About JustGotLaidOff.org
JustGotLaidOff.org was created for the moment when the meeting ends, your access disappears, and you are left trying to figure out what in the hell you are supposed to do next.
A layoff can affect your paycheck, health insurance, retirement accounts, unemployment eligibility, and legal rights all at once. Meanwhile, the information you need is often scattered across government websites, buried in company documents, written in legal language, or tucked behind somebody’s sales pitch.
This site exists to make that information easier to find and understand.
Why I Created This Site
My name is Melissa Caudill, and I created JustGotLaidOff.org after being laid off in June 2026.
My layoff was called a “reorganization” and “simplification.” Whatever label a company puts on it, the result for the worker is the same: your job is gone, your income is uncertain, and you suddenly have a pile of decisions to make.
As I worked through my own layoff and job search, I saw how difficult it was to find clear, practical information in one place. Some resources explained only one small piece of the process. Others were outdated, vague, overloaded with corporate jargon, or designed to sell expensive services to people who had just lost their income.
I decided to build the resource I wished had been available when I needed it.
What You Will Find Here
JustGotLaidOff.org is being built to help laid-off workers:
- Decide what to do during the first hours and days after a layoff
- Understand severance agreements before signing
- Find information about unemployment benefits and other assistance
- Learn about federal and state layoff protections
- Protect important documents, benefits, compensation, and employment records
- Find job-search resources that do not charge job seekers
- Translate corporate layoff language into plain English
- Understand proposed laws and policy changes affecting laid-off workers
The goal is not to bury you under every possible piece of information. It is to help you find the information that matters, understand what it means, and make better-informed decisions about what comes next.
What This Site Will Not Do
Essential information on this site will not be hidden behind a paywall or held hostage until you hand over your email address.
JustGotLaidOff.org is not a law firm, government agency, staffing company, or substitute for advice from a qualified attorney, tax professional, financial professional, or benefits specialist. The site provides general information and links to outside resources so workers can better understand their options and know which questions to ask.
It also will not pretend that losing a job is secretly a wonderful opportunity wrapped in inspirational nonsense. Sometimes a layoff leads somewhere better. Sometimes it is simply disruptive, expensive, and unfair. Either way, people deserve useful information without being talked down to.
The Purpose
The purpose of JustGotLaidOff.org is simple:
To provide clear, practical information that helps laid-off workers understand their rights, protect their benefits and finances, and figure out what to do next, without corporate jargon, predatory sales pitches, or hiding essential help behind a paywall.