Outdoor Voices' layoffs via Slack ‘lack basic empathy,’ says expert: 'May only exacerbate the anxiety'

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Outdoor Voices told employees on Wednesday that they were laid off via Slack. Here's how leaders should relay the news instead, says an executive coach.

Athletic apparel brand Outdoor Voices is just the latest in a long line of companies to conduct mass layoffs — and "totally mishandle" them, says a leadership expert.

"These approaches, especially laying off folks over Slack, lack basic empathy for the employees' contributions and may only exacerbate the anxiety and shock people are feeling," Verma told CNBC Make It via email. "When possible, the message should be delivered by a real human, ideally the person's manager or an HR representative," Verma says. "Finding out about a layoff via an automated, impersonal, cryptic notification like an email or Slack message is not the most empathetic way to deliver bad news it certainly can be most efficient."While it doesn't entirely mitigate the blow, this approach can demonstrate authenticity and sensitivity, according to Heidi K.

 

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