Late last month, tech giant Meta confirmed what had been widely reported: It will lay off 10% of its staff on May 20. That amounts to about 8,000 workers—and no one knows exactly who will get the pink slips.
That leaves weeks of anxiety that will likely impact the company for some time to come, says Patrick McCue, senior vice president, Americas of Right Management.
“Morale is going to dip. There’s really no way around that,” McCue says about the coming Meta layoffs.
It’s a story that has been repeated across large organizations, particularly in the tech industry, in recent months, as mass layoffs become commonplace.
If advance notice of layoffs comes without clarity on who will be impacted, or support for managers to help them address employee concerns, employees are left questioning their futures, and managers—who have the same questions—are expected to keep steering the ship.
“That tension alone drives anxiety up,” McCue says.
Employees waiting for clarity will likely be less productive and have trouble focusing, while the rumor mill will churn throughout the organization. That causes distractions and declines in energy levels, he notes, as employees are effectively in a “holding pattern” waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That environment exacerbates the engagement challenges already abounding in American workplaces. Right Management’s State of Careers report found that employees report their engagement levels are actually 20%-30% lower than managers think.
“So,” McCue says, “when you introduce uncertainty into an already fragile engagement environment, the impact is amplified.”
Advanced notice of layoffs should come with as much transparency and specificity as possible—such as clear timelines—consistent messaging across leadership and clear information about how affected employees will be supported.
HR should also ensure managers are well-equipped to handle the disruption—while remaining cognizant of how managers themselves are trying to lead through their own uncertainty.
Provide managers with talking points—again, reinforcing consistent messaging—guidance on what they should and shouldn’t say to their reports and support for how they can help employees process their anxiety without driving up speculation.
“The challenge is that the impact doesn’t stop once layoffs are announced,” McCue says. “It actually evolves.”
See also: Is ghostworking about to reemerge after layoffs?
HR’s work after layoffs
Once the layoffs happen, HR has to tend to two fronts, which are interconnected—departing employees managing uncertainty and retained workers often dealing with survivor’s guilt.
The lynchpin to meeting both challenges in a way that protects talent strategy for the long-term is by treating exiting employees well, McCue says—because the remaining workforce is watching closely.
“If they feel their colleagues were treated fairly, supported and given a real path forward, it stabilizes morale faster,” he notes. “If not, the damage lingers and can deepen.”
When companies visibly support outgoing employees with resources like reskilling, outplacement and transition support, those workers can leave “with dignity” and land their next role faster, while the company protects the employer brand and sends a message about empathy to its retained workers.
“The way you handle exits directly impacts the engagement of those who stay,” says McCue. When they’re handled well, “it softens the blow and accelerates recovery”; if not, the damage will last “far beyond” the layoff.
“The next few weeks, and the immediate aftermath,” McCue says, “are less about the decision itself and more about how it’s handled.”
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