Unpacking at the language of forward-looking layoff memos

Over the last few months, we’ve seen no shortage of layoffs from major companies, with many thousands of jobs cut. Starbucks, Target and Amazon each shared a memo from their top brass with employees regarding their layoffs — and each of them had an eye to the future and what lies beyond the reductions in force for employees and the company.

It’s worth noting that each of these forward-looking memos was signed by a real human being — a member of the company’s top brass as opposed to a stale, unsigned note. Dr. Kerry O’Grady, senior lecturer in business communications at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told Ragan that this seemingly small move can help get the reader on board with what comes after job cuts.

“You have to establish that human connection first, because these are people, not just jobs,” she said. “That sets the tone for any honest, forward-looking communication about what comes next.”

In this story, we’ll look at the language and tone from portions of the Starbucks, Amazon and Target memos that focus on the future beyond the layoffs.

A deeper look at the language of the path ahead

Each memo has a distinct tone and word choices in exactly how it views the future. Amazon has the most urgent tone of the three, with a focus on how the company’s functions will change post-layoffs. Signed by Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people, experience and technology at Amazon, it’s focused on the health and improvement of the business first and foremost. The wording looks to the future (with specific mentions of looking ahead to 2026) and even references the “bets” the company has made regarding strategy more than once, signaling operational shifts that necessitated change. In addition, the focus on action words  like “removing” and shifting” aligns with the memo’s commitment to meaningful and speedy change for employees after the layoff.

“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs.”

Starbucks’ tone and words are people-focused. From the desk of CEO Brian Niccol, the tone uses common, conversational language. He makes it personal by beginning sentences with “I” and adding words that strike an emotional note, with “profound” thanks for those departing and “deep appreciation” for those remaining after the job cuts. The use of the word “partners” as opposed to “employees” helps deepen this personal connection. Additionally, the qualifiers of saying that the company will be “better” and “stronger” look forward to the future with remaining employees.

I know these decisions impact our partners and their families, and we did not make them lightly. I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers, and the communities we serve.

Target’s language calls out exactly what employees should expect to change at the company after the layoffs. The language is action-oriented, with each of the three bullets anchored by verbs that employees need to keep in mind at Target going forward — it calls out how employee behaviors will need to change. Additionally, incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke uses future-focused phrasing that aims to instill confidence in remaining employees.

Adjusting our structure is one part of the work ahead of us. It will also require new behaviors and sharper priorities that strengthen our retail leadership in style and design and enable faster execution so we can:

• Lead with merchandising authority;
• Elevate the guest experience with every interaction; and
• Accelerate technology to enable our team and delight our guests.

Put together, these changes set the course for our company to be stronger, faster and better positioned to serve guests and communities for many years to come.

The big takeaways on the language of life after layoffs

Despite the differences in each of these memos, they share some commonalities. Each one:

• Uses wording that emphasizes action that will guide the way forward.
• Uses collective words like “we” and “us” when talking about next steps (Even Brian Niccol’s “I” heavy memo does this).
• Uses language that ties to a core part of its identity as a company (Amazon as a technological innovator with a need for speed, Starbucks as a company forged in relationships, Target as succeeding on the back of careful operational planning).

A careful analysis of language can reveal much more than just the details of what’s next for the company and remaining employees in a layoff memo. It’s a good indicator of where the company’s priorities lie, both culturally and operationally. While no internal communicator wants to be the one drafting a layoff memo, outlining where things are headed with clear language and tone that connects to the organization’s identity is a good way to keep the conversation rolling after layoffs do occur.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.