She tried to focus on the generous severance packages on offer and the fact that, having previously worked at Google and LinkedIn, her skill set is in demand. “They’ve said we’re going to get four months’ salary,” plus other benefits. “So if that is the case, I feel okay. I feel confident that I will find a different job.” Whether it would be at the same salary level was another question.
Employees at Meta were asked last week to cut short business travel, leading to a flurry of speculation of imminent cuts. The announcements that finally came featured unfamiliar words like “over-hiring” and “over-recruitment”. As a result he has decided to expand his search beyond tech. His advice to others who might find themselves in this position is to consider upskilling. It is tough to stay positive. “I’m a bit bored and I feel a bit useless to be honest. I feel very bad for the people who either are gone already or are awaiting bad news. A lot of them will be former colleagues. This is a bad week.”
Eleanor couldn’t say goodbye to colleagues or retrieve samples of her work. “You’ve no chance to ask any questions. It felt like the virtual equivalent of people being marched out by security. It was a complete shock. I was sitting there at my desk for an hour, staring at my laptop.
Spillane has been dismayed by the manner in which some of these lay-offs have been announced, including the emerging trend of letting people know whether they still have a job via email. Waiting for that email to land, she says, “must be psychologically tough.”
Are we supposed to feel sympathy for these people? These aren’t unskilled miners in northern England in the 80’s. They chop and change jobs for bigger pay regularly, they’ve hefty severance packages. Cry me river.
‘Fewer interviews’, not ‘less interviews’ 🙄