- \n
- Watch me get laid off from my job at Indeed<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>Indeed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist: <\/strong>ex-Indeed employee shares real-time, emotional reaction to being one of the approximately 2200 people laid off from Indeed in march 2023. She shares snippets from the global announcement, as well as her 1:1 interview with HR and with her direct manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views: <\/strong>over 747.8k<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- It\u2019s the least I deserve ok!!!!!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>TikTok<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist: <\/strong>ex-TikTok employee films as she goes into the NYC office for the last time. She shares images of different office areas and steals \u201ccompany assets\u201d, i.e snacks! She pokes fun at the experience in a light-hearted way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views:<\/strong> over 3M<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- I\u2019m having mental breakdowns every 26 minutes someone lmk if this is normal \ud83d\ude2d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>Disney<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist:<\/strong> ex-Disney employee shares her \u201csoon-after\u201d reaction to being let go from Disney. She doesn\u2019t share any of Disney\u2019s official communications, however she explains the process and shares some of the concerns and questions that came up. She also includes small clips of her in tears and says \u201cIt honestly feels like a breakup that\u2019s one-sided\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views: <\/strong>over 2.2M<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- This is me 5 hours before I think I\u2019m gonna be laid off<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>unknown<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist: <\/strong>Employee shares the countdown to being laid off in a rather sarcastic and unfiltered way. She shares the signs and clues (odd meeting invites and reporting requests, for example), and a clip from the termination interview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views: <\/strong>over 3.9M<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Pour one out for the homies who got laid off at @Discord @Google @Twitch @Audible in the last 2 days \ud83c\udf77<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>Discord<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist: <\/strong>Former Discord Product Manager shares her “real-time” reaction to being let go. She shares the different communications received (global announcement, email telling her that her role has been impacted\u2026). She voices over the actual announcement. She shares a screenshot of the email she receives, describing it as \u201cBreakup text, through email\u2026 this is how I\u2019m gonna go?!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views:<\/strong> over 5.2M<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- When you know you\u2019re about to get laid off so you film it \ud83d\ude42 this was traumatizing honestly lmao<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The company: <\/strong>Cloudflare<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gist: <\/strong>Ex-Cloudflare employee films her termination interview as she is let go for \u201cnot reaching performance expectations\u201d. She films the exchange as she pushes back and demands a data-backed explanation of the decision. She also addresses the fact that the people delivering the news are people she has never met before and critiques the fact that her direct manager has not been involved. She shares her disappointment, hurt and dismay in the face of this difficult situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Number of views: <\/strong>2.5M<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What to take away from the viral TikTok layoff trend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cWhenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.\u201d<\/p>\n– Thomas Jefferson<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The TikTok layoff videos serve as a reminder to employers that their policies and actions have real impact on people\u2019s lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Difficult business decisions must be made. It can\u2019t be helped. However, you have the power to handle the worst situations, in the best possible way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s our advice: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Be transparent and organized<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cSocial media is holding companies accountable. If an employee exposed your people processes, would you be ashamed? Can you stand behind them, or would you go and hide under a rock?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Ask yourself, if your termination process was exposed, could you stand behind it? Do you have anything to hide? If the idea makes you uncomfortable, why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pinpoint the areas of discomfort or disagreement and address them. If you think changes are necessary, make them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If need be, build a case for your executive team. Share examples and data, explain the risk of a badly handled termination process (lowered workplace morale, retention difficulties, security breaches, weakened employer brand, legal retaliation, sabotage\u2026) and put forward your suggestions on how to handle things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
“Gone are the days where you can keep things like this ‘contained’. Social media means every constituency is an investigator reporter with a distribution platform. This means making good decisions. The first time is imperative, and being prepared to be out front immediately when things go astray.”<\/p>\n– Jeremy Tunis<\/a> <\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
We also suggest you document as much of the process as possible. Keep track of communication and reasons for dismissal. This will not only provide extra clarity and transparency, but will also serve as a legal safeguard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Show empathy and offer support<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Empathy in this type of situation should be a given. But we know that things can slip in the midst of a high-volume, high-pressure layoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strive to be sincere and compassionate. Polish your message to avoid using any insensitive or vague language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t make empty promises, but offer any additional support and assistance you can. On top of your typical severance package<\/a>, you may want to offer a letter of recommendation, a reduced deal to purchase equipment like laptops (this can facilitate an impacted employee\u2019s job search), a LinkedIn recommendation, a resume review, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been laid off a few times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The things that were the most helpful to me were setting my last day at the beginning of the month, so that I had the full month of health insurance covered. Most employer-sponsored health insurance in the US cuts off at the end of the month of your termination. So if you are laid off on the 30th, in a day or two you are left without coverage. COBRA coverage is very expensive, especially if you are suddenly without income. Having a few weeks of healthcare coverage means you can get in a few needed appointments, instead of being left high and dry. I have a friend who had had wrist surgery, and was then hit by a surprise layoff a few days later at the end of the month, and lost health coverage immediately. It had big implications for her follow-up care and rehab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also appreciated having some time to say goodbye to my coworkers and put together anything I needed for my portfolio, including pulling performance metrics from my work or quotes\/testimonials about my work that would help me land my next role. Immediately cutting off people\u2019s access is extremely cold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And lastly, both my boss and the CEO apologized for putting me in this situation and acknowledged responsibility for the business decisions that led to it. Even though layoffs aren\u2019t typically based on performance (and mine wasn\u2019t) you can still feel like a failure. That message went a long way towards helping me internalize that this wasn\u2019t my fault, and I didn\u2019t have anything to be ashamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n– Meredith Kucherov<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Anticipate what you can and come prepared<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
