this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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Pretty bad optics when your company depends on enabling collaboration in virtual settings.
This is what is referred to as a "backdoor" or "quite" layoff.
They know there are people who either can't come in or who will refuse to come in. By getting people to trim themselves from their books, they get to cut costs without actually having to do layoffs.
This is the first step of modern cost cutting. Next we will hear about other cost cutting measures, and then eventually layoffs.
I never understood this tactic. Why demoralize your whole workforce for months until enough motivated and talented people leave that you don't have to fire anyone. The useless ones are never the first ones to leave, especially if they don't have any talents to sell to other companies. Also people don't leave immediately after it turns bad, it usually takes months for them to be demoralized enough and find new arrangements.
By that time wouldn't it be smarter to eat the cost of firing people from the start, get rid of the fat, pay the severance and move on with those that can still lead you to success? I'm convinced the moral hit would be a lot less this way and the bounce back would be faster.
I worked for a guy who referred to it as "layoff by attrition" who essentially explained that they only have a couple heads over what they predicted based on production volume, and they know the conditions at the plant aren't nice to be in, 95° F and 50% through most of the summer in a stamping and welding shop. So instead of a tiny layoff or firing people they just wait until the people who won't put up with the conditions on the floor take care of it themselves.