Former HR employee reveals the 23 subtle signs your company is preparing for layoffs

”People who prepared for layoffs early say it changes everything.”

Dec 5, 2025

Photo credit: Photo credit Canva – Young woman at her desk thinking.

In an uncertain and fluctuating economy, job security is one of the many worries facing people today. Getting laid off can be emotionally exhausting, and the situation sometimes is downright scary.

In an important r/careeradvice Reddit thread titled, “Former HR here – subtle signs your company is preparing for layoffs,” a former HR employee offered some excellent career advice about navigating potential layoffs. The OP outlined the different cues that can suggest inevitable layoffs coming in the future for your company.

warning signs, budgets, potential layoffs, culture, messaging, office consolidation, morale — Preparing for an interview. Photo credit Canva

Early warning Signs for potential layoffs

The warning signs that signal future layoffs usually appear pretty early. Clues to potential layoffs beginning in as few as three to six months might be:

Discretionary spending freezes
Training and development budgets disappear
Frozen merit and bonus plans
The culture and messaging switch to more family and team-based due to tanking morale
Office consolidation
A general feeling that leadership is trying to control the narrative

A 2025 article in U.S. News and World Report offered valuable clues like top executives leaving the company, employees who leave the company not being replaced, and meetings feeling more somber.

Medium-term signs for potential layoffs

These things might begin to appear when layoffs are only a few months away:

Managers act weird during one-to-ones—avoiding eye contact, vague about future planning, not fighting for resources, seeming stressed or even checked out
Cross-functional projects are disorganized—multiple team projects are canceled or lose steam, combining and shuffling teams in weird and unproductive ways
Senior people leave or aren’t replaced—VPs get taken off the project or their role gets absorbed, “executives often see the writing on the wall and decide to jump ship”
HR schedules random meetings—random employee check-ins, increased focus on documentation, anonymous surveys about role clarity and organizational effectiveness
Desperate financial moves—the company takes on debt or seeks additional funding, selling assets to raise cash, delaying payments to vendors, or making late payments on bills

A 2023 article by CNBC suggested looking for warning signals in your sector of employment. If your particular industry is experiencing increased layoffs, your company may soon follow. Suzy Welch, a career advisor, was quoted as saying, “Your boss is a human being. A boss will share that information with members of the team that they really trust.”

red flags, IT, documentation, notice permissions, warning signs, high alert, conference rooms, leadership — Business people discussing problems. Photo credit Canva

Immediate red flags to potential layoffs

With potential layoffs beginning as soon as two to four weeks, these warning signs should put you on high alert:

Expectations to document things in detail
Managers having mysterious meetings not scheduled on the calendar
HR blocks calendar time as private (that’s a layoff day)
IT asks questions about access and notice permissions
Conference rooms are blocked
The parking lot is full earlier than usual, suggesting leadership arrives early to prepare and coordinate

A 2025 article in Times & Careers suggested increased workload, job redistribution, unusual behavior from management, leadership changes, budget cuts, and overall poor company performance as strong indicators for impending layoffs.

The final 48 hours

In the last days before layoffs, it should probably be pretty clear that things have not been going well. Clues that it’s beginning can be:

Executives all in the office on the same day, even when they’re usually remote
Coworkers disappearing into conference rooms
Email access is acting weird
VPN connections are dropping
Badge access is not working
Your manager asks for a quick calendar invite without context

A 2024 article in The Customer Success Café newsletter shared that glaring clues for a layoff can be hiring freezes, program eliminations, company restructuring, investments without details, and leadership changes.

call to action, emergency fund, self-care, career coach, resume update, finances, networking, side hustle — A group business meeting analyzing figures. Photo credit Canva

A call for action to best protect yourself

These signs of potential layoffs are only signs. All these things occurring in your workplace don’t mean you’re about to get laid off. However, protecting yourself and giving yourself the best advantages during a very challenging time is, of course, in your best interest. A 2025 article in AARP suggests 10 valuable steps to preparing for a potential layoff:

