As I read and hear more stories about layoffs, I started to lose tolerance for when people use “fired” instead of “laid off.” I know people who got “fired”—It probably meant something went very wrong somewhere. People who get “laid off” weren’t “fired” because they didn’t do anything that were grounds for being “fired”—right? Am I way off? Or am I getting into a debate of vocabulary and usage because my eyes are becoming useless while copy editing?
I consulted the smartest person I know: Google. Metrolingua has a good explanation of what is conveyed by each term, but I wasn’t satisfied with the explanation. I reread the last paragraph often, and I don’t feel like it answers my question. So I consulted Grammar Girl. But I didn’t spend too much time there, I just scammed through the Podcast episodes. I re-Googled “fired vs. laid off” and found the Wikipedia entry.
The links above do help. And granted, anyone can Google or Wikipedia. But I still feel that you should only used “fired” if someone was let go for a dismissive offense. And you would use “laid off” for someone who lost their job despite fine employee output. If someone said I was “fired,” I’d put a little “fire” underneath them because it was a result of the dwindling economy.
It is completely possible I’m making a big deal over nothing. I have lots of time to think and worry. (Lately, I worry. A lot.) But I wouldn’t want friends telling other friends I was “fired” because of the negative connotation of the word. I worry that it could affect someone’s intention to offer him or herself as a contact for an informational interview.
So which word should be used? Use whatever word or phrase your jobless friend uses to describe his or her situation. I’d advise against subsituting a word in place of whatever they say. Do you want to get into an argument over vocabulary and usage with a laid-off journalist? They have more time than you to get into this debate.
