Techie couple got laid off from US jobs 15 days after marriage, but how managers broke the news changed everything | Today News

An Indian-origin tech couple working in the US was still in the high of their 15-day marriage when both of them fell victim to mass layoffs in May 2025.

However, the way two managers of the same firm handled the same news made all the difference — one left with self-worth intact, while the other struggled to regain confidence.

In a viral Instagram Reel, Roshni Chellani, a software engineer with over 10 years of experience, shared that she and her newlywed husband were both laid off after 15 days of their marriage.

“May 2 is when I got married and experienced the biggest high of my life. On May 13, I returned to the US,” she told the viewers, adding that she only joined work on May 17, that too from home because of travel sickness.

However, as soon as she joined work for the day, she was met with the most dreadful message of her life — “You're impacted by workplace reductions,” her manager told her on the call.

In total disbelief, Roshni said she switched off her camera as she tried to wrap her head around the news. “I asked, ‘How much time do I have? Is it because of my performance? because I had a 4/5 in the last rating’,” she said.

However, her very kind manager reassured her that her layoff “wasn't performance-based, but headcount-based”.

“He really tried to console me and make sure I was doing okay. I was cracking up so he asked me to take the rest of the day off. He even sent me resources after the call to make sure I am doing fine,” Roshni said.

Soon after, her husband, Shubham, who was trying to console her, received a text from his manager — “We both knew what it was,” she said.

In total contrast to Roshni's manager, Shubham's manager asked him to report to the office immediately, despite his request for an online call, “because his wife was going through something”.

“His manager was like No, you have to come to the office. I need to deliver the news to you in person,” Roshni shared.

When Shubham reached the office, Roshni said, “his manager just put the brochure in front of him and said ‘You are laid off’ and it was such a cold-hearted delivery.”

“It was so sudden and confusing. It bogged Shubham down,” she added.

Roshni Chellani noted two managers had such different ways to break the same painful news: “One manager broke the news but did not break the self-confidence or self-worth of the other person. The other manager deliberately broke the news in a way that breaks the self-worth of the other person and makes him question himself,” she said.

“Same company. Same day. Same outcome. Two managers, two very different deliveries. One broke the news with empathy and protected my self-worth. The other didn’t,” she noted.

This difference changes everything for the couple; for Roshni, her self-worth was not shattered. “All the interviews I gave, I carried that strong sense of self with me, but with him, it was a different experience,” she said.

“Bad news is inevitable. Cruel delivery is a choice,” the techie said.

In a message for managers, Roshni said, “When you are breaking tough news to someone, please remember that you might be shaping how someone remembers the toughest day of their life. So the least you could do is do it with kindness.”