What is the value in announcing that layoffs will take place over a period of months instead of doing it all at once? That seems like the worst possible outcome for both the company and it's employees. Morale is going to be terrible and Meta is going to be left with everyone who hasn't (or wasn't able) to switch jobs.
> What is the value in announcing that layoffs will take place over a period of months instead of doing it all at once?
It seems like that's what Facebook employees wanted, so that's what they get. I'm no fan of Facebook in general, but at least it seems like the guy is listening to the employees on something.
From the press release:
> I recognize that sharing plans for restructuring and layoffs months in advance creates a challenging period. But last fall, we heard feedback that you wanted more transparency sooner into any restructuring plans, so that’s what I’m trying to provide here.
It's to put pressure on people to perform and sacrifice themselves, their personal lives, their family etc. It's the same reason so many tech companies start to do quarterly reviews, so every 3 months your manager will hold over your head the threat of 'not meeting expectations' and putting you on a performance improvement plan.
Mark lays it out pretty simply in the letter. People don't want surprise layoffs. They'd rather know ahead of time what leadership's planning. It's a tough pill to swallow but this is what a lot of people asked for.
its quite depressing but it applies to much of corporate structure and incentives.
how much more performance can you squeeze from an individual that:
i) is not intrinsic to who they are (hence visible when you hire them - if its not the right profile just don't hire them)
ii) is not tied to your own bloated structure, toxic culture and messed up processes and hence none of their fault
is that 10%, 20% extra performance? is that sufficient to satisfy the "markets"? when its your vision and business model is what is really the problem.
> I recognize that sharing plans for restructuring and layoffs months in advance creates a challenging period. But last fall, we heard feedback that you wanted more transparency sooner into any restructuring plans, so that’s what I’m trying to provide here. I hope that giving you a timeline and principles for what to expect will help us get through the next couple of months and then move forward as we implement these changes that I believe will have a very positive impact on how we work.
