Google employee says layoffs were not performance-based

If you think that layoffs are based on performance and that the highest performers in a company get to keep their jobs, that is not necessarily the case always. According a Google India employee’s LinkedIn post, the recent layoffs in the company, even those in India, were not based on how well an employee performed as people with highest ratings and recent promotions had also been fired by the company. The employee further adds that those who got to keep their jobs were not necessarily better than the people who were laid off by Google.

Google layoffs were not performance-based, says employee
The employee, in his post, writes, “Gentle reminder that the Google layoffs, including 450+ in India, were not performance-based. The people who managed to stay (including me) are not necessarily better than those laid off. People I personally know, with the highest ratings and recent promotions, are amongst the ones laid off. And yes, they will add value to your team.”

Women refers to Google’s financial incentives at Golden Handcuffs
Recently, a former Google employee had referred to the company’s financial incentives as ‘Golden Handcuffs’ that made it hard to quit her job. The woman was with Google for over 15 years and one morning she had woken up to the news of no longer being a part of the tech giant.

Jennifer Vaden Barth, who was also amongst the 12,000 people laid off by the company, had shared her story on LinkedIn about a month ago. Recently, Jennifer spoke to Business Insider and said that the layoffs were like ‘breaking out of golden handcuffs’.

Jennifer, while speaking to the publication, said that even though layoffs were hard to deal with, she was ‘partially to blame’ as she stayed at the company for over 15 years, which is a very long time. She also said that Google was holding her back and offered ‘golden handcuffs’ that made quitting her job more difficult. By golden handcuffs, as per the Insider report, Jennifer is referring to the various financial incentives that Google offers its employees.

“You get kind of comfortable in a track, in a lane, and you were trying to just speed up in that lane instead of being willing to really try new things,” she said and added, “Of course, part of that is life and having responsibilities with family and children and all those good things that keep you from doing that.” IndiaToday