Reality check—Even when a company plans layoffs, not everybody is getting terminated. Is this your own anxiety and insecurity, or is there a real basis for concern?
Examine your personal finances—Review income and spending patterns, consider canceling subscriptions, and start eating at home and dining out less.
Emergency fund—Do you have one, and can you add to it? Start lowering payments towards debts to help build a bigger cash stockpile.
Employee benefits—There is federal and state assistance available. Being prepared can help you file sooner to get money quicker.
Reconnect and check your network—It’s time to reach out to old friends and contacts and search through your LinkedIn connections.
Resume update—Start working on your resume and LinkedIn profile to make sure it’s up to date and looking good.
Side hustles can help—Adding new revenue streams is a plus. Consider freelance work, but first check with a financial advisor on how this side hustle money can impact unemployment benefits.
Career Coach—Some therapists and coaches can help manage emotional stress and develop a plan to better navigate a layoff.
Self-care—Getting laid off can be extremely stressful and the anxiety and fear surrounding it can be unpleasant emotions to navigate. Learning how to better manage these emotions is important.
Be open to new possibilities—This is an opportunity to switch careers or contemplate retirement. If you’re forced to make a change, try to see the situation as a moment to take advantage.

A 2025 statement shared by Fidelity suggested taking advantage of medical checkups and filling prescriptions for everyone in the family. If you have medical receipts for qualified medical expenses, start the reimbursement process with your employer. You may be able to receive compensation from your workplace after a layoff, but it will be easier with your current access to the company’s websites.

This TikTok post by @corrinadunne might help you find some more comforting tools to navigate a layoff better:

@corrinadunne
Replying to @krgf4801 struggling after layoffs? These 3 tips have saved me🙏🏼#layoffs #metalayoffs #unemployed #unemployment #newjob ♬ September (Instrumental) – Sparky Deathcap

Eric Kingsley, an employment lawyer who represents workers in California, told Upworthy:

“In situations where there are potential layoffs, the best strategy for an employee would be the incorporation of emotional grounding and planning. First, it is important to focus on documentation and clarity. You would need to ensure that you have documentation of your performance reviews, your job description, and written communications regarding your position. This becomes essential if the termination gives rise to potential litigation regarding whether the termination was legal.

Second, assess your financial needs and support system. As an employee, one feels powerless during a potential layoff situation. Knowing your financial runway, as well as your financial support system, such as unemployment benefits, helps alleviate your fear and makes it easier to decide what to do.

Finally, keep up the professionalism and the good work. Workers who are uncertain sometimes tend to disengage, but staying involved leaves you options. In case the layoff actually occurs, the employee needs to be aware that there are some matters regarding the last paycheck that are not up for negotiation, possibly some issues relating to the WARN Act, and that they can negotiate the severance package.”

You can watch this video by career and leadership coach Andrew LaCivita for some helpful tips on bouncing back from a layoff:

What not to do

Some helpful advice offered in the Reddit thread was, “don’t panic or make it obvious you’re job hunting. Don’t print your resume on the company printer, don’t take recruiting calls at your desk.” It’s important to avoid burning bridges and to maintain professionalism. You actually might not be getting laid off, and certainly don’t want to give them a reason or cause for termination.

If you survive the cut, “Start looking anyway. Companies that do one round of layoffs often do more. Plus, the culture and workload might not be sustainable. Support your laid-off colleagues. Write recommendations, make introductions, be a reference. What goes around comes around.”

Add to Google News

More for You

In Partnership With Habitat For Humanity →

Homeowners celebrate the completion of their new home in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff.

Culture, Family

A safe, stable home can change lives for the better. Here’s how Habitat for Humanity wants to make that possible for everyone.

Better health, better jobs, and a brighter future all start with access to a safe, affordable home.

Sarah Watts

3/25/2026
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.

Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.

Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.

Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
- Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
- Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
- Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
- Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
- Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today.
Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Mark Jones via Wikimedia Commons – (L) Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; (R) A sunbather reads a book.

Culture, Pop Culture

Sunbather doesn’t budge when Harry and Meghan’s entourage has to walk around her. She’s the internet’s new hero.

A beachgoer couldn’t be bothered by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit and the internet is absolutely obsessed with her: “The level of not giving a f* I dream of achieving.”

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

4/23/2026

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Bondi Beach on April 17, they were surrounded by the usual circus: paparazzi, crowds, bodyguards in matching uniforms, the whole production. One woman lay on her mat in the middle of it all, scribbling in her notebook, wearing sunglasses, and apparently not giving a single thought to any of it.

A TikTok clip posted by News.com.au captured the moment as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked the beach during the final day of their Australian tour. Their entourage had to navigate around her. She did not look up. The royal couple’s eyes tracked her as they passed. She continued writing.

