It is inevitable. When there is not enough work to go around, spider senses start tingling and employees start seeking information; a lot of it. They look to upper management (good luck there buddy boy!), and worse, their cubicle neighbors.

From personal experience, I can tell you that the cynical tendencies of the office will distort and magnify layoff gossip, spreading it like wildfire and killing productivity. Managers, in general, must realize that workers are uncomfortable with an absence of information. They will in most cases choose the most convenient sources to fill in the void.

It has been once said that all information is good, even if it is bad. Those few that survive the latest brutal round of job cuts will expect a certain level of frankness from upper management to preserve motivation, as well as a sense of job security. Therefore, I agree and say the best option is transparency, but only on one condition. Cut once, cut deep, and prevent a demoralizing series of job layoffs that will only keep the workers guessing and the monster.com server busy.

I think the layoff blog is a great step; companies finally dishing the honesty and respect its workers deserve.