Bengaluru: Layoffs in e-commerce giant Amazon have left employees in trauma and deep in pain. Some cry in the office as the lost their first job and others desperately searching for new jobs. According to various media reports and sources, Amazon’s layoff plan will see at least 18,000 job cuts globally and nearly 1000 employees have already been impacted in India alone.
Graduates from IIT’s have also been taking up to LinkedIn seeking for job opportunities after getting laid off. The move, called “career cushioning,” involves lining up a plan B while still fully employed, especially when job cuts are imminent. This is usually done discreetly – perhaps a networking call taken during lunch, or taking the time to connect with old colleagues.
Some Amazon.com Inc. employees are taking it one step further, publicly posting that they are #OpenToWork on LinkedIn while still employed by the company. It’s all out there for everyone, including their bosses and bosses’ bosses, to see.
One such Amazonian is Kayla Look, a recruiting coordinator. In an interview, Look said her anxiety was running high when layoffs were announced in November: The holidays were coming up, she had just graduated from college the year before and was in the middle of planning a wedding. The expenses and uncertainty were mounting.
The unease began when the Seattle-based company froze hiring a couple weeks earlier. She thought she could relax when she survived the initial round of job cuts, but when the company reported it would be slashing 18,000 jobs – rather than the initial 10,000 – the feeling of relief evaporated.
She knew it was time to be proactive. “It’s been two and a half months since the worry of being laid off first started,” she said. “I’m tired of being anxious.” Her managers don’t know any more than she does, so there’s no one to answer her questions, she said.
Amazon says it was a “difficult decision” to eliminate jobs.
“We don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted,” Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy wrote in the most recent note on the upcoming cuts, which will be especially concentrated in its People, Experience, and Technology department. “We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support.” Amazon declined to comment further.
When one of the managers on Look’s team posted that she was #OpenToWork on LinkedIn last week, it was like a green light. “She’s one of my leaders – I should follow after her if she doesn’t seem confident in our odds,” she said. “Because I’m still new to the workforce, I felt like if I do this I’m not showing loyalty and therefore I’m going to get cut. But no – it gave me reassurance that it’s ok to look out for yourself.”
The banner, which LinkedIn introduced in 2020 after Covid-19 hit, has become an increasingly common sight on the platform as layoffs ripple through the tech industry.
Even though she ultimately wants to stay at Amazon, Look has been sending out resumes.
Employees have taken to social media platforms highlighting the scenes at the office amidst layoffs. The announcement of layoffs resulted in grim scenes in the Amazon India office, including people crying as per a post shared by an employee on Grapevine, an app for Indian professionals.
