Hacker News Reader

Comment by digisign | Hacker News Reader

- Severance package, already done

- Job help, docs, classes on how to get a job

- Leadership should share consequences, at a minimum salary reductions. This is important because typically bad decisions come from the top, while the folks at the bottom suffer from them.

- Be completely honest at every point.

- Look 'em straight in the eye, tell them you're sorry because XYZ.

It happens. Don't beat yourself up over it. I've been laid off in the past and it was ultimately positive. Got a break and it led to better opportunities.

View on HN

Thanks for this advice. They're a great team, I know they'll move on to bigger and better things; but I know it will be stressful for them in the short term.

Being honest should be easy, because I will lose nothing by doing it.

I've run interviewing workshops in the past; as part of a diversity outreach programme for a FAANG and also just for friends looking for career changes/upgrades. So I'm sure I could put something together for anyone who feels rusty.

All that is well and good but I can't help but notice that you excluded anything about reducing the salary of leadership for making decisions that led to this in the first place. It could just be the cynic in me, and maybe you intend to do that very thing, but I also know it's the hardest one to actually do.

It's just symbolic, but if you want to save face, this is how you do it. Nothing else will matter if you and the leadership that caused this don't take a salary cut.

Yeah I'm the one who needs to take the biggest cut - the founders actually pay themselves less salary than me. For the ICs that stay though, we want to keep things the same.

Outsource job placement services.

Your job is to move the company forward.

I’ve gone through this and I think this comment is spot on. Be honest and upfront. Help them as much as possible with landing their next job. Be respectful of their situation.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com