There's a lot of misinformation about the book in this thread by people who haven't actually read the Financial Samurai book. The book doesn't say you should intentionally slack off to get yourself laid off although I understand why most people would assume that's what it says.
I've actually read the book. A few years ago I was planning on quitting my high paying Biglaw job because I absolutely
hated it. I bought the book to see if there were any ideas I hadn't considered. There were tons.
There are actually many ways you can engineer your layoff without being a slacker. For example, if HR/management knows you're looking to leave the company, they can put you on the "layoff list" for the next round of job cuts. Or if you signal to them that you're not committed for the long haul (discussions about possible sabbaticals, interest in spending more time with family, etc.) they will be more willing to work out a separation agreement with you. There are a lot of tactics in the book, a ton of case studies to give you ideas, and details for how to go about having those conversations or how to signal.
None of these methods require you to do low quality work, or shirk from your responsibilities.
But they do require you to take the risk of *looking like* someone who's not committed. That's an extremely small intangible cost when you compare it to the potential payoff. I'm a big fan of taking these
types of risks.
My biggest issue with the book was that the strategies take time to implement. When I wanted to quit, I needed something I could do to get myself laid off in a manner of weeks. So in the end, even though I tried some of the tactics in the book they ended up not working for me. If you're also looking to get laid off soon, there's probably very little you can do (other than slack off I guess). If you know you want to leave your job in 6 months to 1 year+ in advance, there is A LOT you can do to get yourself laid off while retaining your reputation. So if this is something you're considering--get the book early.
One final thing I want to add is that people seem hesitant to engineer their layoff because it's unethical. Setting aside practical issues (like its impact on your reputation), is getting yourself terminated "wrong"? Obviously the answer to this question is highly subjective.
An employee and an employer's interests are usually at odds. Whenever you negotiate for a higher salary, you're hurting your employer. Whenever you quit your job to spend time with your family, you're hurting your employer. Whenever your company finds ways to pay you less without hurting performance, they're hurting you. Conflicting interests are a necessary part of the game.
If you feel like you want to "give more" to your employer to gain job security, that's fine. But make no mistake about it--when they can do something to their advantage that hurts you--they are expected to do it. Anyone who's been screwed over by their company already knows this. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have agreed necessarily. But I've seen enough (and been on the wrong end of the stick often enough) that I believe companies will screw over employees for profitability reasons. As an employee I find that abhorrent--but as a shareholder of many successful businesses and companies--I also very much understand and accept it.