As a company, aim to limit the element of surprise. Transparency on goals, budgets and results will contribute to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In any event, performance-based decisions should never <\/em>come as a surprise to employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201c[I don\u2019t understand] why I\u2019m being let go, despite constant positive praise from my manager, great meetings that I’m having, the amount of activity that I have had, it\u2019s all been positive. I have not received any negative inclination. I have not been put on a performance improvement plan, nothing. […] Can you explain what those performance metrics are? Or is that just a vague term to give to everyone that you’re speaking to today?”<\/p>\n– Brittany Peach, extract from her termination interview shared on TikTok<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
When layoffs inevitably occur, make sure to come prepared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you\u2019re properly equipped to deliver a reasonable explanation for the decision to let people go. These are not easy conversations, but it is an injustice to not give impacted employees tangible reasons for termination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this is a high-volume action, preparing an F.A.Q could be an effective way to answer employees’ recurring questions. A \u201cWhat should I do now?<\/a>\u201d document can also prove reassuring and useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of your preparation, be sure to inform and include the right people in this exchange. You want to avoid employees receiving this news from someone they have never met or heard of. Include the manager in this conversation whenever possible (and in 100% of performance-based departures!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Provide a smooth offboarding experience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Offboarding an involuntary departure is just as important as offboarding a voluntary departure. Build a structured offboarding process to make sure that everything is handled in a timely, professional manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\ud83d\udd16 Related read:<\/strong> Offboarding Checklist: How to Offboard an Employee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
In the case of an involuntary departure, it may have to be a judgment call as to whether or not you organize an exit interview.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-11.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- \n
- Manage your online presence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Monitor your presence on both social media and review sites (Glassdoor, for example). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you can definitely take some things with a pinch of salt, knowing what\u2019s being said about you as an employer will provide you with the necessary insight to adjust your processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plus, although not all content will warrant it, it may be necessary to respond. Be very careful to think before you speak, especially in viral situations with lots of visibility. You don\u2019t want to make things worse<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\ud83d\udd16 Related read:<\/strong> How to Respond to Negative Online Employee Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not just layoffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On a final note, remember that it\u2019s not just layoffs. Any of your HR processes and policies, from screening<\/a> to remote work<\/a>, have the potential to be scrutinized online and made public. A few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Im at a corporate conference in Las Vegas right now and heres one of the things ive heard from a top leader in the industry\u2026 do you guys agree or disagree with her reasoning for return to office mandate?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- This hiring process is completely inappropriate and taking advantage of how desperate jobseekers are for work.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Let\u2019s talk about the special level of interviewing hell that is the recorded interview<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
As much as anything, these trends are a reminder that the work you <\/em>put in to make your HR processes fair, transparent and engaging is important, impactful and appreciated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, you\u2019ve heard about these viral TikTok layoff videos, but you\u2019re unsure how concerned you should be?\u00a0Read about what you can learn from this content, and how it should impact your company\u2019s HR practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":39712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"persona":[28],"blog-programming-language":[],"keyword-cluster":[],"class_list":["post-39705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviewing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39705"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40042,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39705\/revisions\/40042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39705"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=39705"},{"taxonomy":"blog-programming-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-programming-language?post=39705"},{"taxonomy":"keyword-cluster","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword-cluster?post=39705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- This hiring process is completely inappropriate and taking advantage of how desperate jobseekers are for work.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Im at a corporate conference in Las Vegas right now and heres one of the things ive heard from a top leader in the industry\u2026 do you guys agree or disagree with her reasoning for return to office mandate?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manage your online presence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Provide a smooth offboarding experience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Anticipate what you can and come prepared<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Show empathy and offer support<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Be transparent and organized<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- When you know you\u2019re about to get laid off so you film it \ud83d\ude42 this was traumatizing honestly lmao<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Pour one out for the homies who got laid off at @Discord @Google @Twitch @Audible in the last 2 days \ud83c\udf77<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- This is me 5 hours before I think I\u2019m gonna be laid off<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- I\u2019m having mental breakdowns every 26 minutes someone lmk if this is normal \ud83d\ude2d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- It\u2019s the least I deserve ok!!!!!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n