Repercussions And Concerns With The Recent Workforce Changes On Twitter
Elon Musk acquired Twitter for a whopping 44 Billion USD and has taken charge of the giant social media platform. As to recent reports, Elon Musk has fired the Twitter board and has declared he will serve as CEO in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
This is a massive change, especially for a social media company as huge and recognizable as Twitter. Their brand name recognition alone can tell you how much of a cultural impact the platform has on its 200 million active users.
While the acquisition itself is trending in the news, one of the standout aspects of the recent events is the mass layoff of thousands of employees.
How Many Twitter Employees Did Elon Musk Layoff?
While there was no statement on how far the layoffs will go, it has been stated that the company—that Elon Musk is now in charge of—plans to reduce the Twitter workforce by half.
Using these numbers, it falls to about 3,700 jobs lost. This is reportedly a cost-cutting strategy for the company.
Did Twitter Employees Get Fired By Email?
If done right and in compliance with the law, employers are free to do layoffs. The issue with the layoffs is not only its scale, but how the company did it.
Twitter employees were reportedly fired without notice over email and Slack. In some cases, employees were locked out of work-related accounts. Criticisms of the company's recent layoffs are centered around the lack of notice before employees were let go.
Why is Elon Musk Laying Off Twitter Employees?
Musk has said the main reason for the layoffs was that Twitter's workforce was too large. The new chief executive of Twitter has also said there's too much emphasis on content moderation, platform safety, and marketing.
As mentioned, these layoffs were said to be for cost-cutting. The company is essentially "sizing down" with these layoffs. Twitter's Ad department seems to be the least affected by the recent layoffs.
Are Former Twitter Employees Getting Severance Pay?
Severance pay is given to employees who have been involuntarily separated or removed from employment. As for former Twitter employees, they're given three months of severance pay. That amounts to 50% more than required.
Should Elon Musk Have Sent Out Notices Before Laying Off Employees?
The WARN Act mandates that companies with more than 100 employees give their staff 60 days' written notice before a mass layoff or business closure.
If the employer fails to give notice, they must pay employees.
What Is The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act?
The WARN Act mandates advance notice of job loss to provide employees enough time to find new employment or pursue training in a different field.
If your employer fails to provide you the notice you are entitled to, you may be entitled to the back pay and benefits you would have accrued over those 60 days if the layoff had not occurred.
Are Former Employees Suing Twitter For The Layoffs?
A few former Twitter employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the company. As of recent reports, five employees joined in to open a class action lawsuit. One of the five has stated that they were fired without notice or severance.
If true, then Twitter will have violated policies under the WARN Act. That said, the lawyer suing Elon Musk has said that the new CEO is trying to comply.
What Has Twitter Done Recently Regarding The Layoffs?
According to Bloomberg, Twitter management is now trying to get recently laid-off employees to come back. There have reportedly been mistakes made, as employees who are still needed in the company were laid off by mistake.
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