Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to lay off 13 percent of Meta’s workforce, which means more than 11,000 employees will be forced to leave the company. Many employees were frustrated, overwhelmed and even angry after the layoffs were announced, but others accepted the cuts with equanimity.
One employee who works on the Meta recruiting team recently spoke to the press on condition of anonymity about his feelings about the layoffs: It sucks to lose your job, but I think Zuckerberg handled it appropriately and with a human touch.
Here is what the employee had to say about himself.
For a long time, Meta was always the company I most wanted to join. I had interviewed twice before and failed, so I was really excited when they contacted me late last year and told me I was accepted. I come from a family of immigrants, and to work for a company that everyone knows, that many people have used, and that pays an enviable salary, is a dream come true!
Working as a recruiter in the commercial department
My team was responsible for recruiting talent for all of Meta’s globally operating commercial divisions, including Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, and Oculus VR. This is one of the most organized and efficient recruiting departments I’ve ever worked in. My team is extraordinary, both from a management and organizational standpoint. This is truly a company that I want to work for for a long time.
Since I work in the recruiting department myself, my job was affected starting in September when the company essentially eliminated all the positions I was recruiting for. My team all knew what that meant, but I guess we were just waiting to see how long that would last.
Preparing for layoffs weeks in advance
A few weeks ago, I heard through the grapevine that layoffs were going to start on Wednesday. At the time, however, such conversations were still limited to the top brass, but I know a colleague who works in HR who has heard many of the discussions. I still hope I won’t be affected, since the company obviously can’t fire everyone. But it did give me a few weeks to prepare in advance for the worst-case scenario, including reworking my resume, just in case.
Every Thursday, we have a town hall meeting with Zuckerberg, and he seems very candid. Lately, Zuckerberg has been consistently talking about cost-cutting measures. We were told that we would be more mission-focused when it comes to hiring, and more cautious when it comes to growth, building and headcount. And many teams may be larger than they used to be.
Back three months ago, Zuckerberg said that layoffs were a last resort. I really believed then (and still do) that he did do everything he could to avoid layoffs, and that ultimately there was just no other option.
A different sense of layoffs than before
On Wednesday morning, Zuckerberg announced the layoffs in a memo on our internal employee page, and I received an email. I think the length of time on board should have a lot to do with who gets to stay because those who stay on my team have been with the company for more than two years.
At the same time, everyone on my team has exceeded their goals, so anyone on our team, who stays isn’t based solely on usual performance, which is why I want everyone to stay. However, that obviously seems unlikely.
Saying goodbye to each other ahead of time just in case
Before the layoffs, I worked remotely but sometimes traveled to the office in New York. I didn’t go back yesterday, but my friends did go in and they said the atmosphere there was really weird. Everyone felt like it was their last day working there, and it was very frustrating.
On Tuesday, everyone on the hiring team was given an Excel form and asked to add their name to it to keep in touch, which may help with future employment. It’s really nice to have that kind of support, and I’ve already had a lot of people contact me. It’s clear that people are stepping up to weave their networks.
It’s not a great feeling for everyone: We were once a very connected team, but all of a sudden it seems to be falling apart.
I’ve been fired before. That time, I didn’t seem to feel too much emotion. I felt there was no respect for the community in a sense and no empathy.
But at Meta, I felt that Zuckerberg had handled this with care and perfection, with a human touch, and that everyone was treated with respect. Zuckerberg has come clean that he screwed up, and I respect people who are brave enough to take responsibility.
At another company I worked for, I had a one-on-one meeting with the VP of HR and a director I didn’t even know about the firing, but I still felt very annoyed. In fact, I prefer email as a form of notification, and I appreciate its efficiency and transparency.
The company did everything it could to make things right
I’ve been contacted by some people in my network to send my resume to them, and I’ve gotten a few interviews for that. It’s a good lesson in always presenting yourself well so that when things like this happen, people will want to help you. The community around me is great and I’m very grateful to them.
We got a great severance package from Meta, and they also allow three months for terminated employees to get career support, like resume help, contacting job boards, and training sessions. They really want to make sure everyone is supported, which is great. I know we’ll stay in touch and be like friends for life.
My advice to tech companies: stop over-hiring
It’s sad to lose your job, after all it’s a very flexible job with good pay and benefits. I’m quite happy to be working at Meta and agree with the culture. This company is obviously built around helping people stay connected, but internally, it’s also very good at keeping employees connected. Every system we use has been carefully planned and built by us.
The only thing that’s frustrating is the layoffs. I’ve been in recruiting for seven years and I’ve had a lot of friends who have been affected by it in the last two years. I just wish companies would stop over-hiring and try to take care of each and every employee.
As a recruiter, I feel as though I am being taken advantage of. I was hired during a period of high growth, and once we stopped hiring, you were fired. It was upsetting because it made me really scared to work in recruiting again.
We’ve recruited a lot of great people, but when things don’t work out they get fired, and that’s emotionally unacceptable. I want to be valued as much as I value the company.
