A number of years ago, I joined a bank for a 6 month contract position. 3 or 4 weeks in just after I had sorted all of my login details and worked out what I n

A number of years ago, I joined a bank for a 6 month contract position. 3 or 4 weeks in just after I had sorted all of my login details and worked out what I needed to do, they announced they were completely pulling out of the business unit I was in and that thousands of people would be made redundant. This was a huge shock to the market. Within a few weeks, entire floors had closed down, but surprisingly I didn't get the tap on the shoulder and asked to leave. By complete luck, it turned out I had landed on one highly profitable strategic programme within the business unit where they had commitments they couldn't easily unwind. I therefore stayed in a team of 4 who were the last men standing out of thousands, even though I was completely new to the organisation. I felt kinda bad as I could have moved to a new contract relatively easily, whilst some people lost their livelihoods. Alas, I completed the contract then moved on. It shows it's not necessarily a reflection on you as an individual when these things happen.