Google organized a companywide meeting on Monday, hardly three days after the company fired roughly 12,000 employees. So far, many impacted employees in the US have received a termination letter, while staff in other countries are gradually receiving the letter. During the meeting, Brian Glaser, vice president and chief talent and learning officer (HR), said (via CNBC) that no one is “immune to change in our careers.” Glaser was addressing concerns about management firing employees with over 15 years of experience at Google. Additionally, CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that top executives would get fewer bonuses in 2022.
The report indicates that existing employees expressed displeasure with the way Google fired staff last week without any prior warning. The report highlights that employees had been bracing for a potential layoff, but they wanted “answers regarding the criteria that was used to determine who would stay and who would go.” Interestingly, some of the fired employees were recently promoted.
During the meeting, Pichai said, “I understand you are worried about what comes next for your work.” also very sad about the loss of some really good colleagues across the company. For those of you outside the US, the delay in being able to make and communicate decisions about roles in your region is undoubtedly causing anxiety.
The report citing Pichai states that the CEO had consulted with founders and controlling shareholders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. The company also got 750 senior leaders involved, adding that it took a few weeks to determine who would be laid off.
Fiona Cicconi, Google’s chief people officer, clarified that the company looked at areas where the work was necessary before deciding who to fire. Cicconi reportedly added that the company “had too many people as well as places where the work itself wasn’t critical.” Google also vaguely justified the overhiring during the two years of the peak COVID-19 pandemic. Pichai said that if the company had not hired people to keep pace, it would fall behind in many areas as a company.
Despite the job cuts, it appears that Google is not entirely shying away from hiring. Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud — the company’s fastest-growing areas, said that the division is hiring in a targeted manner.
Apart from Google, Microsoft also laid off over 10,000 employees to cut costs amid uncertain macroeconomic conditions. Amazon has also fired roughly 18,000 workers in the last three months. Several Indian tech companies, such as Zomato, Dunzo, and more, are taking strict measures to limit expenses.