News.com.au summed it up in their caption: “One woman’s complete indifference is peak Bondi attitude.”

@news.com.au
One woman’s complete indifference is peak Bondi attitude. #princeharry #meghanmarkle #bondibeach #sydney #royals
♬ original sound – News.com.au

The internet agreed enthusiastically. “The level of not giving a f* I dream of achieving,” one commenter wrote. “Peak unbothered,” said another. “Well done to that lady for not giving a damn,” a Facebook commenter added.

The coda that made the story perfect: a TikTok commenter recognized the woman as her sister and revealed she thought the crowd had gathered around an actor.

Aerial view of Bondi Beach in Australia. Photo credit: Canva

The visit itself was a quieter affair than Harry and Meghan’s 2018 Australian tour, when they were still working royals and the reception was considerably more ceremonial.

This trip included stops to support volunteer first responders at the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, a Masterchef Australia appearance, and promotion of Meghan’s As Ever lifestyle brand. The Guardian described it as less a royal tour than something else entirely. One woman on a beach mat seems to have agreed.

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox – Robin Williams as the inspiring English teacher John Keating in "Dead Poets Society."

Culture, Pop Culture

A child star from ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ got expelled while filming. The principal framed the letter Robin Williams wrote in response.

Robin Williams wrote a letter to the principal who expelled his 15-year-old co-star during Mrs. Doubtfire. The principal framed it. And still didn’t let her back in.

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

4/23/2026

Lisa Jakub was 15 years old and filming Mrs. Doubtfire when her high school sent her a letter saying not to come back.

She’d been a 9th grader at a Canadian school when production started. With no internet to submit work digitally, she’d set up a system to mail her assignments back and forth. It worked … until it didn’t. A few months in, the school decided the arrangement wasn’t working for them, and Jakub was out.

At 15, she was devastated. Robin Williams noticed she was upset, and did what Robin Williams apparently just did: he wrote a letter to the principal asking them to support her education and her career.

Jakub shared the story during a Mrs. Doubtfire cast reunion on the Brotherly Love podcast, and the punchline is perfect: “The principal got the letter, framed the letter, put it up in the office, and didn’t ask me to come back.”

She got into the University of Virginia anyway. When she did, a teaching assistant handed back a statistics assignment with the note: “Dear Doubtfire Girl, you got a B-.”

View this post on Instagram

What she also got, from her time on set with Williams, was something harder to grade. She described working with him as a crash course in presence and spontaneity, which was a total departure from the scripted rhythms she’d learned as a child actor. “We had always used a script, so I knew when it was my turn to speak, I could say my line. Then you go on set with Robin, and it’s like, who the f*ck knows what’s going to happen now?”

He also later wrote her a recommendation letter for college. The school never did ask her back. She turned out fine.

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Canva – A cashier hands change to a customer.

Culture, Wholesome

An elderly woman’s card kept declining at Walmart. The teen cashier didn’t hesitate for a second.

“He didn’t care who she was, who she loved, who she voted for.”

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

4/23/2026

Brent Cabahug moved from the Philippines to Minnesota with his mom and sister. He’s a high school senior at Stillwater Area High School, and Walmart is his first job. He’s been saving up to buy a car.

During a shift in late January, an elderly woman came through his checkout line and her card kept declining. The line grew restless. Cabahug walked around the register and paid her $80 grocery bill himself. Then he went back to work.

Another customer in line, a mom of four named Dani Dircks, watched the whole thing happen, as reported by WCCO. “I watched this cashier, knowing nothing about him, walk around, knowing nothing about that lady, and he didn’t care,” she said. “He didn’t care in that moment who she was, who she loved, who she voted for.”

A young cashier rings up an item at the store. Photo credit: Canva

Dircks wanted to do something. She learned Cabahug was saving for a car, planned to help his family buy a house after graduation, and intended to become a nurse. A leg injury had ended his volleyball career, and he’d redirected his ambitions toward healthcare. She started a GoFundMe. It has raised over $12,000 toward a $14,000 goal.

Cabahug didn’t pay $80 expecting anything back. He paid it because that’s apparently just who he is. The rest took care of itself.

The story brings to mine this viral classic:

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: via Vsauce/YouTube – Norm was only in his 30s?

Culture, Generations

The fascinating reason people looked much older in the past than they do today

Why did teenagers look like they were in their mid-30s?

