Google employees scramble to respond to longtime and recently promoted employees after layoffs

Google employees are scrambling for answers from leadership and colleagues as the company embarks on a massive layoff.

on Friday, Alphabet-Owned by Google announced It was cutting 12,000 employees, roughly 6% of the full-time workforce. while the staff were bracing As for the potential layoffs, they are questioning leadership about the layoff criteria, which caught some employees by surprise, who woke up to find their access to company assets cut off. Some of the laid-off employees had been employed for a long time or had recently been promoted, raising questions about the criteria used to decide whose jobs were cut.

Shortly after CEO Sundar Pichai’s initial email to employees on Friday morning, Google search boss Prabhakar Raghavan sent an email to employees saying he “also feels a responsibility to reach out” and to field questions for next week’s town hall. asking to save. Raghavan said that as the organization goes ahead with the layoffs, there will be “hurdles in the way”.

The company provided an FAQ for the layoffs, which has been viewed by CNBC, but employees have complained that it doesn’t provide much detail on many of the answers. Employees have flooded Dori, the company’s platform to ask questions, and have set up virtual communities to find out who has been laid off and why. The director is asking staff to submit questions for next week’s town hall.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The melee highlights the challenges Google may face in maintaining a supportive and productive company culture for its restive workforce of more than 160,000 full-time employees. Further conflicts are possible, as the company said it plans to lay off international employees, but has yet to determine which ones.

So far in the US, layoffs have taken place across all business units, including Chrome, Cloud and its pilot area 120 units. Some employees working on the company’s artificial intelligence program have also been removed. Bloomberg,

A list of top-rated inquiries from employees viewed by CNBC included candid questions for executives.

“How were the layoffs decided? Some high performers were let go from our teams,” read one top-rated question. “This negatively affects the remaining Googlers who see someone with high recognition, positive reviews, promos but still is put out of business.”

“What metrics were used to determine who was laid off?” read another top rated question. “Was the decision based on their performance, scope, or both, or something else?”

Another asked: “How much runway are we expecting to gain from the layoffs?” and “Will you please explain clearly what the layoffs allow Google to do that Google could not do without the layoffs?”

Another high-ranking figure questioned CEO Sundar Pichai’s statement, saying, “I take full responsibility for the decisions that got us where we are.”

An employee asked Dory, “What does it mean to take full responsibility?” “Accountability without consequences sounds like a hollow thing. Is leadership skipping bonuses and pay raises this year? Will anyone come down?”

Some employees came together on their own, organizing ad hoc groups to try to find answers. The employees created a Google Docs spreadsheet as a way to keep track of who was laid off and what part of the business they worked in.

More than 5,000 laid-off workers started a Discord channel called Google following the layoffs, covering topics ranging from exits to labor organizing and visa immigration. Some employees held virtual Google meetings with people on video calls. Others tried to organize physical meetings.

Some turned to the company’s internal meme-generator as a means to connect with each other, for answers, and for comfort.

Mila Kunis from the movie “Friends with Benefits” is featured in a meme. Speaking to the Google logo, Kunis said: “The sad thing is I really thought you were different.” Another meme depicts former President Bill Clinton pointing to the word “zero” with the title “Leadership Packet”.

Alphabet workers union-CWA executive president Parul Kaul said in a statement on Friday: “While the Alphabet leadership claims ‘full responsibility’ for the decision, it is little relief to the 12,000 employees who are now jobless.” Huh.” ,This is disgusting and unacceptable behavior from a company that made $17 billion in profit in the last quarter alone.