I was laid off exactly once. I'd seen the writing on the wall several months earlier when a colleague was laid off (in a company with about 50 employees including the C suite, that was very noticeable). Chuck was called in to the CTO's office and told that week was his last with the company. Three days' notice. Ouch! As a result, I asked the CTO that if and when they need to let me go, they give me several weeks' notice, not several days. He reassured me that I was key to the company's future plans. I thanked him, and reiterated my request. He agreed. Several months later, this key was given three weeks' notice (which I appreciated!). The CTO offered to do his best to help me get a new job at whatever other company I wanted. I thanked him, but I had no intention of trusting another employer. I started my own one-person consulting practice and haven't looked back since.