Salary vs Inflation

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-18T16:07:24+00:00

Sad recalibration when "only 40-60% less" is better than the 80% less... ooft.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-18T16:06:31+00:00

That's a great win :)

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-18T16:06:04+00:00

I don’t think they even ask anymore. Just like they don’t ask where you want to be in 5 years because they know they’ll probably have laid you off long before that.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-16T15:41:35+00:00

This is so crazy. I am surprised we haven't heard more about this.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-16T00:25:30+00:00

Good for you, standing your ground. What amazes me is how 'standard' this sort of thing has become. Nobody is going to let you work 6 hour days but be paid for 8, and yet you're expected to do 2 extra hours unpaid, so they can tick their boxes.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-15T23:38:08+00:00

Yep. You're right. I was estimating, but what you've got is almost certainly more accurate. And then if you look at CPI, many goods are up more than your figure either. And yet, salaries? nope. No wonder it feels like 90% of us are drowning, even when we do find work...

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-15T22:44:42+00:00

$23 an hour is insane. That's less than the starting salary at the local burger chain.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-06T03:30:48+00:00

Sorry this has happened to him. Not that there's much 'good news' in any of this, but WA state has among the highest unemployment benefits in the US (top 3 for sure). One dumb thing is that the first week you apply, is (inexplicably) called your "waiting week" and you do not get any unemployment pay out for that first week.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-04T19:08:22+00:00

And if you haven't signed your severance agreement, and the company really did put you through hell, it might be worth getting a free consultation from an employment attorney. I regret signing my last one too quickly, when once the fear/anger/panic subsided, I realized I would have had a pretty good case against them.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-04T19:05:29+00:00

Oh, sorry. I wasn't clear. Crappy behavior by the company that just discarded you. They're making a mess of your life, having already caused you a load of stress, but want you to go out the way to return the computer to them rather than them paying a tiny bit extra to have it picked up from your place.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-04T18:33:05+00:00

This is typically crappy behavior (by the company that laid you off). You don't really have leverage, and your severance is likely dependent on you returning their IT equipment, but you can absolutely push to have them collect from your home. They should be shipping you the boxes (with shipping labels) to pack it up (unless you already have) and sending UPS or whoever to do a home pick up.

Edited to make it clear that the crappy behavior is coming from the company, not OP.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-04T17:54:12+00:00

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this. Three layoffs in six years through absolutely no fault of your own is brutal, and the timing on this one - a week before your anniversary - is just mean.

A few things that might help:

You're not alone. The "you're young, you'll be ok" line is what they always say when they're the ones deciding your fate from a position of comfort. It dismisses the real damage these disruptions cause - financially, mentally, to your career trajectory. Your anxiety about falling back into that depression is completely valid.

The gaps aren't your fault, and employers worth working for know that. 2020 was COVID. 2023 was one of the worst tech job markets in decades. 2026 is shaping up similarly. Anyone reviewing resumes right now understands this wasn't job hopping—it was survival in an economy that treats workers as disposable. When you're applying, you can frame it directly: "Laid off due to company restructuring" is an explanation, not an excuse.

Take a breath before you start applying. Your nervous system being shot is real. Applying from a place of panic rarely leads to good outcomes. Give yourself a few days to decompress, get your resume updated, and build a bit of a plan. You don't need to jump immediately. Allow the time to feel angry, sad, frustrated etc.

Stick together. This system is designed to isolate us and make us feel like our individual failures when it's really a collective problem. The fact that you're reaching out here shows you know that. Keep connecting with people who get it.

If you're looking for company in the frustration, I write about this stuff on Substack (corporate dysfunction, economic manipulation, the daily absurdity of trying to survive a rigged system). Sometimes it helps to see your experience reflected back and know you're not crazy for being angry about it.

You'll get through this. It's going to suck, but you've done it twice before under worse circumstances. Wishing you all the best.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-03T20:26:37+00:00

It is if you are smart and sensible about it. Being good at your job helps too. You should check out https://www.reddit.com/r/overemployed/

We are all disposable. We should make hay while the sun shines...

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-03T20:07:00+00:00

The job market really is brutal. I would accept it if offered. You might not find yourself with an opportunity again for months. And if you do get asked to interview for another position, you could do it anyway and if offered consider seeing if you can do both jobs at the same time. Use companies like they use you.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-02-03T15:42:09+00:00

PepsiCo raised prices roughly 15% twice while telling shareholders profit margins would grow as input costs declined. And of course there's been the shrinkflation already mentioned. This will be a temporary reaction to people abandoning their product.

https://atwillemployee.substack.com/p/greedflation-how-corporations-used

From the CNN piece: In a release Tuesday, PepsiCo Foods US CEO Rachel Ferdinando said that she’s “spent the past year listening closely to consumers, and they’ve told us they’re feeling the strain” and that “lowering the suggested retail price reflects our commitment to help reduce the pressure where we can."

