It’s Not You, It’s Us: Communicating Layoffs & Other Internal Crises

Last month, Jerry Yang rounded out his tenure as CEO of Yahoo with a mass memo to employees that announced 1,500 layoffs. It wasn't the first e-mail of its kind to come from Yang, who had already downsized staffs throughout the company's worldwide offices, but it underscored the tough reality for businesses--a reality that has been shaped by widespread layoffs and, in turn, skyrocketing unemployment rates. But Yang's memo, excerpted below, also highlights the fine line that must be walked when communicating difficult decisions to employees. Did Yang succeed?

"...saying goodbye to colleagues and friends is never easy...but as you all know, we must take actions to better perform in today's turbulent global economy. while we've found efficiencies in many parts of our business, laying off employees is unfortunately unavoidable. our difficult decision to let colleagues go reflects the changes we're having to make to better align costs with revenues - something businesses in virtually every sector are also having to do...to those who are leaving us, i extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of yahoos everywhere - you will be missed. thanks, jerry."