Layoff Announcement Skill
Layoff communications are read three ways at once: by the people losing their jobs, by the people keeping them, and — later — by lawyers and journalists. This skill writes the set that survives all three readings: direct about the decision, generous about the people, precise about the logistics, and free of the euphemisms ("right-sizing," "streamlining our journey") that insult everyone equally.
What This Skill Produces
- The leader's all-hands script — the decision, the reason, the ownership, the logistics
- The affected-employee message — what happens next, with every date and contact
- The remaining-team message — honest about the gap between relief and grief
- Manager talking points + FAQ — for the conversations after the meeting
- The external/press statement — two paragraphs, no spin
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The facts: how many, which teams, why (real reason), what severance/support is offered
- The sequence and timing — who learns when; same-day individual notifications?
- Who owns the decision — the script's speaker must own it, not "the business"
- Legal constraints — jurisdiction notice rules (e.g., mass-layoff notification laws), anything counsel flagged; mark as [counsel review] where relevant
Framework
- Decision first, in sentence one or two — every minute of preamble converts anxiety to contempt. "Today we are eliminating N roles" beats any warm-up ever written.
- The reason is real or absent: if it's a bet that failed, say the bet failed. Ownership language ("I made the decision") — never "roles were impacted" as if weather did it.
- Generosity is specifics: severance weeks, healthcare dates, equity treatment, references policy, job-search support — numbers and dates, not "generous packages."
- The two audiences split fast: affected people need logistics and dignity; the remaining team needs honesty about workload and the answer to "is this the last one?" (answer it truthfully or say why you can't promise).
- Sequencing is ethics: individuals before the all-hands, all-hands before external, external same day (the leak clock starts at the first notification). The output states the sequence.
Output Format
Layoff Communications Set: [date]
Sequence: [timed order of every message below]
1. Leader's all-hands script
[Decision in sentence 1–2 · the real reason · ownership · what affected people receive (specifics) · what happens for the remaining team · no Q&A dodge: "I'll stay as long as there are questions"]
2. To affected employees
[Every date: last day, pay, healthcare, equity, references contact · [counsel review] markers where terms interact with agreements]
3. To the remaining team
[The honest version: what changes, what doesn't, the workload truth, the is-this-the-last-one answer]
4. Manager talking points + FAQ
[The 8 hardest questions with real answers, including "why them and not X"— answered by process, never by comparison]
5. External statement
[Two paragraphs: the fact, the care taken. No strategy triumphalism on layoff day.]
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
1---2name: layoff-announcement3description: Write the layoff communications a leader has to get right once — the all-hands script, the affected/unaffected messages, and the external note, without corporate euphemism or legal risk. Use when asked to write a layoff announcement, communicate a RIF, tell the team about job cuts, or draft the difficult all-hands. Produces the full comms set: leader script, same-hour messages for affected and remaining staff, manager talking points, and the external statement — sequenced.4---5
6# Layoff Announcement Skill
7
8Layoff communications are read three ways at once: by the people losing their jobs, by the people keeping them, and — later — by lawyers and journalists. This skill writes the set that survives all three readings: direct about the decision, generous about the people, precise about the logistics, and free of the euphemisms ("right-sizing," "streamlining our journey") that insult everyone equally.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **The leader's all-hands script** — the decision, the reason, the ownership, the logistics
13- **The affected-employee message** — what happens next, with every date and contact
14- **The remaining-team message** — honest about the gap between relief and grief
15- **Manager talking points + FAQ** — for the conversations after the meeting
16- **The external/press statement** — two paragraphs, no spin
17
18## Required Inputs
19
20Ask for these if not provided:
21- **The facts:** how many, which teams, why (real reason), what severance/support is offered
22- **The sequence and timing** — who learns when; same-day individual notifications?
23- **Who owns the decision** — the script's speaker must own it, not "the business"
24- **Legal constraints** — jurisdiction notice rules (e.g., mass-layoff notification laws), anything counsel flagged; mark as [counsel review] where relevant
25
26## Framework
27
281. **Decision first, in sentence one or two** — every minute of preamble converts anxiety to contempt. "Today we are eliminating N roles" beats any warm-up ever written.
292. **The reason is real or absent:** if it's a bet that failed, say the bet failed. Ownership language ("I made the decision") — never "roles were impacted" as if weather did it.
303. **Generosity is specifics:** severance weeks, healthcare dates, equity treatment, references policy, job-search support — numbers and dates, not "generous packages."
314. **The two audiences split fast:** affected people need logistics and dignity; the remaining team needs honesty about workload and the answer to "is this the last one?" (answer it truthfully or say why you can't promise).
325. **Sequencing is ethics:** individuals before the all-hands, all-hands before external, external same day (the leak clock starts at the first notification). The output states the sequence.
33
34## Output Format
35
36# Layoff Communications Set: [date]
37**Sequence:** [timed order of every message below]
38
39## 1. Leader's all-hands script
40[Decision in sentence 1–2 · the real reason · ownership · what affected people receive (specifics) · what happens for the remaining team · no Q&A dodge: "I'll stay as long as there are questions"]
41
42## 2. To affected employees
43[Every date: last day, pay, healthcare, equity, references contact · [counsel review] markers where terms interact with agreements]
44
45## 3. To the remaining team
46[The honest version: what changes, what doesn't, the workload truth, the is-this-the-last-one answer]
47
48## 4. Manager talking points + FAQ
49[The 8 hardest questions with real answers, including "why them and not X"— answered by process, never by comparison]
50
51## 5. External statement
52[Two paragraphs: the fact, the care taken. No strategy triumphalism on layoff day.]
53
54## Quality Checks
55
56- [ ] The decision lands in the first two sentences of every message
57- [ ] Ownership language throughout — a named human made this decision
58- [ ] Every support item is a number or a date
59- [ ] The sequence is stated and individuals precede groups
60- [ ] Zero euphemisms — read it once hunting only for them
61- [ ] [counsel review] marks anything touching legal terms
62
63## Anti-Patterns
64
65- [ ] Do not warm up to the news — preamble is cruelty with better manners
66- [ ] Do not say "impacted roles" — people, named as people, in active voice
67- [ ] Do not celebrate strategy in the same breath ("this positions us for growth") — there's a room full of people it didn't position
68- [ ] Do not promise "no more layoffs" unless it's true — the second breach costs all remaining trust
69- [ ] Do not outsource the hard questions to HR in the all-hands — the decider answers, or the script failed
gabrielmoreira