Laid off just before Diwali: Woman leaves dream company due to health issues, loses second job after startup announces shutdown

A young professional has shared an emotional account of losing her job just days before Diwali, months after leaving her dream company to prioritise her deteriorating health. After battling serious respiratory complications, undergoing treatment and finally seeing her health improve, she thought she was getting her life back on track. However, an unexpected announcement by her new company's founder that the business was shutting down left her unemployed once again. In a Reddit post, she opened up about her struggles, fears about returning home, career uncertainty and mental health, while seeking guidance on finding new opportunities and rebuilding her life.

According to her Reddit post, the woman had worked at what she considered her dream company for nearly two-and-a-half years. During her time there, she put in long working hours, secured a promotion and established herself professionally. However, the demanding work environment, coupled with the severe air pollution in Gurugram, began affecting her health. She said she developed asthma and bronchitis and experienced recurring episodes of fever, cold and cough. Her hectic schedule and irregular eating habits further added to her health problems.



In December last year, her condition worsened, leading to hospitalisation. Her parents subsequently took her to AIIMS Delhi and PGI Lucknow to seek medical opinions.

Woman Leaves Dream Job After Health Concerns

She said doctors advised her to make major changes to her lifestyle to prevent further complications. Given her family history of lung cancer, she became increasingly worried about her health and decided to step away from her job.

She later accepted an offer to work as a brand strategist at a boutique production house. The new role allowed her to work remotely, with occasional travel for client meetings. She also began medical treatment, improved her diet and gradually resumed running after recovery. According to her, her medical reports had finally started showing improvement over the last two months.

"I started my treatment, was in hospital for three days, got water removed from my lungs, started a good diet and running post recovery and last two months, my report finally started getting better. After years, I felt like I am finally in a good place with work and my health. I had nothing to do with sales or BD but still I got three clients through my network and didnt take commission on it as well because I felt grateful just for the role and knew the company has slight crunch so my salary was enough," she wrote.

Founder Announces Company Shutdown During Diwali Celebration

However, her professional journey took another unexpected turn shortly before Diwali.

The woman recalled that the company's founder had organised a small Diwali celebration and distributed festive hampers among employees. Following the celebrations, he reportedly spoke to each employee individually and informed them that the business was shutting down due to financial constraints. He also told them that the company did not have sufficient funds to pay their November salaries.

"My world collapsed. I haven't told my parents yet because I am afraid they will get me married if I move back home. I feel angry and hopeless and tired of one battle after another," she added.

Woman Seeks Job Opportunities, Shares Professional Experience

The woman also outlined her professional background while seeking advice on finding new employment opportunities. She said she had accumulated 3.8 years of full-time experience in strategy, growth, data analysis, product development, user behaviour analysis, operations management, user experimentation, end-to-end campaign planning and execution, and community management.

In addition to her full-time work experience, she had completed two years of internships across sales, marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer service roles.

Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on Reddit. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.