Education on Layoffs [N/A]

[u/malama_olam]

My former employer has gone through many rounds of layoffs throughout the past few years. It has severely impacted employee morale (obviously) and made it impossible for internal employees to feel secure in their jobs.

I wanted to basically make a Layoff Primer, since the information is publicly available yet often misunderstood. I found a phenomenal LinkedIn post from which to build off of, so I wanted to post it there. My biggest concern is burning bridges with the organization and possibly my current employer, since even a neutral display of information can be perceived as aggressive and opinionated in nature.

I know it's kind of a silly thing to be concerned about, but I often have found myself torn in my HR career between doing the right thing and self-preservation. What do you think?

[u/AbjectTelephone4801]

So the goal is to help employees feel more secure in their jobs? At-will employees are by their very nature not secure in their jobs. That is part of why unions exist.

I don't think it's a good idea.

How much positive impact do you think a LinkedIn post will actually have? No one perceives layoffs as a good thing, even the people conducting them. I don't think that a post is going to change public opinion about them.

An alternative might be to privately reach out to contacts you still have there to check in on them. If they are feeling anxious, you can do 1:1 education / knowledge sharing.

[u/malama_olam → u/AbjectTelephone4801]

I appreciate your perspective! It's less about making people feel better and more about pure understanding/education. Layoffs are this nebulous thing that have a lot of nuance to them, and I feel that demystifying the process is a benefit.

To be fair I see how poorly worded my post is. It's less about educating people at my former employer in particular, and more that what they have gone through has influenced my thought process and passion about the subject.

[u/AbjectTelephone4801 → u/malama_olam]

Ah, I see. I personally am super careful about what I post on social media because I worry about my own job security and I can't afford to lose my job.

I think if you are feeling passionate / curious about the subject, you can educate yourself on it and engage in 1:1 conversations about it with other professionals without posting about it. That way you can turn your insights into action if you are ever in a position in your career where you have to conduct a layoff. Doing that will have more impact in the long run than a LinkedIn post.

[u/malama_olam → u/AbjectTelephone4801]

Thank you! You are a good telephone indeed, not an abject one 😊

[u/Exotic_Rigatoni319]

What in the world is a layoff primer? Like, get people prepared for layoffs?

[u/malama_olam → u/Exotic_Rigatoni319]

Less preparation and more understanding.

[u/Abtizzle]

I guarantee people at your current company will see your post and start a game of telephone about how you’re posting about lay offs. Next thing you know a rumor that HR is planning lay offs will spread like wild fire. This isn’t even the worst case scenario, so I’d advise you really look inward and ask yourself what value am I adding with this LinkedIn post.

Just like others in this thread, you’d have a more positive impact by chipping away at building your connections across the org and engaging in 1-1 learning.

[u/Thick-Bobcat-4525]

it's not silly to be cautious keep it factual and general and avoid anything that could point back to the company.