Because layoffs can open the door to a multitude of lawsuit Follett and most large companies follow strict guidelines when making selections for layoffs. This process eliminates any perception of illegal elimination of employees.
Yes we are allowed to fired anyone “at will” we are not allowed to discriminate which is why the only thing that determined which employees were laid off was the documented criteria. Consistency across the board is mandatory. It was clearly stated that the employees selected for the November layoff would be, full-time, salaried or hourly and they were the last hired employees that met this criteria. Seniority is a very common selection method. When reducing a labor force it is very important to retain your most experienced employees. These guidelines were followed for every employee laid off. After the list of employees was compiled it was checked and double checked to make sure each and every employee met the criteria. Although some may think this is not a fair way to make the selection it is the only way to avoid any lawsuits of age, race, sex or any other type of discrimination. Any variation from documented criteria would be detrimental to any company forced to layoff a large number of employees. I hope this information helps anyone who thinks they may have been set up by their manager or co-workers.