Traumatising lay-off experience - Graphic Designer Superside Employee Review

2.0
2 June 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Diversity in projects - Somewhat flexible - Working on projects from all over the world - Constant training - Friendly co-workers, positive energy and willingness to listen & learn

Cons

Their "laying-off process" was one of the most traumatising experiences I have ever had in my career life. Abruptly, we received a mere day's notice, delivered through a cold Slack direct message, informing the unfortunate 10% of the company that their positions were being eliminated. Astonishingly, it was the "Care" team responsible for delivering this news, a team presumed to possess exceptional knowledge of human psychology and mental well-being. Yet, they chose to convey it in an utterly inhumane manner. A more compassionate approach, such as a conference call with the CEO personally explaining the situation to the affected employees, would have made a world of difference. Instead, we awoke to a message promising support, followed by the harsh reality that we would be out of a job the very next day. I understand why the layoffs had to happen, I understand this is happening in the tech industry as a whole, but where does human decency go during tough times? I was incredibly disappointed in how they went about it, and not even on the financial impacts this may have (as I wasn't driven by money) - But the mental impact. I really do hope the rest of the 10% is taking the time to heal from this experience, and to learn that not all career experiences can be this fickle.

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Superside Response
3y
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback! We understand that the experience impacted you negatively and we are very sorry for how you felt and still feel. We understand that the laying-off process left you feeling upset and disappointed, and we'd like to address your concerns. As indeed 77 people were affected and this involved a considerable number of timezones, we orchestrated the process so that the CEO would send a general message between 10 and 20 minutes after everyone who was affected had received notice via a DM (which included the department leader in copy). It would've made sense for the Department Leaders to send these messages themselves but for logistical reasons we asked People Care to do it. We thought this was the most fair approach as it ensured everyone got the message at the very same time, and there would be no speculation or uncertainty (i.e: "I've been added to a call with the CEO later today, I see not everyone is invited, I wonder what it is, is it going to be bad news?") , but it is clear that this approach (while minimizing worries/uncertainty) felt abrupt, impersonal, and harsh which is something we are reflecting upon and working on as a company. In hindsight, a conference call or a more personal approach could have provided a greater sense of support and understanding during this challenging time and that might have been preferable vs avoiding some feelings of uncertainty for a few hours. We did hold a town hall for everyone who stayed later that day where the CEO did a deeper retrospective & shared all of our plans for the future, but we felt like people who had been affected by this decision would not be in the mood for a forward looking call like that. We take this piece of feedback seriously and will strive to learn from this situation, ensuring that we handle similar circumstances with greater empathy and care in the future. We hope that, despite this difficult experience, you will remember the positive aspects of your time with Superside and that your future career experiences will be more fulfilling and stable. Thank you for your honesty and for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. We wish you the very best in your adventures!

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