So, an interesting topic I’ve been thinking about is lay-offs. Of course, this happens almost everywhere, and is certainly not unknown to the software field. I’ve witnessed it happening to others, a few times in my career. However, out of respect for the companies I’ve worked for, and a sense of professionalism, I’m going to write this and have it be intentionally vague. I apologize ahead of time.

First, let’s talk about some things I’ve seen or heard and some Do’s and Don’ts:

Do:

1) Give the employees ample time after to collect all remaining stuff on their PCs. Rarely will they sabotage. If they do, IT is expected to have ample backups. If not, the problem is the lack of backups, not the employee’s desire to sabotage.
2) Be as honest as you can, without opening yourself up to liability. If the employee was really fired and you simply waited for layoff time, it doesn’t help them professionally to think it was 100% financially motivated.
3) Do give a generous severance package. It really helps a lot with their confidence.
4) Do offer HR services in helping them find a new job.
5) Do offer ways for colleagues to get back in touch with them (less important with sites like LinkedIn now).

Don’t:

1) Don’t give public warning ahead of time in a big company meeting, unless you really are intending of laying off the entire company. Otherwise, you will scare a lot of people who weren’t in danger.
2) Don’t make promises you can’t keep to the people who are remaining.
3) Do not refer to the people laid-off as “the departed”. It makes them sound like they’re dead, instead of just not working there anymore.
4) Do not hint that the remaining employees have to work harder. Most likely they already were, that’s why you kept them.
5) Don’t do multiple rounds of layoffs, if possible. This encourages your good people to quit. Instead, try to get it all done in one shot, so people can put it past them.

Anyway, this was just a simple bulleted list and is purely opinion. I’ll be back with more programming stuff, next time. I think it’s time to tackle some of impure things in C#. Stay tuned.

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