Employment lawyer explains reasons why high-performing workers are fired and it's eye-opening

Nearly 1.6 million people in America lost their jobs in June 2025, according to USAFacts. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that only poor-performing employees had to be laid off; in fact, many high achievers had to lose their jobs because of multiple reasons. But why? Well, employment lawyer Craig Levey (@craigleveyesq) explains why, and it's eye-opening for sure!

"When an employee with a proven track record of success is terminated, it’s usually for one of the following three reasons," Craig said, before explaining each factor triggering layoffs. The first reason, he said, is that when a new supervisor takes charge. The man explained that if the supervisor and subordinate don't get along well, the former may perceive the employee as a threat to their position, and hence the latter faces termination.

"The second reason is a change in the ownership of the company or general management," Craig said. He interpreted that the new management tends to reassess the company and its functioning, and while doing so, they may decide to let go of certain individuals if they are no longer required. The third reason that the man listed was that the very "high-performing" employees are sometimes considered a "burden" for the company. Craig said that when they start complaining a lot about their work or request additional leave for various reasons, "Even high performers are expendable when they become a perceived burden to the company."

Justifying the reasons the man shared, a report by Business Insider revealed that Meta, for instance, in 2025 instructed managers to rank more employees in its "below expectations" performance rating and used it to defend layoffs. The report further claims that for teams of 150 or more, Meta asked the managers to put 15% to 20% of employees in the bottom bracket. This reveals that even high-performing employees can be terminated under new performance criteria or because of perceptions about their performance. Craig Levey’s TikTok received an overwhelming response, with people sharing their own stories from corporate life. For instance, a user, @nonchalant_262, commented, "The reason why one shouldn't give 101% to the company is that they forget work-life balance. They don't care!" @paulrawson0 wrote, "If you’ve been with a company for many years, your salary puts you at risk as well. They’ll find someone to do the job for less money and increase their own profit."

@yogi commented, "This is so accurate! I’ve experienced or seen all of it. Basically, it means the system is broken." Emphasizing the volatile job situation of the modern world, @dvinefem11 said, "You work hard, you get fired. You don’t work hard, and if you get fired, you find a new job. You get fired again. You get promoted, still get fired by the new supervisor." Another user, @naturegal1, shared, "I thought everything was going great, but then, I was let go. A week later, a coworker told me someone from the client had replaced me and was sitting in my office." On the other hand, @saeedsobhani suggested, "If anyone suspects that their termination is questionable, first bring it up to HR; if it is not resolved, file a legal complaint or lawsuit."

You can follow The Employment Lawyer (@craigleveyesq) on TikTok for more employment-related content.

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