Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has faced criticism from Harvard Law School professor and leadership expert Heidi Gardner over its approach to notifying employees of layoffs. Gardner called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for sending emails to dismiss employees, stating that it is an unfair and “terrible” method.
Last year, Meta announced plans to downsize its workforce and dismissed 11,000 employees, which was the first time the company has downsized its workforce since its inception in 2004. Most of the affected employees received their dismissal notices via email, with some even sharing their experience on social media.
On March 15th of this year, Zuckerberg announced another round of restructuring, which employees learned about through the company blog and email. Gardner criticized this approach, stating that notifying employees of layoffs via email is treating them as expendable and disregards the value of their contribution to the company.
Gardner emphasized the importance of internal employees having a clear understanding of how their former colleagues were treated, as it reflects the company’s values and leadership. The criticism of Meta’s leadership over its email layoff notifications highlights the need for companies to consider the impact of their actions on their employees and take a more human-centered approach to restructuring.