The Pink Slip Etiquette

What do you do when your friend gets laid off? Especially from an industry that once gave him such a great deal

Condolence messages always have a tinge of the phoney in them because you can never really understand a pain that is not your own. And when it comes to bereaving a job, how sincere can friends who’re glad the axe missed their neck be? A Google search offered more what-to-do’s for when you lose your job. Only one site offered tips to console others: ask them to network with you, offer your home office, offer to babysit, and really listen. I can’t think of many investment-banking wives who would open their hearts about losing everything from club memberships to cars.

So, when one of us loses a job, you know exactly how much money he stands to lose, you’ll wonder if he saved well in the good years, and that you’ll have to smile encouragingly when he says he’s become the CFO of an Indian startup. Really, what’s the consolation?