That's messed up, because now he's working for the employer for free, hoping the company will somehow replace the social connections it made him lose in the first place. It's definitely not something to look up to - it's just sad.
Agree that it's messed up, but it's _not_ working for free:
> I was laid off in May, and per Danish law, as an employee of over nine years, I have a six-month notice period. I've been relieved of my duties, but I am still officially an employee until the end of November. I'm also entitled to three months of severance pay after my notice.
As someone currently living and employed in Denmark, I can confirm that this is how it works as per Funktionærloven § 2 s. 2-3. Once you've worked somewhere for 6 months, the employer has to give you 3 months notice when terminating your employment. Every 3 years, that notice period increases by 1 month.
Depending on circumstances, other regulatory requirements, etc. employees let go might be placed on garden leave: they get paid for the notice + severance period, but aren't expected to come in.
On the other hand: he mentions working 60 hour work weeks. That is _very_ unusual in Denmark, mostly because in many cases it's illegal by the 48-hour rule (see e.g. https://english.ida.dk/working-hours).
He hints that he was taking work home on the weekends and I'm guessing for no extra pay. I used to do stuff like that when I was much younger. Cannot imagine it at his age.
> I was laid off in May, and per Danish law, as an employee of over nine years, I have a six-month notice period. I've been relieved of my duties, but I am still officially an employee until the end of November. I'm also entitled to three months of severance pay after my notice.
No, he has a six month notice period, so officially he's still employed until November. I'm surprised they let him keep his badge, that's a huge risk after firing someone.