"The Company Man" - 2011 Film Captures Current Pain of Losing Your Job

Early one morning you're crowing about your golf game. As the day moves on your life changes in minutes: You're told by HR that your job no longer exists. Terms of severance are announced. And you stumble home to your family, then outplacement, then the abyss of months and months of no luck landing a comparable job. If you're over-50, Pro Publica documents that's inevitable for the majority of you.

That series of events is showcased in the 2011 film "The Company Man." Two older executives and one younger one are forced out. 

You can catch the movie on the free streaming platform Tubi. Back then this loss of the American Dream was called "downsizing." Currently it goes by labels such as:

Cost efficiency

Shareholder Value

Automating tasks through AI.

But the dislocation is the same. As an intuitive coach I bear witness to the usually irreversible blip in a well-planned career path. Even if another good job turns up - and that happens now and then - the pain scars. 

One tech expert I coached had been out-of-work for 12 months. They still sum that up as "the average time we spend jobless." I assume it's to handle what continues to roll around in the memory bank. The money is about the same. And there is the extra joy of being able to hire a colleague who helped him who became jobless. However, a line has been crossed in not trusting the system. Or your own career strategies.

"The Company Man" has a sort of happy ending for two of the fired. One is hired for a job in his field but at half the compensation. The other launches a consulting solopreneurship. A third had committed suicide. It's a relief that there's no toxic positivity meme that this kind of adversity is a blessing. The suffering is palpable - and, for years, unforgettable.

Takeaway: If you lose your source of earning income own the pain. That will empower a more realistic approach to the next. In the meantime it's smart, as one former executive in "The Company Man" did, to grab a job, any job. That rescues you from isolation, restores confidence and keeps you work-ready. With even a little bit of money coming in you'll interview better for better-paying work. In 2026, unlike 2011, that work might not be what you used to do to earn a good living. AI is wiping out whole sectors. 

Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head.

Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. And, unleash success.

Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, becoming a solopreneur and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk.

Don’t give up before the miracle.

 


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