The economic downturn is being felt by businesses and their employees everywhere.

Katie Paine points to a heart breaking post by an employee who has just been laid off by Cision.

I feel for the laid off employee.

And I also know that no employer – regardless of how hard we try to provide a caring, progressive work environment – is immune to anger and attacks from former employees.

It’s to be expected that the people you lay off first are the disaffected and less effective. And in this era of social media, they can share their views – with little effort.

Regardless of how hard I try to be kind in a termination situation, I understand that it is essentially a gesture of rejection. And it’s only natural that the person who has just been let go will search for justification. And in doing this, it’s only human to magnify all the shortcomings of the employer – real or imagined.

That’s not excusing any employer. That’s just recognizing that, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

And I think we are going to see a lot more of this in the future. A sign of the times.