Handling layoffs like a human

How to manage when you lose people and hope.

Layoffs have become part of the new reality in tech.

You never know when you or someone on your team might get a meeting invite from an executive for an “important business update.”

As managers, we like to believe we influence all outcomes. But during layoffs, managers don’t decide who stays or goes, especially in big companies. It all comes down to targets on a spreadsheet:

“10% reduction in workforce”

And you’re suddenly left with fewer people and more problems. So what do you do?

Here’s what I learned from going through it myself as a manager.

1. Talk to the people being laid off

You’ve been their manager for months, maybe years. They deserve to hear from you.

And you should hear from them too, instead of assuming how they feel.

Most managers automatically assume everyone is devastated. Some are. But not everyone’s situation is the same. Most people will still want help finding their next opportunity.

So help them.

Exchange contact information. Offer referrals. Introduce them to hiring managers. Write recommendations. Review resumes. Share job openings.

A layoff might be a business decision for the company. But for the individual, it becomes deeply personal.

Don’t over explain or fill in the gaps beyond the communication you receive. No “I fought for you” or “I don’t agree with this decision.”

How you show up during this tough time builds your character and reputation as a manager.

2. Layoffs affect the people who stay too

One mistake leaders make is assuming layoffs only affect the people who are let go and then continue business as usual. Don’t expect your usual daily standup on that day.

The people who stay behind are shaken. Their mind is racing with questions:

• “Am I next?”

• “Are more layoffs coming?”

• “Why should I work harder if none of this feels stable?”

• “Does leadership even know what they’re doing?”

Morale drops fast. Your number one job as a manager during this period is to talk to the team.

Not perform leadership theater, but actually talk to them.

Understand how each person is processing it. Some people become hyper-practical and focus on work immediately. Others become anxious, emotional, or disengaged.

Don’t treat everyone the same. And most importantly, don’t make promises you can’t keep. You had no control and you probably don’t control what happens next either.

So be transparent. People can handle difficult news better than fake certainty.

3. Keep things moving

After layoffs, teams can feel emotionally frozen. Meetings become quieter. People hesitate to make decisions. Energy in the room disappears.

As a manager, part of your role is helping the team regain momentum.

That doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened. Give people space to process.

Hold AMAs. Let people ask uncomfortable questions. Let the team vent.

But eventually, the team needs direction again. The reality is that when teams stop delivering for long periods of time, they often become even more vulnerable during the next round of cuts.

You don’t rebuild morale by motivational speeches. You rebuild it by creating clarity, stability, and small wins again.

4. Reassess the projects

This is where reality hits. Can the team still deliver the exact same roadmap with fewer people?

Probably not. Something has to change.

Projects need to be reshuffled. Priorities need to be reevaluated. Some work needs to be dropped entirely. And there’s another hidden cost people underestimate: Knowledge loss.

The people leaving take all the context with them. Finding information becomes harder, resulting in slower pace and sometimes broken systems. Retraining takes time.

You can’t just redistribute work magically and expect zero impact. This is where managers need to think carefully about tradeoffs.

• What absolutely must continue?

• What can be delayed?

• What should be stopped altogether?

Then communicate those changes clearly upward and sideways. Stakeholders need to understand that fewer people means different outcomes. Pretending otherwise only burns out the team that remains.

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Closing Thoughts

A lot of management work is about planning, execution, and productivity. But moments like layoffs need you to tap into some other behaviors.

Be a human being. Show compassion & empathy to the people affected. Have casual conversations and slowly build up the morale of the team.

Make sure to prioritize your own physical & mental well being as well. This is also a test of your leadership. Most people haven’t had to build that “skill” yet. Given the unfortunate volatility of our industry, it’s a skill that will come in handy.

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