Work Life: I, Too, Was Fired Like Ann Curry

Last week, many of us watched the sad farewell of former Today Show co-anchor Ann Curry, who tearfully told us she was moving on to another department at NBC News. Her departure was imminent and was broadcast via blogs and gossip rags almost a full two weeks before she anchored the Today Show for the final time. Since filling the seat left vacant by Meredith Vieira, rumors have run rampant about NBC’s displeasure with Ann’s handling of “soft news”, something morning shows are known for. It’s no wonder that Ann probably first found out she was being given the boot via online sources than by the higher ups in her organization.

No one likes to be let go from their job or demoted.

Especially in the public eye. When I watched as Ann Curry sobbed on air giving her farewell, I was a little upset. How dare she cry and give her “adversaries” aka, co-workers the opportunity to see her emit emotion such as this? They didn’t deserve to see her tearing up sadly while losing her job—in my opinion, they weren’t owed that satisfaction at all.

I’ve been in Anny Curry’s shoes before. In 2007, I was let go from my job very publicly, but without so much as an explanation to the other employees. I, like Ann, was “promoted” from working as the Human Resources Manager of a family owned business here in St. Louis to the Call Center Director and Manager. I now not only had to hire and staff up the call center, I had to train them, supervise them, discipline them, fire them, etc (as well as handle HR duties for the entire company). It was very stressful and very demanding, and I thought I was doing a good job. And when the sales numbers were going through the rough two months in a row, I was given even larger sales numbers to meet. Of course with the strain of having to do everything, I was never quite able to match those previous months’ high figures.

I knew a time would come that they would find a way to let me go. But I had come closer than any of the other managers who had ran the department at the sales numbers and I was keeping the Call Center staffed up and virtually drama free. When I accepted the promotion, I understood it would be challenging. But that is the reason why I took it. It was going to give me experience doing something I had never done before.

One day when I got to work, I was told by the owner that he needed to speak to me. I followed him into the office and was told I was being let go because the sales were lower than they anticipated and cuts were needed to be made. The person who I worked with side-by-side, the person who I had helped get their sales bonus was also in the meeting and never looked at me once. I held my head up high, collected my things, and was given my last paycheck, which was a full 2 weeks instead of the 1 week I was owed.

None of the employees were told I had been let go until days later.

I was so sad and when I walked to my car, I sat in it for a minute and just let everything sink in. I wasn’t going to cry, I wasn’t going to let them see me down. They weren’t worth it.

As the saying goes, there’s no crying in baseball. Ann, you are a heck of a gal, and deserved so much more than NBC News gave you. And even though you are staying on as a foreign correspondent (I am told), it can’t be easy working for the same company that you have tried to please for over 15 years. You are worth more than that! Take that $10 million that is owed to you and smile—because YOU are amazing. Deserving. And awesome. If Matt Laurer and the gang can’t see that, oh well!

Ann, during her final moment on the Today Show said:

“You are why I have ventured into dangerous places, interviewed dictators, jumped off of planes and climbed mountains…I have loved you, and I’ve wanted to give you the world. And I still do..”

You did give us the world, Ann. And sometimes, it still goes like this. You will be missed.

Will you miss Ann Curry on the Today Show? What do you think of her public “firing”?