It’s been since the early 1990′s that most companies had to go through large scale, coordinated layoffs. The internet companies went through it this decade but those were still heady days and people were provided round-the-world-vacation-sized severance packages and most had a job waiting back in banking or consumer products. However, today is different. This is the first time that most in the job market are facing a time when job loss means no other are jobs available. Because of this, most companies are being more deliberate about what they are doing, but many still are making mistakes of the past and you wonder, “Haven’t we learned anything?”
Why December?
Was it necessary to have massive layoffs leading up to the holidays? Let’s face it, the economy has been bad for more than a few months now and could we not have seen lower-than-expected revenues and profits that we could have gotten ahead of the holiday season? The holidays are the worst, if for no other reason, because everyone remembers the company who laid them off during the holidays. Companies that have learned and retain foresight are the ones who communicated well before the holidays that they would ...
