Layoffs suck—a lot.
This is advice for people who were on a team, or at a company, going through layoffs.
What do I do now?
Be supportive, the right way
First, you probably already want to be as supportive as you can to the folks who are being let go, especially on those with whom you have personal relationship.
Recognize that these folks are likely in shock, hurt, or confused. They may still be coming to terms with the news; waiting to get even basic facts from an exit conversation; or desperately trying to figure out something serious like visa or health care continuity.
For this reason, don’t “hug to death” or inundate the person with questions they now need to answer. A thoughtful note to their personal email, with the substance of what you enjoyed about them and their work, will be appreciated. Don’t expect an immediate response; you may not ever get one. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t appreciated.
Try to avoid speaking in empty platitudes like, “If there’s anything I can do…”. It’s a well-meaning gesture which forces the receiver to figure out a specific request they can make of you (and then worry about whether it’s imposing). Instead, offer something specific if you can. “If you ever want to use me as a reference, please do, I would crush the shit out of it for you.”
Finally, and if you’re comfortable doing so, you can write an unsolicited reference on LinkedIn. In my experience, folks can feel bashful requesting these (whether or not it’s in the context of layoffs), but can tremendously appreciate having a public reference to share, especially when the job hunt gets going. The platform allows them to accept or reject, so you don’t have to worry about publishing something they don’t want. 1
Plan to get nothing done
Next, plan to get nothing done and feel unproductive for at least a few days.
Layoffs are almost always executed under a cloud secrecy, and deployed with sudden surprise. The chaos and confusion this creates will take many days if not weeks of follow-on work, starting from the top down, to resolve.
While you don’t (yet) need to accept what management has just done,
Figure out what’s going to break
Establish your commitment
Survivor’s guilt FAQ
Why them and not me?
Can I trade places?
Could we have done pay cuts instead?
Some people will be better off
If you choose to write a LinkedIn endorsement, it’s best to get it right: Strong, crisp, factual. You don’t need to do it right this instant; wait a few days. ↩︎