The IT sector has been in the news for wrong reasons. Several tech giants have carried out mass layoffs, leading to an uncertainty among remaining employees and resonating with thousands of others. Recently, Facebook parent Meta announced second round of layoffs in which 10,000 employees are facing the axe. Among them is Andrea Guzman Garcia-Luna, who has shared her struggle with mental health on LinkedIn. This is the second time that Ms Garcia-Lunas has been laid off by the company.
In a long LinkedIn post, she said her first encounter with layoffs came in 2018 when the Instagram Community Team was disintegrated. The second one was last week.
"After the November layoffs and March announcement (when we were told to brace for 10k people to lose their jobs), you'd think I'd have been more prepared to face the blow when it came. Turns out I wasn't," Ms Garcia-Luna said in her post.
"And it wasn't for lack of trying. I built scenarios and budgets, put plans on hold, relied on therapy and tried to work and deliver as best as I could. But when the day came I still cried for two hours straight," she added.
The former Meta employee then talked about the toll the whole experience took on her mental health.
"Truth is, my mental health took such a toll from this whole experience that it's hard to focus on either. And with each passing day I realize I need a break to recover," said Ms Garcia-Luna.
She also said that she has seen people cry on Zoom calls and participating in conversations fuelled by fear and uncertainty about the future.
About her next steps, Ms Garcia-Luna said she would like to take rest for a while after eight years of "nonstop work".
The woman concluded the post by inviting others to connect and also urged those who are hiring to choose former Meta employees attesting to their brilliance.