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

4/23/2026

Ever look at your parents’ high school yearbooks and think people looked so much older back then? All of the teenagers look like they’re in their mid-30s and the teachers who are 50 look like they’re 80. When we watch older movies, even those from the 1980s, the teenagers appear to be a lot older as well. Why is it that they looked so much older? Was life harder? Did people act more mature? Did they spend more time outdoors and less time playing video games? Is it their sense of fashion? Were they all smokers?

Educator Michael Stevens, who runs the super-popular Vsauce YouTube channel, explains the phenomenon in a video called, “Did people used to look older?” In it, he explains that people in the past appear a lot older due to retrospective aging.

What is retrospective aging?

This is how it works: when we see people in the past, they are wearing outdated styles that we associate with older people; therefore, we think they have aged rapidly. For example, a teenager in the 1950s may have been in fashion while wearing thick Buddy Holly-style glasses.

Buddy Holly was 20 years old in this photo. Photo credit: upload.wikimedia.org

But as people age, they tend to cling to the fashion of their youth. So many people of that generation continued to wear the Buddy Holly-style glasses into their 50s. So when younger people see those glasses they see them as old people’s glasses and not a hip kid from the ’50s.

So in the photo from the ’50s, the teen appears to look a lot older because our perspective has been tainted by time.

But it isn’t all just an illusion. Stevens also points out that people did age faster back in the day due to differences in nutrition, lifestyle and medicine. In addition, he also does a deep dive on how a person’s name can affect their appearance, referencing the Dorian Gray effect, which theorizes that cultural stereotypes linked to a name come to be written on the faces of their bearers, as well as the name matching effect, in which people whose faces “match” their names tend to be better perceived.

Why do young people today look younger than previous generations?

It might be worth noting that, in addition to healthier lifestyle options, younger generations have more access to anti-aging procedures than ever before. “Tweakments,” like fillers and botox, are less expensive and more readily available than ever, not to mention every anti-aging cream, serum, and cleanser known to man. And many millennials and Gen Zers take advantage of that, whether prompted by selfie anxiety, a growing obsession with youth, or some other motivation.

Plus, millennial and Gen Z fashion often honors their inner child. Nostalgic cartoon tees, colorful prints, cutesy accessories, etc. Granted, under the retrospective aging theory, even those styles could one day look dated, but they are so youthful that it’s hard to imagine that being the case. That said, can’t wait to see a bunch of geezers sporting those broccoli haircuts.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: The Chow Hall/YouTube & Canva – A scene from "Miss Congeniality" and a woman enjoying the sun.

Culture, Pop Culture

Sorry, ‘Miss Congeniality,’ meteorologists agree April 25 isn’t even close to the perfect date

“I’d have to say April 25th because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.”

Tod Perry

4/23/2026

In 2000’s Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock’s character goes undercover as an FBI agent posing as a contestant in a beauty pageant. One of the film’s most memorable lines comes when the pageant host, portrayed by William Shatner, asks Miss Rhode Island to describe her “perfect date.”

Shatner’s character is beside himself when Miss Rhode Island, played by Heather Burns, describes her perfect calendar date instead of a romantic rendezvous. “I’d have to say April 25th because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket,” she responds.

Since the movie’s release, April 25 has become known in some circles as “Miss Congeniality Day,” a pop-culture holiday celebrating the amazing spring weather.

Does April 25 have the best weather of the year?

However, does April 25 really have the best weather of any day of the year? Is it the day when the Earth is at the perfect distance from the sun so it’s not too hot and not too cold? The meteorology team at WeatherBug, a people-first forecasting app, analyzed U.S. weather patterns from 2018 to the present day and found that, unfortunately for Miss Rhode Island, April 25 isn’t even close to the best day of the year.

The WeatherBug team discovered that October 8 is “The Perfect Date,” claiming that it “most consistently delivers the ideal combination of comfortable temperatures and minimal rainfall across the country.” October 8 is the strongest contender for the “Perfect Date” title because it consistently delivers the lowest amount of rainfall, just 0.0573 inches, and a comfortable average temperature of 66°F.

“The Perfect Date” Photo credit: WeatherBug (used with permission)

April 25 ranks 80th, with 0.1297 inches of rain and an average temperature of 60°F. Over the past eight years, the best day for weather in America was May 9, 2022. There was virtually no rain and an average temperature of 68°F nationwide.

