Every time there is a layoff announcement, I feel like half the comments are nitpicking over the language. It was too long, it was too short, language was too conciliatory, not conciliatory enough, yada yada. We get it. Managers are people too, they're not perfect. At this point, as an employee, I'd just ignore everything that was said (I know it's probably been wordsmithed to death anyway trying to find the right balance for all the various stakeholders), and only focus on the actions: are people treated fairly and with respect, both for those leaving and those remaining.
Layoffs are not something any employees can control. It's gonna happen or it's not. That's it. Without proper collective power, the only thing we can do is worry.
You're right in that language doesn't matter. Hell even the delivery of the message doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the severance or layoff package. That's the real meat. There should be a mandatory law that publishes all layoff packages so that everyone can see if they're getting a fair deal or not.
“The medium is the message.” Yes, the nitpicking over language is silly. In some cases, actually sort of pathetic.
It is true that these messages can be overwrought and whatever else, but it literally doesn’t matter what the content is besides the fact that a layoff is happening. If you tell me I’m laid off with a smile or with a middle finger makes no difference, I’m still laid off.
