“This groundbreaking book validates the experiences, and damage done, from being fired while living in a culture in which so much of our worth comes from ‘what we do’ and ‘where we work.’ Betrayed at Work has informed and inspired me about how to better protect myself as an employee, as well as how to be a more attuned, humanistic supervisor.”
―Gina DelJones, LSW, clinical research manager at The Center for Great Expectations

“Betrayed by Work lends humanity to the oft overlooked reality of women’s experiences and struggles in the workplace. It is truly an essential read and valuable toolkit for anyone at any stage of their career.”
―Kate Speir, senior vice president at Itinera Infrastructure & Concessions

“Betrayed by Work addresses a wide gap in our understanding of human and emotional values in the workplace and shows us how women have personally experienced being mistreated and undervalued. Their stories are moving and inspiring. Having been ‘on both sides of the desk’ in the process described in the book, I know that it often could have and should have been handled much differently. Now we have some urgently needed solutions. Kudos to the authors for sharing these powerful stories and insights!”
―G. Gregory Tobin, former general manager of A.A. World Services and author of The Good Pope

“I wish this book had existed when I lost my own job, as it is exactly what I would have been looking for. Compassion, camaraderie, and understanding are the gifts within these pages. Losing my job was one of the most lonely and isolating experiences I ever went through, and this book would have been a bright light during a very dark time. This book would have made me feel understood and not so alone. It would have brought me solace. For anyone who has ever experienced the trauma of being torn from your livelihood and workday community, this book is for you.”
―Wendy Jessica

“What we do for work identifies us and becomes the mission/vision/purpose and calling in our lives. This is the first book that I know of that truly helps you learn from women from many professional sectors how to recover from big setbacks in our work lives. It’s a must read.”
―Dr. Elena Pezzini, organizational psychologist

“Emerging science proves our choices and decisions―including our engagement, commitment, and loyalty at work―are more often driven by feelings and emotions than by our minds. Betrayed By Work showcases the harm done when leaders ignore this truth. This important book contributes an essential voice to the ever growing call for more caring, supportive, and humane leadership.”
―Mark C. Crowley, author of Lead From the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century

“The aftermath of being fired is usually a professional and personal purgatory. Erickson and Vosburg bring this traumatic “life-event” to the fore in Betrayed by Work with intimate, firsthand accounts and instructive tips for replacing shame with personal enlightenment. It forces a reckoning with the callous treatment of women, especially when fired, in the workplace. This book has a rightful place along with other consciousness-raising movements of the twenty-first century. As a woman who has fired other women, I recommend Betrayed by Work not only for those who have lost their jobs, but also as required reading for all managers, especially those who ‘turn off their personhood’ when terminating an employee.”
―Heidi Boghosian, attorney, nonprofit leader, and author of “I Have Nothing to Hide” And Twenty Other Myths about Surveillance

“You’re not the only one! As a management consultant and coach, I hear many stories of women feeling defeated and deflated―before, during, and after a termination experience. This book boldly asserts what often goes unsaid―that you are still whole, still deserving, still worthy. The authors courageously advance this hope-filled narrative: termination is just a moment―what have you learned? What’s next?”
―Tracey K. Allard, strategy, culture, & race equity consultant

“Betrayed by Work is a long overdue text that provides a conduit for expression, validation, and healing from the life altering experience of being fired. This book is a must-read that gives a deep and personal look into the experience of women at work, offering practical guidance at a crucial time. The potential for growth and change here is enormous, not only for employees, but also employers and HR [workers] around the globe. Betrayed by Work could be the new “How To” handbook on humanizing downsizing, layoffs and firings to mitigate the damage done to confidence and reputation on both sides.”
―Cameron Hartl, executive coach

From the Introduction

 We began writing this book long before COVID-19. This was before those of us who could stay home, did stay home to minimize the transmission of coronavirus and to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system (‘flattening the curve’). It was also before tens of millions of jobs disappeared seemingly overnight.

As we write, 38.6 million jobless claims have been filed. This number increased by over 2 million since we checked last week. Companies large and small have laid off multitudes of workers. Sephora, Walt Disney, Marriott, JCPenney, Under Armour, Macy’s, GE and other Fortune 500 companies laid off thousands of workers, while smaller companies such as ZipRecruiter, Everlane and Shake Shack have laid off hundreds of workers, all at once. So many job cuts happened in so many sectors of the economy so suddenly that generalized headlines about the millions of jobs lost were often the first broad exposure to the magnitude of numbers. 

Considering that the job loss was at the macro-level, we wondered if the premise of our book still mattered. Were women still being let go from their jobs in ways that were traumatic and mean? Did we still think that there could be a more compassionate way of separating women from their work?

The answer to both questions is an unqualified YES.

Even though most of the stories in our book were collected before COVID-19, women’s experiences of losing their jobs and the emotional damage caused by this trauma is still the same. And these stories and their takeaways will help many women traverse the emotional journey to a new work life. In fact, Julie has taken on new clients during the pandemic who have lost their jobs, and she uses the lessons and practical takeaways from this book to help them process their experience, especially their emotional pain.