To feel mortified I was settled out of my job?

She sounds awful. It doesn't feel like it now, but leaving that job was the best thing that could have happened to you. It's time for a fresh start, to use your talent somewhere it will be appreciated.

I’m just falling to pieces in the interview process when I’m being asked why I left my old company.

Can you get the strength together to just tell the truth: "I was being bullied by the new CEO"?. You don't want to work somewhere that is not sympathetic to that.

In time, you will come to see it as a good thing. I speak from experience.

Right now, it feels shameful, it feels demeaning, it feels as if you are unwanted and useless. It tears down your self esteem and your life, in one vile swoop - we spend so much time at work, a lot of us take pride in our work and it is part of what makes us, on a day to day basis, that you can suddenly find yourself wondering who you are, if your work is gone.

It takes time to recover, and, contrary to what you might expect, recovery doesn't start the moment you get the pay out and leave. It's going to come and hit you like a ton of bricks, then you'll be in a processing phase, then you'll start the recovery. You WILL build yourself back up again. YOU will go on to have better times, and a happier working life. You will come to realise that although they behaved atrociously, if they had not done this, you would have hung on by a thread for likely some years to come, being slowly and painfully more broken. The shove had to come from somewhere, because we do hang on to things that bring us familiarity and comfort, even if they are negative and draining.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. The schoolyard bullies who grew up to be workplace bullies, do.

I'm thinking of you. I've been down this road. The rug being pulled under when I was at my lowest ebb (which is a common tactic workplaces do, by the way, go after you when you're at your weakest) wiped me out for a year or so.

I was utterly broken and didn't recognise until I aired my head again, how ill it had made me.

I look back and shake my head in shame, at them. They know what they did. And people in your workplace will be ashamed of what's been done to you, as well.

You are not your job. You are so much more than what you do for a living.

I’m so sorry you’ve gone through this. For what it’s worth, a very similar thing happened to my DH, and also similar (but not quite as nasty) to me. It was hell at the time but a few years on we both have careers in slightly different fields that we’ve retrained for and absolutely love. We sort of fell into what we’re doing now and would never have considered these jobs before, but we’re so much happier. Hang in there - it will get better, I promise.

I have been in a vaguely similar situation, and what has helped me is realising it was just one person's opinion. Plenty of people have told me to my face that I'm great at my job. And people I respect, unlike the person who forced me out of the job. I found CBT very helpful - I start a great new job in a few weeks, and soon the last one will be a bad memory . Good luck!

Excellent example of what can happen. OP, I wish you all the best…good workers get hired at other firms, and you may find that you will be far happier at a better employer.

You were treated very poorly. Maybe the person who engineered your departure was threatened by your good work ethic and talent. You have nothing to be ashamed of at all and made the right decision to take the settlement and preserve your MH.

Wrt interviews- tell them it was a conscious decision to leave and remember all the awesome things you accomplished and write these all down ready to share at an interview

I honesty believe i was let go due to me challenging the failures of the company and some of the decision making- although it was always in the interest of making things better. The company was losing sales and being in a training role I saw the issues that was causing this and was honestly trying to help and make things better but I think when a company and SLT are under pressure they will take anyone out, just so they can protect themselves. I regret the hours and hours I put into the job spending precious time away from my home and family and all the extra time and effort I put in, just to be cast aside so easily. I certainly have learned the hard way!

I agree with @ronswansonstache , the shame isn't yours and you've been treated very badly.
FWIW I think that accepting was the best option, though it doesn't feel that way right now. If you'd stayed they would have treated you even more cruelly, for longer, and your mental health and confidence would have been destroyed.

DH was bullied at work by a new CEO, with my support he approached an employment lawyer and started a grievance, The investigation found in his favour, he just wanted to keep doing the job he loved. Essentially he was forced to leave with a large payout. He was asked (forced) to sign an NDA.
I told everyone about it, I even told his story on a radio phone in about bullying in the workplace.
My point is OP, that even if you won, you would probably have had to leave anyway.

I was recently "made redundant" but was offered a settlement agreement and approx 6 months pay. I was told to leave immediately on garden leave but was also told that it was nothing to do with my performance.

My biggest upset was people I thought I was close too (professionally) didn't even get in touch to simply say goodbye.

I'm currently job hunting and also going to have some counselling to help me process everything

I’ve been in the workplace a long time.

I’ve been up. I’ve been down. But somehow the world keeps turning and people still want me to contribute something, even if it’s not quite what I’d like to be doing in an ideal world.

It’s all very dependent on the individual workplace. In one place you can be a star. In another, the fit just isn’t right.

Try reaching out to some industry connections and setting up some coffees?

You made the decision to protect your own health and wellbeing and that is always a wise choice.

Can you talk to an executive coach or similar to get validation from someone whose professional opinion you trust and to try to reframe the period in your own mind?

This is awfully sad to read. I hope you can find a role to build your confidence again.

I’d be all over LinkedIn getting in touch with everyone! Why not organise drinks with all your favouriteformer colleagues? Hiding won’t help and believe me, people are probably quite well aware you had a run in with the CEO and if you think you’re disgraced, then you want to be guessing what people are saying behind the CEO’s back!

@SackedandDisgraced even your username is sad, you are not disgraced. It sounds like she was really threatened by you for some reason, it happens. Can you use some of your settlement to pay for an agency to support you to pay for a job or some career coaching to help get your confidence back again?

My workplace has 'disappeared' a number of colleagues in recent months, they go off sick at short notice and then an email goes round saying they have 'gone travelling' or are spending time with family.

It's a shit way to treat people. Previously if someone was no longer a good fit they were managed out with dignity and had their contribution recognised & be able to say goodbye. It is a worrying and unpleasant trend to see emerge at my workplace.

It just looks bad on the company. The shame is not yours.

You poor love. I can imagine you feel every sort of emotion.

FWIW I think you did the right thing. The easy thing would be to have stayed. Fought it out. Dragged yourself through it. In a years time you’d be on the same place minus the settlement. Your mental health would likely be almost unrecoverable and your sick record shit.

you’ve made a short term decision for your own wellbeing. You will get another job - it’s a very tough market and you may need to make 100 applications. I’m on my 8th or 9th I think. You will get through this.

When you feel able, reach out to a former work friend - if you want to - and touch base. It will be okay. Xx

She's hardly exposing her identity, go on another thread if you aren't going to be helpful.

Premier league football managers are publicly sacked all the time - they never seem that bothered and often move on to bigger and better. Chin up lovely!

Don't take it to heart. They have probably quite forcefully been told they are not allowed to contact you.