Laid off via email, former Google employees in Singapore say a more human touch 'would have been nice'

SINGAPORE: When Tom (not his real name) woke up on Friday (Feb 17) morning, he tried to check his emails as was his usual habit. But he realised he had lost access to his work account.

That was how he found out he had been laid off by his employer – global tech giant Google.

He said there appeared to be a trend of the dreaded email landing late at night, but after weeks of being on tenterhooks, he decided he could not keep staying up to wait for the notification.

The retrenchment email was “very standard”, talking about the current situation and how the company had to make difficult decisions, he said.

“A more human aspect would have been nice, rather than access being cut off,” he told CNA.

“A conversation would be nice, but it would be equally frustrating if they cannot answer my questions,” added Tom, who referred to himself as a long-time Google employee.

An estimated 190 Google employees in Singapore were laid off last Thursday night and some employees said they were notified by email. 

Google's parent company Alphabet announced in January that it was cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide, or about 6 per cent of its workforce.

Mr Lucian Teo, who was laid off after eight years in the company, also said a “more human touch” would have been better, though the email was “very well structured” and included the necessary instructions.

“I don’t begrudge them at all,” he said, adding that he understands the need to communicate the news quickly to everyone affected.

“From a (communications) perspective, I think everything was handled quite well,” said Mr Teo, 46, who worked in the philanthropic arm of Google.

He said he happened to have a call with his team scheduled about 10 minutes after receiving the email.

“We managed to catch up, say proper goodbyes to (his manager) and the team as well,” he said.

“We spent some time thinking about the good moments we had. That was a really positive farewell for me.”

LAYOFFS ACROSS TENURES, TEAMS, ROLES

Both Mr Teo and Tom said they believed the company had a method and rationale for deciding which roles to cut, but that from their point of view, it seemed "a bit random".

Tom said the people who were laid off came from different teams and that they had been with Google for varying lengths of time.

There has been no explanation about the decision to lay off certain people, he said, adding that he knew of top performers who were retrenched.

“I’m guessing there is some method, but it can seem a bit random,” he said.

Mr Teo said he was not clear why certain roles were cut but understands the need to reduce costs.

“I don’t seek closure, I don’t need a reason, I just need to kind of move on,” he said.

SEVERANCE PACKAGE “COMPARABLE” TO US OFFER

Mr Teo said he is happy with the severance package offered by Google, but declined to provide details.

“It gives me some fuel to look for the next thing,” he said. “My family and I are quite pleased with it.”

Tom said there was “not much to complain about” and that the package was “pretty good”.

The severance package is comparable with what is offered to employees in the United States, he said.

According to a memo by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, those who were laid off in the US were offered 16 weeks' salary plus two weeks for every additional year at Google.

Retrenchment benefits are not mandatory in Singapore. The recommended range is two weeks to one month of salary for each year of service, for employees who have been with the company for at least two years.

According to the CEO's note, employees in the US will also get paid their bonuses for 2022 and for any remaining leave days.

Beyond the financial support, Tom also said Google has provided other avenues of help, including counselling, job placement and advice for those who are on work visas.

“Google does these things pretty well,” he said, adding that he would use some of the services.

Mr Teo said the support offered goes "above and beyond" what other companies might offer, which he felt was in line with the "Google culture to take care of people".

“NOT THE END OF THE WORLD”

Tom said that people who were laid off after working at Google for a long time may find it difficult to imagine life after they leave the company, and he was personally trying to keep things “as normal as possible” while coping with the change.

He said he hoped others who were retrenched know that there is a lot of help available and they should reach out if they need it.

“I want to remind people that it’s not the end of the world,” he said.

Mr Teo said he was feeling upbeat and optimistic after getting over the initial shock of retrenchment.

“We’ve done really amazing things, it’s as good a time as any to move on to the next chapter,” he said, adding that he plans to work on some projects to serve the community.

He said people still working at Google are happy to stay connected and that the community of former employees is there to help those who lost their jobs.