“Through years of daily weather pattern monitoring and weighing precipitation amounts by population size through WeatherBug’s extensive database of active users, we’ve determined April 25th might hold a special place in pop culture, but the date actually ranks 80th measured against the 365 days of the year,” Brittney Gomez, a meteorologist at WeatherBug, said in a statement. “April 25th saw an average of 0.1297 inches of precipitation in the past 8 years, with an average temperature of 60°F. So, while it might not be the ‘perfect date,’ April 25th is still ‘light jacket’ friendly.”

What are the hottest and coldest days of the year?

The team also found that the hottest day of the year is July 14, reaching a nationwide average of 81°F, and that January 20 is the coldest, averaging just 33°F.

When most people hear that April 25 is the nicest day of the year, they probably take it at face value. It’s a nice spring day—who’s gonna challenge the idea? However, the opinion is coming from Miss Rhode Island, a woman who misunderstood a very basic question at a beauty pageant. While we all nodded our heads in agreement, we never considered the source of the information. So, good on WeatherBug for challenging the status quo and giving us a reason to look forward to early October.

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Canva – 9 automatic habits that are telltale signs someone grew up in the ’70s.

Culture, Generations

9 automatic habits that are telltale signs someone grew up in the ’70s

Saving small things for later might be due to the era you were born in.

Jacalyn Wetzel

4/23/2026

Each generation has its own unique quirks that mark the times in which its members grew up. Often, people belonging to those generations don’t fully recognize their own idiosyncrasies. But once they’re pointed out, you can’t unsee them. Way Back Americana shares a list of subtle habits that signal you were a ’70s child.

Adults who grew up in the ’70s are solidly Gen X, and aside from being known as the “Forgotten Generation,” a few habits might give away their age. It’s likely not what you think, either. Repetitive directives given during childhood often define automatic behaviors that we carry into adulthood. Rinsing a dish before use, even when it’s clean, is one example, but Gen X has a few that are unique to its generation.

’70s teens in a group. Photo credit: Canva

Listening before opening a door

Pausing to listen before entering a room doesn’t always mean someone’s being nosy. This is a leftover habit of people who grew up in the ’70s, likely due to stricter social rules around children being present during adult conversations. Children were still encouraged to be quiet and unobtrusive when inside the house, especially in the presence of adults who didn’t live with them.

Silence is suspicious

If you’ve had a parent burst into your room unannounced and look around suspiciously, chances are they grew up in the ’70s or before. Silence is suspicious to them. It can feel like something is missing. The Way Back Americana YouTube channel explains that there was always some quiet commotion or background noise in a room during the ’70s. The absence of noise can be unsettling to some.

A girl in ’70s clothes lying on the floor. Photo credit: Canva

Flipping the switch

Turning off the lights is something that seems helpful. It conserves energy and reduces your power bill, but this helpful habit is so reflexive that it happens without thinking. Someone could be sitting in the room reading a book when it’s abruptly interrupted by the light being turned off.

In the ’70s, lightbulbs didn’t last as long as they do now, so kids were constantly reminded to turn off lights. “Lights weren’t left on unnecessarily, and it wasn’t framed as a suggestion. It was just how things were done. Over time, that simple action became instinct, and now it happens without effort. Like a small rule that never stopped applying,” Way Back Americana says.

Saving things “just in case”

Keeping things like containers, gift bags, grocery bags, or other random items in case you need to repurpose them later. “This comes from growing up in a time when replacing things wasn’t always easy or immediate, and there was value in holding onto something that could serve a purpose again,” Way Back Americana explains.

“Hey that’s my spot”

According to the channel, this habit goes back to a time when certain chairs belonged to certain people. Seating wasn’t random in many households. The adults had their preferred seats, and the children filled in where they could and stayed there. Essentially, everyone subconsciously had assigned seats, which is still something that may be familiar to today’s households.

Boundaries around time

When an event is about to end, “You instinctively start wrapping things up without needing to be told. There’s no urge to push past it or stretch it out longer than it’s meant to last,” Way Back Americana shares. “‘Cause you’re used to the idea that when something closes, it closes. That understanding was built early, when schedules were still fixed and expectations were clear, and it created a natural respect for boundaries that still shows up today in how you handle time.”

