HR Insider’s Secrets: Here’s What Companies Aren’t Telling You About Layoffs

Shopback, PropertyGuru, Meta, eBay and Dell. These are just a handful of companies that carried out mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

What are the sure signs that a retrenchment is headed your way? How to tell if your job is safe? If you do get laid off, should you hide it from your next potential employer? We find out the answers from an HR professional who agreed to bare all the facts on condition of anonymity.

00:00 Tell-tale signs a layoff is coming
01:58 How HR decides who to lay off
03:34 Tactics to force you to resign?
04:29 Breaking the bad news
05:35 Why you shouldn’t lie about your retrenchment

Watch the #CNATalkingPoint forum special on retrenchment in Singapore, and how you can better prepare yourself should you be the next target of a layoff.

Watch more:
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Is A Recession Coming In 2024? | Money Mind | Finance

Losing Our Jobs In COVID-19: This Is Our Story | Make It Work | Part 1/3 | CNA Documentary

#CNAInsider #Singapore #Employment #Hiring #LayOffs #Retrenchment

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[deathempire]

Just remember this everyone: your company is NOT your family. And HR is as it is - you a HUMAN is a RESOURCE. Do what you need to do and you are done.

[cflorimond]

Just calling out the hypocrisy of companies expecting "integrity" from their hires when their actions clearly do not reflect that.

[far]

Him: No you don't lie in your resume if you get laid off, because you breach the value of integrity
Also him: No we don't tell the manager is laid off, we tell other employees that the manager leave for a personal reason.

[M]

Don't be loyal to your company. You can also "lay off" your employer. Follow your what is good for you, money, same as every company will do about you.

[dyVal]

HR man dislikes an applicant lying about being laid off.
But HR man or HR LIES about not telling ahead or giving enough certain time for employees to get another job.
HR man discusses layoff as part of management measure to save like $1, 000, 000 million. Sure. Right.

But HR man should change layoff announcement to earlier stage since its initial action. Coz 1 month lay off grace period is not applicable to all or enough to all to get another job.
How about submitting these changes to Labor Law?
Applies to all countries.

[ericwarncke]

Takeaway: HR can lie to you, but if you lie to them, it's a "betrayal". 😅

[Mr.MiddleClassPH]

If they are treating you as a mere HUMAN RESOURCES then just treat them as MOMEY RESOURCES. Don't give out everything to them and just meet the requirements of your job.

[BomBomm]

Companies dont have compassion.. be it rain or shine.. good or bad economy.. always constantly be on a hunt for jobs and passively apply.. you never know what can happen tomorrow

[wonderfulfable]

So, laying off employees at the lower level as part of a cost cutting measure...

How about...

Reducing the huge annual bonuses those CEO's, COO's, CFO's etc receive at the higher management level? These top management people are far removed from the situation at the bottom line; simply because "it is not me, therefore not for me to care".

I do believe that there are HR personnel who are empathetic enough to support & encourage outgoing employees during the layoff transition. But in my 18 years of being in the labour force, I have learned that HR is "never your friend", and the irresponsible HR types can go as far in gaslighting employees; by telling them they are not of value to the company.

[Jupiterxice]

Remember never stay loyal to any company or business. They are not your friends always stay 2 steps ahead of them, as well act like a free agent.

[Nick-pctf]

Nothing about 'Performance Improvement Plan' tactics to force people to leave with no severance?

[MohanRaj-vpzt]

Companies should never expect integrity from employees, as they themselves don’t care of integrity when they layoff left, right and center.

[wolf-ywwk]

lol dont lie about about getting laid off… but also…

worker: “hey where’s john the old manager?”
company: “he left for personal reasons”

[krollpeter]

He is talking fluffy bla bla. Certainly companies will look into who they think is most dispensable. Of course older people, those with more medical leave, etc., they will be first to go.

Secondly, if you leave this kind of number crunchers in responsibility for too long, I guarantee your company will disappear from the market. Been there, seen that.

[DomnulSarb]

What nonsense....corporate HR talking about "integrity".

[janicetan]

A responsible company will try not to over hire and get rid of unproductive workers immediately instead of letting them drain the company's financial resources and not contributing to the bottom line. It's better to have a lean and high performing team than to have a large staff strength with many leeches hanging around.

[MichaelHalsell]

The role of Human Resources have been thrust into a light of evaluation and scrutiny. The duality of advocating for employee needs but mainly being entrusted with advancing the organizational goals.

[vicluu]

This guy basically want people to not lie to him, but he lies to other people. This is what HR is all about.

[leewn]

3 key things to remember are: (1) All companies look at their bottom line & profit margin. That’s their top priority (2) No company will feel indebted to their staff. Neither will they be loyal to their staff! U are only a pawn and only useful to the company if u r bringing in profit for the company. (3) U r not indispensable. U can be replace with other cheaper cost staff hungry for a job.

[maynnemillares]

When my father was still in the corporate world 20 years ago, there was no HR Department.
The function of taking care of the employees well being was under the Personnel department.