Google’s parent company Alphabet announced on Friday that it will lay off 12,000 employees as part of a restructuring process. As Google joins the list of big tech companies to resort to mass layoffs in the current economic scenario, a woman about to go on maternity leave wondered how she would react to the news that she was one of the employees going on maternity leave. I shared a description of how I dealt with it. She was affected by layoffs by Google.
Citing changing economic realities, Alphabet has announced layoffs of 12,000 employees. Job cuts account for nearly 6% of the company’s total workforce.
The layoffs appeared to be structural rather than performance-based, as program manager Catherine Wong said she was fired even after “positive performance reviews.”
“The first thing that came to my mind was ‘Why me? Why now?’. It was difficult to process and digest. Especially the news that came after a positive performance review. As a PgM, my first instinct was to have a plan, and obviously this is one of the most difficult projects ever. The timing was really bad, so it was processed. At 34 weeks pregnant and going into a few months of maternity leave, it’s almost impossible for me to find a job.
For months, the company refrained from moving down the ranks as tech giants such as Amazon.com, Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. laid off thousands of employees. In a message to employees announcing the job cuts, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the job cuts were a way for the company to increase its focus on artificial intelligence.
“People are worried about my baby and my health. I have a little baby that needs to be taken care of, so I wasn’t ruled by negative emotions, but I couldn’t control my trembling hands. I have mixed feelings..I love #Google and especially my team #GoogleDomains because we feel like family.My team still has my back. I am proud to work with a team like Startup.We are one of the few companies with positive business growth during these difficult times,” Wong wrote. I’m here.
“I would love to be able to #opentowork, but the reality is that I need to focus on the final part of my pregnancy journey and make sure my baby comes into the world safe and sound. I know I will be fine and I will do my best to achieve that,” she added.
To soften the blow, Google has announced that affected employees will receive six months of medical care, job placement services, and immigration support. Workers outside the United States will be supported in line with local practices.
“The fact that these changes affect the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me,” Pichai said. “I take full responsibility for the decisions that have brought us here.
Pichai said the cuts “bring a clearer focus” on priorities, including artificial intelligence. “Constraints in some areas allow us to bet big in others,” he said.
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