Laying off employees turns out to be infectious. And that makes it all the more insidious.
Indeed, these tech layoffs (as well as a recent round of media layoffs, I should add) are what the Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, an expert on organizational behavior, has termed “copycat layoffs.”
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A better copycat trend would be for firms to proactively and aggressively avoid layoffs, as they did before becoming enthralled with “lean” management practices and focused on near-term returns in the 1970s. “Decades ago, layoffs were exceptional and done only in the face of pretty severe economic contractions,” Pfeffer told me. “You want to treat people like you treat any of your assets. Don’t hire and fire based on short-term considerations.” Or better yet, think about picking workers up when other firms are putting them down.
Such a great article! --> https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/why-are-layoffs-contagious/673021/