An old man was moved to tears after his employer unexpectedly sacked him as part of a mass layoff.
Little did the man know a month later, the tables would be turned, and he’d end up owning the company.
Edward was a diligent employee. He and his colleagues knew that. He had been working for the company ever since its inception, and though he had surpassed his retirement age, he still accomplished his work like clockwork, which was much appreciated by everyone.
But to Edward’s utter disappointment, it all changed one day.
“The purpose of this notification is to inform you regarding your position in the company…We regret to inform you that there’ll be a major reduction in the workforce due to corporate restructuring.”
The words in the email stared at Edward. His fingers rapidly moving over his keyboard were now still, and so was he. Tears streamed down his eyes as he saw several people around him with the same shocked look on their faces.
He hated that look. He had become a part of the unemployed crowd. But what stung Edward the most was that he had spent his entire life working for the corporation, yet he was fired. How could they do that to him?
Still shocked, Edward scrolled to the bottom of the email as to whether his layoff would be permanent, and there it was. The answer to his question. Under the Q & A’s list.
“Unless otherwise notified, you should consider the layoff permanent.”
Edward slumped back in his chair. He suddenly felt tired. He had never felt so in his entire career. But now he did, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the computer screen, which displayed the notification of his termination. Then suddenly, he noticed something on the screen—the real reason he was fired.
The company’s founder, Rick, had transferred his company to his only grandson, Dan. The young man started his tenure by restructuring the workforce, and in his opinion, Edward was too old to work for the company.
Dan reasoned the company needed brighter minds and more talented people who’d meet the monthly KPIs, not a bunch of sloths who were warming up the seats, doing nothing, or were too old to be called an employee at all.
So he made the decision and forwarded the termination notice to Edward and the other employees.
Edward’s hands trembled as he emptied his workstation and crammed everything into an ugly brown banker’s box. He’d seen people in movies do that after they’d been fired. He never imagined he’d be doing it one day.
After Edward left the office, he went directly home. He lived alone, so there wasn’t anyone he could share his worries with. His only son had settled abroad, and his wife had died of cancer years ago.
All alone and without a job to keep him occupied, Edward was broken inside. For some, their job is everything. Edward was one of those people. He knew the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy for him. He’d need something to keep him busy.
Could he probably do some work in the garden daily or start his own YouTube channel like Gen-Z? They quit their jobs so they could live on their own terms! But Edward knew that idea didn’t please him. He wished he could be back in his office, doing his job, creating reports and charts like he had done his entire life.
To Edward’s surprise and shock, his wish was granted a month later. He was eating breakfast when he received a call from an unknown number.
“Am I talking to Mr. Edward Morales?” a no-nonsense voice on the other end of the line asked.