There were massive layoffs at ScrollMotion today, AGAIN one year later. As opposed to taking each person aside and asking them to leave the premises within 15 minutes like last year, this time they put on a company meeting to announce it. My appreciation for their transparency got lost when I heard that individuals being fired would receive the news by email. Additionally, I was appalled that some people only had their health insurance until the end of February -- that's two days from now.
Why did it have to be done again in such an authoritarian way, all at once with no warning? To put this in context, roughly 25 out of 120 employees last year and 15 out of 100 employees this year were fired. At no point during this past year was there any feedback or review process to indicate how well or poorly an employee was performing. Those who were fired today had no clue that may allude to their jobs were at risk.
The "fortunate" ones who still have their jobs will be stretched thin, taking on more responsibilities to fill the void. If ScrollMotion wanted to cut back on costs, rest assured, most of them will be jumping ship soon. The tremendous alienation and drop in morale was palpable. It's a good thing the HR representative kept herself from getting fired, otherwise who will process all the termination paperwork in a timely manner?
To leave on a positive note, I want to share the ONE good thing that came out of this. After many complaints were raised (and ignored by management) for sexually harassing half a dozen women, keeping a firearm in his desk, and abusing his surveillance access to invade privacy and make false accusations, this one employee was finally fired after 5+ years. This almost makes the journey worth it.