It's also cowardly and ends up treating long-term employees like they are nothing but numbers who don't even merit a phone call, not to mention a meeting. But who cares about employees' feelings when it's efficient AND they don't have to look anybody in the eye while doing it, right?
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I remember all the bad publicity Radio Shack got when it informed its employees that they were being laid off via email.
At least Better.com's CEO had everyone on a Zoom call to let them go. May not have met their eyes, but they could see and hear how torn up he was about terminating them (not).
My first mass layoff was from Raytheon Systems Co and it was an in-person all-hands meeting in the company cafeteria. Oh, how times have changed in 25 yrs.
Especially with all the compliant robots being imported.
"What is alternative for those who WFH ?"
working without a home ? :-)
In a way, it's a classic corporate repercussion to Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, WFH propagation.
"It's also cowardly and ends up treating long-term employees like they are nothing but numbers who don't even merit a phone call, not to mention a meeting."
oh, cry me a river. For years you've been given bloated salaries, free food, gym, and other benefits while you sat down at your desk thinking up fun science projects which brought in NO revenue. And now you complain about getting notified through email ??? Welcome to the real world. And remember, when you interview for your next role, the first red flag on your resume that screams ENTITLEMENT is your employment at Google, which will be the reason why your next job will be far from today.
What is alternative for those who WFH ?
Email is the norm for mass lay off these days. This is a pay for job/services relationship. There is nothing else beside this transactional relationship. If there is any other expectations, you drank too much of the cool-aid. It's a business and not a family, not your relative, not a friend, etc.
We are for a profit company. You are a number. If high, not profitable, or strategic to the direction, then fired (RIF, LR, etc.). That's reality.