Meta carried out a fresh round of layoffs on Wednesday, informing thousands of employees that their roles were being eliminated
Meta carried out a fresh round of layoffs on Wednesday, informing thousands of employees that their roles were being eliminated to offset big investments that the company is making and to streamline operations. Around 8,000 employees across the world will be affected by the layoffs, while another 7,000 will be transferred to new initiatives related to AI workflows, Reuters reported.
In an email sent to impacted employees, Meta disclosed details of severance pay and gave guidance on visa, notice period and other queries.
To employees on visa
A section of the lengthy email was dedicated to employees working on a visa in the United States. Like other big tech companies, Meta employs thousands of people on an H-1B visa.
The layoff email explained that employees on visa would be granted access to general immigration guidance to help address any immediate questions. By logging into the Alumni Portal, they would also be able to get the contact information of their assigned law firm to deal with immigration-related queries.
‘Gather personal items’
Another section of the email explained that laid-off employees would lose access to company systems and their badges to enter the campus would be deactivated.
Meta had earlier asked all employees to work from home on May 20. However, the email contained guidance on what to do if an impacted employee was already in the office. “If you are already in the office, we ask that you please gather any personal items at your desk and head home,” the email said.
The full text of the email was accessed by Business Insider.
You can read it below:
As previously shared, we have decided to reduce headcount as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making. Unfortunately, your role has been eliminated as part of today’s reorganization. Before sharing additional details, we want to thank you for all you’ve contributed to Meta. We appreciate the important role you’ve played in the company’s journey.
We understand you will have questions as you process this news. Please read below to learn more. We also encourage you to view the Alumni Portal (Meta.com/alumni), which you can access within an hour of losing system access and has additional information and resources to assist you. More information about the Alumni Portal is below.
Non-working notice period
From today through [redacted] (your “Termination Date”), you are in a “non-working notice period.” During this time, your internal access will be removed and you do not need to do any additional work for Meta.
You will continue to accrue PTO until your Termination Date, and your remaining PTO will be paid out in your final paycheck at the end of this period. During the notice period, you will be paid “Notice Pay,” which you will see on your payslips and is the same amount as your salary.
Leave of absence (if applicable): Your employment will end on your Termination Date that was communicated to you. Any leaves of absence will end on your Termination Date. Please note that to the extent applicable, you may still continue to receive disability benefits after your separation date if your disability meets the disability plan requirements.
Your benefits and compensation will continue through your Termination Date.
You will continue to receive your full salary and benefits through your Termination Date, as well as any RSU grants that have vested on or before your Termination Date as provided in the Equity Incentive Plan. To support you in your job search, you will also have access to three complimentary months of external job search assistance through Lee Hecht Harrison (“LHH”), as further detailed in the enclosed LHH Outplacement Services flyer.
Severance details
Attached is a non-signable version of a Separation Agreement with full details of your individual package (do not sign this version). A signable Separation Agreement will be sent to your personal email address from [redacted] later today with full details of your individual package. You must sign your Separation Agreement to receive your severance payout.
If you do not receive an electronic signable Separation Agreement by the end of the day tomorrow on your personal email, please check your spam folder. If you still haven’t received the agreement, please submit a case via the Alumni Portal. (Note: If you apply for and accept a different position at Meta no later than one week prior to your Termination Date, you will remain a Meta employee and therefore this Separation Agreement will be void and you would not be eligible for severance under the terms of the Severance Plan.)
As a Regular Employee (FTE), you’re eligible for the following severance offer:
Severance payment of 16 weeks plus two weeks for every year of completed services, minus your notice period. Please see the cover sheet of the attached Separation Agreement for more details on this calculation.
Payment of COBRA (health insurance) premiums for you and your family (if they are dependents on your current plan) for 18 months.