The so-called “new normal” of remote and hybrid work has made life easier for employees and employers alike. Employees z have to worry about commuting, employers don’t have geographic boundaries on their hiring pools.
Remote work has the downside, however, of making workplaces more impersonal. But some companies have taken that impersonal nature to its extreme.
At the start of the pandemic in 2020, electric scooter company Bird laid off more than 400 employees in a two-minute, pre-recorded Zoom call. In December 2021, mortgage company Better.com fired 900 workers over Zoom. In June 2022, Carvana dumped 2,500 employees via group Zoom calls and mass emails.
Mass layoffs and firings have always happened in corporate America. But the proliferation of remote work has emboldened organizations to use technology to do the dirty work. These mass firings via Zoom are even more callous than the kind of third-party consultant firings satirized in Office Space and Up in the Air and, unsurprisingly, have attracted terrible press.
As an individual, you might think firing people via Zoom, social media, or email is obviously a bad idea. But in the business world, it can feel more efficient and less awkward to utilize technology to handle an uncomfortable task. We’re here to remind you why virtual mass firings are an unwise idea for at least four key reasons:
1. It generates bad press
Just look at the links above. These are just scratching the surface of the terrible press these companies received for their actions. Business leaders at each found themselves issuing public apologies and navigating PR nightmares, which is the last thing you want when your company is struggling enough to have layoffs in the first place. The cost savings a company sees may be offset by the reputational damage they incur.
Remember, people talk. Zoom videos are easy to record. Those recordings can make it onto social media platforms, and employees can take them to the press.
2. It can impact morale and hiring
Firing people in groups or without a direct conversation are both bad ideas for corporations, and Zoom firing often does both. This lack of personal touch feels unjust to fired employees and can have far-reaching consequences.
For one, the employees you don’t lay off will inevitably hear about the virtual firing. That can cause serious morale problems and impact your company culture. Second, careers are long and industries can be comparatively small. You never know when you might cross paths with somebody you fired virtually and find they’re unwilling to work with you. Or the bad image you’ve cultivated deters other qualified candidates from considering you as an employer.
Or the tables may be completely turned, as you’re one day having to rely on a person who’d been Zoom-fired as part of your own job search or performance review process.
3. It creates unnecessary complexity
Firing people on Zoom, social media, or email isn’t as cut and dry as a “you’re fired.” If there are technical issues, people may miss a group layoff meeting or miss specific information related to their severance or next steps.
Forcing people to ask an HR person if they were just fired because the message wasn’t clear is a terrible look and the kind of thing that will earn a company a poor reputation.
Additionally, virtual firings could create legal issues. If employees are located in different states than corporate headquarters, they’re subject to different laws. They may be entitled to more notice or a different process, so even if it feels expedient, firing people remotely may lead to lawsuits. You should always seek legal counsel before letting anyone go, but especially if they’re located in a different part of the country.
4. It causes follow-up challenges
Many managers and decision-makers want to go through layoffs or firings as quickly and painlessly as possible. This is selfish. People are losing their livelihoods and the least an organization can do is be clear, straightforward, and prepared to make the termination process seamless.
With virtual firings, especially group ones, there are far too many question marks. Whether it’s a Zoom call or a press release, or video posted on social media, when you don’t engage directly with employees you’re going to receive a lot of angry blowback. Plus a slew of questions from employees who don’t understand why they’ve been fired or even how they’re supposed to be offboarded from the company.
With virtual firings, especially group ones, there are far too many question marks.
Many organizations use virtual firing methods to make themselves less available to those losing their jobs, which is exactly what you shouldn’t do. You need to be more available to facilitate offboarding, respond to any press inquiries, and protect your company’s financial and intellectual assets.
Treating employees with dignity and decency
One might think it’s obvious that firing mass numbers of employees via Zoom or social media is a bad idea. And yet, virtual firings are still a consistent feature of the remote working world.
This isn’t to say that conducting offboardings using Zoom is out of the question. In a business world where remote and hybrid work is a growing reality, in-person dismissals can be impractical. But conducting them as one-on-one video calls will avoid the headaches we’ve mentioned above, and help you improve you reputation as an employer that values its human capital even as you let people go.
Your employees deserve to be treated with dignity, and your organization deserves to have its reputation protected. When you fire people via mass Zoom calls or social media, you’re failing on both fronts.
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