of us who were let go often had to leave within the same hour. So the coffee conversations, now infused with dread, about what had happened took place among the people who stayed, while we were already on our way out of the building.
It is a very vulnerable experience. Something in your sense of who you are falls away with the badge, a kind of ego death, and with it can come a shame that makes little sense to the rational mind. It makes a great deal of sense, though, to the younger part of us that learned long ago that being good enough keeps us safe. Old wounds from childhood that we thought we had outgrown can open again in a single afternoon. Then there is the practical weight, which is just as heavy: the mortgage, the children’s school, the pension, the conversation at home that evening, and a CV you have not looked at properly in years.
What do I wish I had done after my layoff?
Looking back, I wish I had asked for far more support than I did. I handled it the way many high performers handle things, alone and as quickly as possible, because I wanted to protect the image of ‘I am a professional, I am the solution itself’. It cost me a great deal of grief that I never properly processed, and connections I let slip away because I was too ashamed to reach out.
What helps if you are still waiting, or have already had the meeting?
Be gentle with yourself, and let the people who love you carry some of it with you. If you work at Barclays, or anywhere this week’s news feels a little too close, I know how heavy these days can be, whether you are still waiting or have already had the meeting. Whatever happens next, it says nothing about your worth or about how well you have done your job, even if it feels that way for a while.
Should you think about your next move if your job feels secure?
Yes, it is still worth a moment of your attention. Sooner or later a headline like this raises the same question for all of us: if the decision about my next move were entirely mine, what would I choose?
When a client sits down with me in a week like this, that question has usually been running in the background for a year or two, and the headline simply turns up the volume. Stay, step up and step out are three equal answers, and none of them is a failure. What makes the difference is choosing one deliberately, with your head, your body and your numbers, so that whatever the news brings, you are standing on something of your own.
Stay, step up or step out: which move is pulling at you?
To help you start, I have put together a short quiz, Stay, step up, or step out? It takes about three minutes to answer the ten questions. Your result shows straight away which move is pulling at you and what is most likely holding you back.
If you already had a plan of your own in place, what would you dare to do with the job you have now?
Warmly,
Danguole
P.S. This autumn I am taking three founding clients into The Turning Point, at a founding rate in exchange for their honest feedback along the way. It was built for exactly these turning points, the psychological ones and the practical ones. If you would like to hear more, send me a message.
This post first went out as Exceptional & Exhausted #13. Previous edition: Career Crossroads at 40: Do You Want the Next Ten Years to Look Like This? Related: Successful but Unhappy at Work? Whose Desire Were You Chasing?
Danguole Litvinskaite, founder of Coach and You. Ex investment banker (14 years), ICF PCC executive coach with 3,100+ coaching sessions. About Danguole. First published 22 October 2026 · Last updated 27 October 2026.
In short
- A headline like Barclays’ can bring back a layoff you thought you had left behind, or make one feel close.
- A layoff says nothing about your worth or how well you did your job.
- Many high performers handle it alone. Ask for support early.
- Stay, step up and step out are three equal answers. Choose one deliberately, with your head, your body and your numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is layoff anxiety?
It is the fear and unease that arrive when job cuts are announced, whether or not your own role is affected. It often wakes an old belief that being good enough keeps you safe, which is why it can feel much bigger than the news itself.
Does being laid off mean I did a bad job?
No. A layoff says nothing about your worth or about how well you did your job. Large cuts follow cost and technology decisions, and people with strong performance reviews are let go too.
Should I tell people I am worried about losing my job?
Yes, the people you trust. Many high performers handle it alone and as quickly as possible, and that can cost grief and connections later. Let the people who love you carry some of it with you.
What should I do about my career while job cuts are in the news?
Ask what you would choose if the next move were entirely yours: stay, step up or step out. The Next Move quiz gives you a first read in about three minutes.
About the Author
Danguole Litvinskaite is an executive coach based in Switzerland who helps Directors and VPs at a career turning point decide whether to stay, step up or step out, and make the move well. An ex investment banker, LSE graduate and ICF PCC coach with 3,100+ sessions, she combines Executive Coaching, Executive Astrology and body psychology.
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