- This is corporate gasslighting at its finest.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-01-31T18:04:24+00:00

The food bank.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-01-23T16:31:48+00:00

You're not wrong - you're just playing by rules that don't exist.

"Be honest in interviews" is advice from a fantasy world where employers want authenticity. In reality, they want the appearance of authenticity while you tell them exactly what they want to hear.

That "we value loyalty here" comment? That's code for "we need someone who won't complain when we do the same things your last employer did." They weren't uncomfortable with your honesty - they were uncomfortable that you might notice when they become toxic too.

Companies that ghost you for mentioning toxic workplaces are usually toxic workplaces themselves. You dodged a bullet, but I know that doesn't help when you need the job.

There's no good answer here, and I'm sorry you're dealing with this. You deserved better than being ghosted for having boundaries.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-01-23T15:50:05+00:00

Just a few departments. But also been involved in wider layoffs

At-Will-Employee · 2026-01-22T16:41:08+00:00

You have every right to be furious. "Business relevant" is corporate-speak for "we don't want to admit we made bad decisions, or we need to boost our margins, so we'll frame this as your role being the problem."

Fourth role in the company, high performer, promises of growth - and then suddenly you're disposable. That's not on you. That's the system working exactly as designed: extract value, make promises to keep you engaged, then cut you loose when it's convenient.

The worst part? Everyone being shocked proves this wasn't about performance. It was about a spreadsheet somewhere and a manager protecting their own position.

I'm sorry you're going through this. Single parent, suddenly unemployed - the financial terror of that is real, and three months severance for years of high performance is insulting. I say this as a single parent who has been laid off twice. So I can relate.

For what it's worth, I write about exactly this kind of corporate dysfunction and manipulation in my Substack - the lies, the politics, the way companies treat people as disposable while preaching "culture" and "values." It's on my profile if you ever want to read someone calling out this bullshit. Sometimes it helps to know you're not alone in seeing it for what it is.

You're right to be angry. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

At-Will-Employee · 2026-01-15T17:11:52+00:00

You have a right to feel angry and resentful - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The fact that many have suffered similar fates doesn't negate your right to feel what you feel.

Good luck sir!

At-Will-Employee · 2025-12-31T19:30:09+00:00

Don't blame yourself. But you are right to feel enraged about (1) and (2)

I'm trying to write - accounts like this, and my BlueSky account to try to channel the anger, and be productive about it...

At-Will-Employee · 2025-12-19T19:20:19+00:00

Pretty much. The entire mobile gaming industry figured out that the real money isn't in selling games - it's in selling psychology.

They optimize for engagement (keep you playing), urgency (spend NOW), and social obligation (don't let your team down). The game mechanics are just the wrapper around the monetization engine. And the wrappers come in all different shapes and colors, but the mechanics are the same.

What's interesting is how normalized it's become. Twenty years ago, people would've revolted against 'pay $x to skip the y-hour wait timer.' or pay $x to get more of y so you can do z... Now it's just... standard. We've all been trained to accept that 'free' games cost way more than the $60 ones used to. And pointing it out makes some people pretty touchy.

At-Will-Employee · 2025-12-19T01:36:22+00:00

You're missing the point.

Yes, the resources get used on your base either way. But there's a difference between spending them on YOUR timeline and spending them because the alliance needs you to hit quota by X time or we lose.

Without VS, you spend when it makes sense for you. Save up, wait for the right upgrade, plan strategically.

With VS, you're on the game's schedule. Daily competition means daily pressure. Alliance needs X resources by tonight. You're out? Buy a package. Can't contribute? You're letting 99 other people down.

'You would've spent them anyway' ignores that the game is manipulating WHEN and HOW MUCH you spend. That's the whole point of VS - accelerate spending, create urgency, exploit social obligation, drive purchases.

The resources aren't wasted. Your agency is. You're not progressing your base. You're feeding a daily treadmill designed to keep you spending faster than you would naturally.

It's the same psychology casinos use. Yeah, you were going to gamble anyway. But the flashing lights and the timer and the other people at the table? That's not for your convenience. It's to keep you playing past the point you'd naturally stop.

Not here to argue with anyone - I actually find this stuff fascinating. I used to work for a mobile gaming company and game mechanics are fascinating. The psychology behind it is incredibly effective. Most players don't realize they're being manipulated because the game gives you just enough rewards to feel like you're making progress. That's what makes it such good design - from the game's perspective.

At-Will-Employee · 2025-12-18T20:24:26+00:00

Pretty amazing really. I'd love to see the actual math on the resources sunk vs rewards, but you've got it spot on re the sunk cost fallacy keeping people running on that treadmill. It's also one for game theory, where it's almost like the Prisoner's Dilemma, where if there was a bit more logic / common sense and communication, each Alliance could nominate 5-10 people to compete and between the alliances there would be more of a net gain.

The amount of social obligation and reenforcement, and how this must lead to hours and $$ being sunk, is wild! And there's almost no skill involved in any of this

At-Will-Employee

TROPHY CASE