Benefits November 7, 2001

Manner Matters in Layoff Etiquette

November 7, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) Nearly half (44%) of laid off workers say their employer did not communicate effectively the rationale for the job cuts, yet that was deemed more important information than additional benefits such as job search support or extended healthcare, according to a new survey.
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In fact, employees who were laid off under these circumstances were more likely than others to take legal action or consider other ways of hurting the company, according to the survey conducted by Andersen in conjunction with Vault, Inc.

Still, some laid-off employees felt more positive about their situation if they believed the reason for the layoff was the economy or their personal performance.

Others were perturbed about not being given any severence while some felt they were let go because of salary-related reasons.

The survey was a tally of responses given by over 1,200 recently laid-off workers.

Other Findings

Other findings from the responses from over 1,200 recently laid-off workers:

  • 86 % reported no opportunity to apply for other positions in the company
  • 71 % blame company leadership for the layoff;
  • 70 % of the laid-off workers would not recommend that others work for the company
  • 67 % would never work for the company again, even if extended a job offer
  • 54 % said that they would not recommend the company’s products or services to others based on the way the layoff was handled;
  • 49 % of those surveyed felt that the layoff was done in a manner inconsistent with the company’s values
  • 15 % have considered taking legal actions against the company;
  • 11 % have considered speaking to the media or a public source about their experience.

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