Layoffs often conjure up visions of workers marching out of the office carrying a cardboard box stuffed with trinkets. But in a remote work world, it might just mean rolling out of bed to find an email that you never need to return to the office and then simply going back to sleep.
That's been the case for thousands of workers who have been put on the chopping block within the past year; as layoffs continue to roll through the workplace due to rocketing interest rates, recession fears, and overhiring during the pandemic, more companies are encouraging people to work from home when they announce job cuts.
PepsiCo reportedly did as much when it conducted a round of layoffs last year. Google took the same route in January when letting go of 12,000 employees over email, encouraging workers to work from home to “absorb this difficult news.” And earlier this week, McDonald’s told its U.S. and some of its international corporate staff to work from home for three days so it can deliver layoff messages remotely.