A woman blows bubbles out a car window. Photo credit: Canva

Everything has its place

Noticing when things are slightly out of place is also a marker of the ’70s. Even if it’s a table moved an inch to the left, your brain picks up on it quickly. This is likely due to things having designated places when growing up, which allowed for structure in the house, according to the channel.

Pausing before leaving the house

This small reset helps you mark the shift between two different environments. Way Back Americana explains, “Growing up, leaving the house wasn’t rushed, and that sense of transition became part of the experience. Even now, that pause remains. Subtle, but consistent. Like a quiet habit that signals you’re about to go somewhere else.”

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Canva Photos – A kindergarten teacher decided to let his kindergarteners choose their name for the day and beautiful chaos ensued.

Culture, Wholesome

Teacher lets kindergarteners choose their name for a day. Their choices are delightfully unhinged.

“Marshmallow” and “Ochy” will remember this day for a long time.

Evan Porter

4/23/2026
It’s not easy to get a classroom full of wiggly, goofball five- and six-year-olds to sit through an entire day of instruction in kindergarten. Teachers have to utilize structure, routine, and just the right pacing to keep things moving. They also have to know when to dial things back and let the kids do what comes naturally: be silly.

The best educators have a lot of tricks up their sleeve when it comes to getting kids to laugh, move their bodies, and be ready to focus again on the next assignment. But one teacher recently came up with a funny idea that really seemed to stick.

Teacher attempts hilarious experiment

Teacher Jordan Lake, a popular creator on Instagram and fifth year kindergarten teacher, recently took to social media to share the results of a fun experiment he did with his students.

“Letting students change their name for the day because they’re only young once,” he titled the Reel. In it, he’s seen sitting at a desk with a stack of “Hello My Name Is” stickers and a sharpie, bracing himself for the worst.

In the original clip, which has racked up over seven million views, he addresses a student who’s off camera:

“What do you want your name to be for the rest of the day?” Lake asks.

“Marshmallow,” the child answers without a single beat of hesitation.

“Uh, Ochy,” the next student says, barely holding in a giggle. “I was thinking in my head, I think Ochy is the perfect name.”

“I love that,” Lake says. “Do you know what it means, or it just sounds cute?”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” the student says, seemingly having pulled the name completely out of left field.

“Nice to meet you, Ochy,” Lake says as he hands over the brand new name tag.

Watch the whole adorable interaction in the viral clip here:

View this post on Instagram

Thousands chimed in with a single sentiment: The kids will remember this day for a long time

Perceptive viewers realized what’s not necessarily obvious in the clip. Whether the kids picked silly, made-up, or mundane names, being able to choose for themselves and build a new temporary identity for the day was a joy they won’t forget anytime soon:

“Love this! We used to do this at our nursery school. So empowering! “

“Thanks for the idea. I did this the day before spring break with 3rd-5th graders. They loved it!”

“My 1st grade teacher and all of the class called me Baby Spice for the entire year … it was AWESOME!!!!! I wrote that name on all my tests or assignments. I will never forget Mr. Schmitty for this.”

“They get to be creative AND get a little secret spelling AND reading lesson?!”

“We all deserve this level of Whimsy”

“We all needed a teacher like you”

“I still remember the day we did this in second grade

“Im a speech therapist who LOVES this for more than just for its cuteness for which it exceeds the highest level. It also give kids a chance to step into a new identity for the day. I’d ask each kid what their new personas personality is like and what’s they’re strengths are too.”

“I have a daughter whose kinder teacher was willing to call her ‘strawberry fields’ for an entire school year. I still love that teacher.”

Lake later posted the full video, covering each kid in his class, and revealed the delightfully unhinged final roster:
- Morty
- Kipper
- Marshmallow
- Hello
- Jorbee
- Shady
- Foggy
- Bhum Bhum Kachoom
- Wiggly
- Cindy
- Ochy
View this post on Instagram

Even tiny, silly amounts of independence for kids make a big difference

One commenter recalled being allowed to pick a new name for herself as a kid while on a family vacation. It turned a run-of-the-mill trip to the beach into an unforgettable experience that has stayed with her into adulthood.

Why is that?

Research shows that agency, even the tiniest amounts of independence, are deeply meaningful to young children. In fact, it’s something they crave—”I can do it myself!”

Experts say allowing kids, even young children, more autonomy does wonders for their brain and self-esteem. It improves their confidence, allows them to develop critical thinking, and is crucial in their journey to form their own identity. In a school setting, autonomy, choice, and independence allow them to be far more engaged in learning tasks, which explains why it worked so well for Lake.

