Meta lays off more than 3,000 people to raise performance expectations

Affected employees will receive an e-mail with details and information about the severance package

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg labelled 2022 as the ‘year of efficiency’ during which the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram let go 21,000 employees. Three years later and the social media behemoth will be informing more than 3,000 US employees – 5% of the total headcount – they are to be laid off today as part of its latest round of cost-cutting.

The notifications, based on performance, will be sent by e-mail to both work and private addresses. Irish and international employees may not receive the news until 18 February.

Affected US employees will receive the e-mail starting today. Within an hour of receiving it, these employees will be disconnected from company systems. The e-mail contains severance information and severance package information. Vice president of Human Resources Janelle Gale acknowledged in a memo that this could be a difficult day for teams with departing members, potentially disrupting daily operations.

Meta’s offices will remain open Monday, but employees with positions that allow for it will be allowed to work from home. This flexibility is offered in light of the current hybrid schedule, which requires full-time employees to be in the office three days a week and work remotely two days a week.

Gale also addressed frequently asked questions in the memo and clarified that Meta does not plan to make the names of laid-off employees public after individual notification. The company aims to fill the vacated positions within an unspecified period of time. She further stated that affected employees with managers who have been laid off will be contacted by their new manager.

Zuckerberg announced the layoffs last month, explaining his decision to raise performance expectations and remove poorly performing employees more quickly. Zuckerberg noted that Meta normally manages poorly performing employees over a one-year period, but that more “extensive” cuts were planned for the performance cycle that ends in February.

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan podcast Zuckerberg called for more “maculine energy” at Meta and has since cut its diversity, equity and inclusion programme.

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