layoff-announcement

Layoff Announcement Skill

Layoff communications are read three ways at once: by the people losing their jobs, by the people keeping them, and — later — by lawyers and journalists. This skill writes the set that survives all three readings: direct about the decision, generous about the people, precise about the logistics, and free of the euphemisms ("right-sizing," "streamlining our journey") that insult everyone equally.

What This Skill Produces

• The leader's all-hands script — the decision, the reason, the ownership, the logistics
• The affected-employee message — what happens next, with every date and contact
• The remaining-team message — honest about the gap between relief and grief
• Manager talking points + FAQ — for the conversations after the meeting
• The external/press statement — two paragraphs, no spin

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• The facts: how many, which teams, why (real reason), what severance/support is offered
• The sequence and timing — who learns when; same-day individual notifications?
• Who owns the decision — the script's speaker must own it, not "the business"
• Legal constraints — jurisdiction notice rules (e.g., mass-layoff notification laws), anything counsel flagged; mark as [counsel review] where relevant

Framework

1. Decision first, in sentence one or two — every minute of preamble converts anxiety to contempt. "Today we are eliminating N roles" beats any warm-up ever written.
2. The reason is real or absent: if it's a bet that failed, say the bet failed. Ownership language ("I made the decision") — never "roles were impacted" as if weather did it.
3. Generosity is specifics: severance weeks, healthcare dates, equity treatment, references policy, job-search support — numbers and dates, not "generous packages."
4. The two audiences split fast: affected people need logistics and dignity; the remaining team needs honesty about workload and the answer to "is this the last one?" (answer it truthfully or say why you can't promise).
5. Sequencing is ethics: individuals before the all-hands, all-hands before external, external same day (the leak clock starts at the first notification). The output states the sequence.

Output Format

Layoff Communications Set: [date]

Sequence: [timed order of every message below]

1. Leader's all-hands script

[Decision in sentence 1–2 · the real reason · ownership · what affected people receive (specifics) · what happens for the remaining team · no Q&A dodge: "I'll stay as long as there are questions"]

2. To affected employees

[Every date: last day, pay, healthcare, equity, references contact · [counsel review] markers where terms interact with agreements]

3. To the remaining team

[The honest version: what changes, what doesn't, the workload truth, the is-this-the-last-one answer]

4. Manager talking points + FAQ

[The 8 hardest questions with real answers, including "why them and not X"— answered by process, never by comparison]

5. External statement

[Two paragraphs: the fact, the care taken. No strategy triumphalism on layoff day.]

Quality Checks

• The decision lands in the first two sentences of every message
• Ownership language throughout — a named human made this decision
• Every support item is a number or a date
• The sequence is stated and individuals precede groups
• Zero euphemisms — read it once hunting only for them
• [counsel review] marks anything touching legal terms

Anti-Patterns

• Do not warm up to the news — preamble is cruelty with better manners
• Do not say "impacted roles" — people, named as people, in active voice
• Do not celebrate strategy in the same breath ("this positions us for growth") — there's a room full of people it didn't position
• Do not promise "no more layoffs" unless it's true — the second breach costs all remaining trust
• Do not outsource the hard questions to HR in the all-hands — the decider answers, or the script failed