Badly executed layoffs have become more visible thanks to social media. Cloudflare’s recent termination gone viral is a good example of what not to do.
I’ve gone by a few rules in life. One is to assume everything I do will be printed on the front page of the NY Times (that was advice a character gave someone in a book I read, long before the world wide web was invented). Another is that any of my employees can ask questions about what I propose. If I can’t justify it, then it’s not the right decision. A third is that I will not say something behind someone’s back that I won’t say to their face. Thankfully, I’m a blunt New Yorker and an engineer, so I can usually say things directly to people without hesitation (for better or worse). Taken altogether this tells me to be direct and upfront with people.
I was horrified recently to see the video of Brittany Pietsch get laid off from Cloudflare. In it she gets laid off by two people from HR that she’s never met, who allude to reasons that she’s laid off but won’t give her details as to those reasons.
First, her manager wasn’t there. If you can’t look someone in the eye when you fire them then you shouldn’t be hiring them or managing them. End of story. If there’s a safety risk that’s another story, but she was fired by video (acceptable in today's virtual workplace) by people other than her manager. Even if her manager was on leave, then her manager’s manager should have been there. (Note: in her LinkedIn post [accessed 2024-01-16 8:02pm EST] she noted that “her manager had no idea this was happening.” I accept this as true, but someone in her chain of command did know, the CEO if no one else, and that person should have been there if no one else in the chain was.)
Second, they couldn’t give her a clear reason. I do understand that in some cases, for legal reasons, companies may not be able to give a reason. And in the US, many people are “employees-at-will” allowing them to be fired at any time, for any reason. That’s fine. What’s wrong is to give a reason, but then not be able to back it up. It seems that there was a large reduction in force, and she was part of it. Sometimes that happens and it's just bad luck for a new employee. However, they said it was because of her performance, but then couldn’t provide information on her performance.
If you’ve had multiple rounds of negative performance reviews prior to the termination, you can refer to those. What’s not acceptable is to blindside your employee. In this case she spent three months on “ramp up” (what I take to be a new employee trial period) and then her fourth and final month was over the end of year holidays. Now I don’t know what expectations were set for her, but she claims to have had good KPIs. They should have had evidence to the contrary or simply said it was for a reason other than for performance.
This video will clearly be a black eye for Cloudflare for years to come which takes us back to my opening statements. Whether it’s recorded and shared online or not, word does get out and you build a reputation. If you manage people, sooner or later you’ll need to let people go. You might even need to fire them. If you can’t look them in the eye and do it, then you shouldn’t be managing those people in the first place.
One final note before concluding, be careful recording such calls. First, it may or may not be legal to make such a recording. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice, but you’d do well to check the laws on video and audio recordings in your jurisdiction as well as that of the other party. Second, even if legal under the law, it may constitute a violation of company policy and/or your contract. Posting such a video online may further violate your contract.
Even if not illegal or a contract violation, it can mark you. Sadly, future employers may be hesitant to hire her for the same reason companies are less likely to hire whistle blowers or those who have filed sexual harassment claims—they stand up for what is right. In the Ethics chapter of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You I argued that more people need to do so, and I am glad that she did. Nevertheless, be careful when doing so, consider the consequences and probably check with a lawyer first.
For all those who do stand up, thank you and good luck.
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