Just got laid off, as did ~10% of expensive employees in the company. I was notified on Monday with Friday being my last day. I had complete access to production systems right up until I logged out today (okay, stupid on their part, but I'm not going to fuck with my surviving teammates). My severance package is ridiculous, like take the next six months off and think about life levels of generous. Three months of health insurance. All of my accrued PTO. And a commensurate portion of my long term rewards package, even though my contract says early separation means I get nothing.

So, while the majority of companies are soulless, soul-sucking black holes of greed, there are exceptions out there. Hm... in my experience, the exceptions all seem to be privately held AND not owned by some other shitty holding company.

While I owe nothing to any corp, my professional reputation and the regard of my teammates mean everything to me. I got this job because the hiring manager was a former teammate elsewhere. Not screwing over these work relationships is how I'm going to land just fine. I have a long list of C-suite, managers, and teammates upon whom I can rely for referrals and job opportunities.

Is being pleasant and professional always going to work in your favor? Fuck no. But pissing in the well of good will always works against you.