Julia Erickson - Betrayed by Work

Praise for Betrayed by Work

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 by 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 womens 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

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, job loss survivor

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. Its a must read.

Dr. Elena Pezzini, organizational psychologist

Emerging science proves our choices and decisionsincluding our engagement, commitment, and loyalty at workare 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

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 [professionals] 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 and job loss survivor

Youre not the only one! As a management consultant and coach, I hear many stories of women feeling defeated and deflatedbefore, during, and after a termination experience. This book boldly asserts what often goes unsaidthat you are still whole, still deserving, still worthy. The authors courageously advance this hope-filled narrative: termination is just a momentwhat have you learned? Whats next?

Tracey K. Allard , strategy, culture, & race equity consultant

BETRAYED
BY WORK

Womens Stories of Trauma, Healing and Hope after Being Fired

Julia Erickson, MBA,
and Suzanne Vosburg, PhD

Coral Gables

Copyright 2021 Julia Erickson and Suzanne Vosburg

Cover and Interior Layout Design: Jermaine Lau

Published by Mango Publishing, an imprint of Mango Media Inc.

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Betrayed By Work: Womens Stories of Trauma, Healing, and Hope After Being Fired

ISBN: (p) 978-1-64250-564-1 (e) 978-1-64250-565-8

LCCN: Pending

BISAC: BUS109000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Women in Business

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

This is a work describing personal experiences of the author. Therefore, some names and details may have been altered in order to protect the privacy of individuals. Further, this book is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a trained medical professional. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her mental health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

To the women in these pages,
who didnt see it coming,
who did and survived,
and all the women who will ultimately transcend.

Table of Contents

Birdie: I Bristled When Someone Said,
Dont Worry, Honey

When my dad, Ernie Thompson, was a teenager, he had a job at a bowling alley, setting pins. The conditions and the pay were terrible, so he organized his fellow pinsetters to demand more for their labor. The boss looked at the young people and said to them, Ernie here appears to be dissatisfied. Are any of the rest of you dissatisfied? Face-to-face with their employer, they all retreated. The boss turned to my dad and said the inevitable, Well, Ernie, since you dont like it here, you dont have to work here anymore. Ernie would go on to be a leader of the union movement, with many big wins to his name, but he never forgot that episode in the bowling alley.

Julia Erickson and Suzanne Vosburg, in their timely book Betrayed by Work , open the story up for me. My dad always related that episode as teaching him something about organizingwhat it took to get people ready to stand up to the boss. Reading Betrayed by Work , I can imagine him as an eager young man batted off by a powerful opponent and left with the embarrassment, chagrin, and fear that seared the memory into his consciousness.

It is this searing into consciousness that concerns Suzanne and Julia: that getting fired is not a trivial event, healed by a few platitudes, but a deeper shock to our sense of self, our amour-propre , as French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau put itthe sense that we are worthy because our goodness is reflected back to us by others. When, instead, the mirror suggests that we are worthless, the amour-propre is tarnished and not easily repaired.