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Hannah's avatar

Why is it called pink slip? I was laid off once, and was complete caught off guard. No prior notice or indication. But I didn't receive a pink slip. Instead I got a packet of info from HR on benefits.

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Darrell's avatar

Since you asked::

There is uncertainty about how the term pink slip originated. A common explanation is that a termination notice was printed on pink paper so that it would stand out from other paperwork the employee received. The term also has unverified links to the early years of the Ford Motor Company.

A Baltimore Sun article in 2001 reported that some believe that Ford’s assembly line workers were issued either a white or pink piece of paper, which management slipped into their lockers at the end of each day. A white slip of paper meant that the employee was wanted at work the next day, a pink slip meant that their services were no longer required.

The first recorded reference of the term in the Oxford English Dictionary was in 1915.

Interestingly, termination notices in Germany are associated with blue, and yellow in France.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pink-slip.asp

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