Shopify announced it would lay off about 10 percent of its workforce, and the company chose to do this via an impersonal method: email.
First, CEO Tobias Lütke sent an email to the whole company, signed tobi, which informed employees to look out for a second email that would tell them Shopify had eliminated their position.
This is not how you lay off employees. This is not how you treat people who have worked for you–some for many years. One former Shopify Talent Sourcing Manager posted on LinkedIn that
It’s been a tough week for so many incredible people. On Tuesday, I also learned (via email) that I had been laid-off from Shopify, along with my entire team. I’m still feeling the punch to the gut, but will join in sharing my update.
Almost all layoffs come like a punch to the gut, but it can be even worse when they come via email. I asked Shopify spokesperson to clarify if people were really told via email, and she simply directed me back to tobi’s email.
To keep reading, click here: Shopify Does Something No Business Should Ever Do: Fire via Email
I have a better story. I had been hired over one dinner by the president of a small tech start-up. His three year-old boy was running between the tables. We discussed normal dinner topics, Finite Element Analysis and marketing. His 8 month pregnant wife could not chase the boy. During the president’s first vacation in years with wife, son and new son in tow, the board of directors held an emergency meeting and fired the president via conference call. As I was not an “approved” hire, I was terminated soon after.
Very insightful and excellent analysis.