And our names? Well, we can pick our clothes, tie our shoes, and decide what we’re having for lunch; but names are forever. Being tasked with the gigantic responsibility of choosing a new name, a new persona—even a temporary one–is the ultimate act of agency for a kid of kindergarten age.

Having their teacher call them “Marshmallow” or “Jorbee” (because they want to be a bee and sting their brother, obviously) goes so much deeper than just the giggles. Based on all the adults chiming in on Lake’s video, it’s a safe bet that he will be one of those kid’s all-time favorite teachers. And they’ll always have fond memories of the day they got to choose exactly who they wanted to be.
Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Canva – A woman waves goodbye from a car.

Culture, Generations

Language experts explain the fascinating reason we say ‘goodbye’ and the journey it took from the 1600s

We don’t often realize why we say everyday words.

Cecily Knobler

4/23/2026

Goodbye. It’s a word so many of us use daily. Some shorten it and simply say, “Bye!” If you’re a toddler, you might say, “Bye bye.” If you’re from the South, you may say, “Bah.” But have you ever stopped to think where the word came from?

A clip from the podcast The Rest is Science, co-hosted by Hannah Fry (a British mathematician) and Michael Stevens (an educator), has been making the rounds on Facebook. Fry explains how the word gently morphed from a completely different phrase in the 1600s.

Across many languages

Fry shares the etymology, saying, “The 1600s is the exact century when the parting blessing ‘God be with ye’ was so said so rapidly and often as phatic communion that it permanently mashed together into ‘God b’wy’ and eventually ‘goodbye.’”

What is of equal fascination (at least for linguist-lovers) is that this seems to be common among many languages, not just English. A commenter shares the Spanish and French equivalents, writing, “Adios from phrase (a Dios vais), meaning ‘I entrust you to God,’ and adieu from phrase ‘a dieu vous commant,’ meaning ‘I command you to God,’ are both formal farewells.”

Another adds that Croatians have a similar term. “In Croatian, you can say ‘zbogom,’ which translates to ‘with God’ or ‘go with God.’”

John Howarth (@Johnsenglishpage) shares the same knowledge in an Instagram Reel and specifically asks commenters to share versions in other languages. One writes, “Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese we say ‘Vai com Deus,’ which translating word by word would be ‘May God go with you,’ which means ‘God be with you.’”

View this post on Instagram

Germany enters the chat with one commenter writing, “In southern Germany, or more specifically in Bavaria, we say ‘Pfia God’ (also Pfiad di God). This is a warm, traditional Bavarian farewell greeting that literally means ‘May God protect you.’”

Russians have their own version. “Thank you in Russian is spasibo which is a shortened spasi bog meaning ‘god save you.’ Every time we say thanks we (are) actually wishing each other to be saved by God,” writes another commenter.

And it’s not just ‘goodbye’

Upworthy spoke with Spanish language expert Jennifer Jin, who doubles down on the similarity that’s often seen among cultures. “You see something similar in Spanish with the word ‘adiós,’ which can be broken down into two Spanish words: a (to) + dios (God). This is similar to English phrases like ‘go with God’ or ‘I commend you to God,’ showing how similar these farewells are across languages and cultures.”

She also shares that some common sayings are less obvious than others. “There are other common phrases in English and Spanish, like ‘¡Dios mío!’ (My God!) or ‘gracias a Dios’ (thank God) that are more obviously linked to religion, whereas in ‘goodbye’ it’s a more hidden connection.”

Why it possibly became ‘good’

In a 2016 piece for Columbia Journalism Review further exploring the origin of the word morphing, former New York Times copy editor Merrill Pearlman writes, “The Oxford English Dictionary traces it to the 16th century and says our current ‘goodbye’ was formed partly by clipping or shortening ‘Godbewithyou,’ where people speak hastily or in shorthand, and partly by compounding, the practice of combining two or more words into one. ‘God’ may also have become ‘good’ because it seemed to go with other expressions like ‘good morning’ and ‘good night.’ And we do like some consistency in our language.”

View this post on Instagram

If one goes further back in time, they can find partings that don’t have the religious affiliation. “You can, of course, say ‘farewell,’ shortened for ‘fare thee well.’ These are among the oldest parting words in the English language; the OED traces the phrase to the late 14th century.”

Keep Reading →