On April 25, according to "Business Insider", after Meta announced that it would lay off about 8,000 people on May 20, an employee posted on the company's internal forum, "Welcome to 28 Days of Hell." As they wait to learn who will lose their jobs, Meta employees have flooded internal forums with similar posts, many filled with anxiety, dark humor and questions.


Zuckerberg

"Now that the layoffs have been confirmed, how do you motivate yourself to continue working in the next month?" a user asked in a post on the anonymous workplace application Blind, which is only open to Meta employees.

Another person replied: "The way I motivate myself is to do something that can be put on my resume and help me find my next job in the future, haha."

The layoffs were finally officially announced

Meta said in a memo sent to employees on Thursday that because the relevant news had been leaked in advance, the company disclosed some details of the layoffs earlier than usual. Meta plans to lay off approximately 10% of its workforce next month and close 6,000 open positions.

“I know this will leave everyone in a state of uncertainty for close to a month, which is an extremely unsettling feeling,” wrote Janelle Gale, Meta’s chief people officer.

For some Meta employees, the company's leadership's admission that layoffs would be coming brought a sense of relief. An employee who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter said that since the layoffs have been widely discussed internally, this official announcement will help alleviate some uncertainty.

One heavily liked comment on Gale’s internal post was a picture of an elephant, alluding to the fact that leadership was finally “facing the elephant in the room” (i.e., a long-avoided but obvious issue). Reuters first reported in March that Meta was planning large-scale layoffs, and employees have been speculating for weeks since.

“The elephant is finally being looked at!” another employee commented. Someone else posted a picture of an envelope that read, "Attn: Elephant," teasing the company for finally speaking out about the previously shunned layoffs.

Anxiety in the past month

Some employees said that it would take nearly a month to know who would be laid off, which made people anxious. Someone posted that this was his first week at the company. "I may have to say goodbye," he wrote.

Another employee told Business Insider that since it was unclear which teams would be affected by the layoffs, this official announcement only increased the pressure on them to deliver results in the next month.

“I’m a little stressed thinking about the results I have to achieve in the next month.” He said.

Although the pressure is heightened, this is not the first time the employee has experienced company layoffs. The employee said they would be working as usual, preparing for the worst and trying to make the most of the next month while waiting for further news.

"No matter what the leadership says, I have acquiesced that I only have two months left before being laid off, so I will work as usual." The employee said. Can

stocks vest?

Employees also left comments on Gale’s internal post with questions. Someone asked whether Meta employees would get the shares that vested on August 15 as part of some employee compensation packages. Gale responded that the affected employees' separation dates would be before the stock vesting dates in August and therefore would not be available.

"By the time the layoff notice was issued, the stock vesting date of May 15 had just passed. Depending on the location, some employees would have remained on staff beyond the vesting date of August 15," Gale wrote. Another employee thanked her for the clarification.

Some employees have asked whether there will be restrictions on business travel during the week of May 20. "We will not be restricting travel company-wide. Vice presidents will share specific arrangements for their teams," Gale responded.

Staying may not be a good thing

On Blind’s Meta employee section, some users asked why Meta cannot provide voluntary severance compensation. Microsoft on Thursday offered one-time early retirement buyouts to thousands of long-term employees, and Google has offered similar arrangements to employees at some organizations.

Many posts on the platform are from users asking which teams may be affected by layoffs.

One user said in a longer post that "surviving" a layoff is not necessarily a good thing.

"I feel more anxious about surviving this round of layoffs." He wrote, looking back at the multiple rounds of layoffs the company has experienced since 2022.

“Because we all know that for those of us left behind, things will only get worse, with more work on our shoulders and other aspects of this sad, fear-filled company that are deteriorating,” they wrote.