Day 26

Today’s Takeaway: Is dedicated to my fellow Atlassians who were affected by the recent layoffs. I’m so sorry this is happening. 💙

I received my Atlassian email yesterday with the big bold subject line, “Your role has not been impacted.” 

I breathed a sigh of relief, which was immediately followed by a rush of survivor’s guilt.

I couldn’t help but feel shame for being on sabbatical and still having a job to go back to. Incredibly grateful of course, but still this icky feeling of why them and not me? More than anything else it feels wrong to be removed from this situation and not have to bear the stress of change with my team. I want to be able to help keep spirits up and be an ear to vent to. There are so many feelings from all members of a team when these kinds of decisions are made and NONE of them are wrong! Please know you’re entitled to whatever feelings you are having right now. This hits differently for everyone.

However, if there are feelings of resentment and anger, I haven’t been seeing them. So far the posts from impacted Atlassians have been an absolute masterclass in grace and understanding in the face of adversity. You have all been expressing gratitude for how it was handled and appreciation for your teams and your time with Atlassian. You are incredible people! Just from these responses alone I know another amazing journey is not far off for you.

No matter what your feelings on the subject, whether you were impacted, or how you were impacted, if we’ve never met before, or been introduced briefly…I want to make myself available for anyone who might want to vent. Sometimes before you can fully move on you need to let it all out. I’m not only a safe space for that, but I’m also a steel-freaking-trap.

If that’s a little out of your comfort-zone, bearing it all to a complete stranger…I get it. We can also keep it simple. If you see anyone in my connections that you would like an intro to don’t hesitate to dm me. I will always put my stamp of approval on a former Atlassian.

Sending you all strength, good vibes and good luck! You got this! 💙