More than half of workers surveyed by ZipRecruiter said they would return to a company that laid them off if given the chance, due in part to how that company behaved during layoffs.
How did companies behave? Close to 60% of workers said they were told about layoffs in person — and only 16% of those workers said it was in a group setting, according to the March 2 report. Of the 42% who were told virtually, 13% were told via phone call and 12% via email. Only 4% were told via video call.
Just over a fifth said they received career advising or job search assistance, while 1 in 3 received some form of severance pay, averaging about 16 weeks’ pay — far exceeding the median unemployment duration of nine weeks, ZipRecruiter said.
Laid-off workers are also having little trouble finding a new position, the data showed. More than half of workers who were laid off in December or January reported having a new job by the end of January, though not always at the same rate of pay as their old position.
Other reports have signaled that laid-off workers remain confident about their ability to find a job amid a market that has yet to display signs of a recession setting in. A Monster survey released in January found that 92% of employers surveyed said they plan to hire this year, with close to half back filling roles.
Employers that lay off employees can ensure workers are treated respectfully by prioritizing transparent communication, treating workers with empathy and using their networks to connect workers with new opportunities, where available.