INC has never been a fan of Zuk just wanted to post this to show how different Mark handled these things vs the flaming hot mess that Elon doing at Twitter. While Elon shares cute photos of his son he is putting beds in break rooms, telling employees they have to work 80 hour weeks at least an think they have a bomb attached to their heads. While like half of Twitter employees are fired some by a phone call.
Being let go is aways hard but it seems Zuk trying to be as heart felt vs Elon sh#t show.
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LEAD
Mark Zuckerberg's Message to Laid-Off Meta Employees Is a Masterclass in Good Leadership
Contrary to Elon Musk's handling of Twitter's mass exodus, this is a breath of fresh air.
BY
MARCEL SCHWANTES, INC. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND FOUNDER, LEADERSHIP FROM THE CORE
@MARCELSCHWANTES
Mark Zuckerberg.
Photo: Getty Images
Layoffs disrupt lives and livelihoods, and fuel fear and anxiety toward an uncertain future for those being let go. While
Elon Musk's handling of Twitter's mass exodus was a complete train wreck, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's November message to employees,
available to the public, shows a different story of managing a mega layoff process.
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Zuckerberg laid off more than 11,000 employees, about 13 percent of the workforce. "I view layoffs as a last resort," stated the Meta CEO, citing all other cost-cutting sources before ultimately choosing to let teammates go.
Article continues after video.
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Most of us can agree that Meta, formerly Facebook, has a questionable business model when it comes to user privacy. I am no fan of any tech company that collects information about you and then sells that information to advertisers so they can target their ads right at you.
But I
am a fan of good leadership when it is on public display, which is what this article is about, even if you're a Zuck-hater (and you can certainly disagree with me on social media). In an age of heartless
termination announcements over Zoom, there are two notable leadership lessons in Zuckerberg's communication approach with all Meta employees, including those laid off.
1. He takes ownership of the problem
Everything rises and falls on leadership, as the popular saying goes. Zuckerberg is quick to start off by pointing the finger at himself for the layoffs and offers an apology:
I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I'm especially sorry to those impacted.
It's certainly a good start. And while many high-profile leaders would have cut things short to deflect blame and lessen the impact on their reputation, Zuckerberg offers an honest account of the misguided steps and financial business decisions that paved the way to the massive layoff. "Not only has online commerce returned to prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I'd expected. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that," said Zuckerberg.
This type of public acknowledgment could be a hit too hard to take and not a hill to die on for many in executive roles. Zuckerberg took a leap of faith that, by being 100 percent honest with his shortcomings and modeling authenticity, others in management roles would follow. The first step -- one that Zuckerberg handled to perfection -- is to embrace mistakes made, have the courage to face your critics, and always acknowledge current reality. Zuckerberg put it out on the table, took ownership, and paved the way forward for those staying.
When executives are that open and honest and lead by example, it frees up other managers to initiate honest conversations with their employees to generate solutions that will safeguard them from future lapses in judgment. This builds trust and loyalty among the teams that were not let go, decreases their own level of uncertainty about the future, and lets them see their leaders not as larger-than-life corporate heroes, but as fallen human beings capable of making mistakes, like the rest of us.
2. He sets clear expectations and offers support
Layoff notices should always be in person or in small groups whenever possible and should come from your immediate manager. So we will assume positive intent here, and trust that Meta's managers communicated the layoffs before Zuckerberg
sent off his video announcement.
Because of the sensitive nature of layoffs, it makes a world of difference when there's a conscious effort to humanize the approach with clear expectations for those about to be let go. Without clear expectations, confusion sets in and everyone is guessing at what the future holds. This can cause disruption for other workers, hampering their own productivity and affecting their morale on the job while they watch their soon-to-be laid-off peers and co-workers suffer from botched or unclear communication.
Zuckerberg, however, took action and spelled out the details. "There is no good way to do a layoff, but we hope to get all the relevant information to you as quickly as possible and then do whatever we can to support you through this," he stated.
Laid-off employees also need all kinds of support during what could be a harrowing transition where lives and families are at stake.
"Every affected employee will have the opportunity to speak with someone to get their questions answered and join information sessions," promised Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg went on to display textbook empathy in his message with a clear road map of what types of support and resources are to be expected. Some of the details in the U.S., according to the announcement, include:
- Severance: "We will pay 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of service, with no cap."
- PTO: "We'll pay for all remaining PTO."
- Health insurance: "We'll cover the cost of health care for people and their families for six months."
- Career services: "We'll provide three months of career support with an external vendor, including early access to unpublished job leads."
- Immigration support: "I know this is especially difficult if you're here on a visa. We have dedicated immigration specialists to help guide you based on what you and your family need."
