Amazon squares good performance and job cuts; Target prioritizes new behaviors amid layoffs

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the past week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Amazon shares news of layoffs while squaring move with positive company performance

Amazon told its employees that it’s laying off 14,000 employees, stemming from a rise in AI’s capabilities and a need to reorganize its priorities.

In a memo posted to the company’s website, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, said that the move to reduce headcount in some areas while hiring in others was part of the company’s plan to set itself up for future success in a world in which automation is reforming the landscape.

Some may ask why we’re reducing roles when the company is performing well. Across our businesses, we’re delivering great customer experiences every day, innovating at a rapid rate, and producing strong business results. What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones). We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.

The challenge for Amazon here is working through a layoff memo when the company is doing well financially. The memo communicates the move as necessary to move quickly to keep in line with the company’s culture of innovation. Keeping within that line of thinking is key to making this memo work in Amazon’s voice and values.

Layoff comms are much more than just notifying employees of job cuts with some kind words. Remaining employees need to see what the company has planned post-layoffs in these announcements. That shows employees that leadership has a plan for the way forward and that the company — and in turn, the jobs of those who last through this layoff — will make it in the future.

2. Target focuses on “sharper priorities” in memo announcing 8% staff cut

Late last week, major retailer Target announced that it was cutting 8% of its workforce, marking the first time the company has undertaken major layoffs in nearly a decade. The move comes amid years of sagging sales and public controversies, with incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke stating in a memo obtained by CNBC that the company has struggled to innovate.

“Too many layers and overlapping work have slowed decisions, making it harder to bring ideas to life,” Fiddelke said.

It’s worth pointing out that there have been a number of communications mishaps surrounding these layoffs. Bloomberg reported that a call letting employees know whether or not they were part of the cuts experienced audio glitches, leaving them with silence followed by a summary of the unheard call from HR telling them their roles had been eliminated and apologizing for the tech issues. In addition, many employees reported hearing about Fiddelke’s memo from media reports rather than from any internal communications sources.

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.

Diving into the announcement itself, in addition to detailing the reasons for the job cuts, Fiddelke’s memo addresses the path forward for remaining employees by detailing the company’s new structure. These notes let employees know that even in moments of major change, the company still has goals and aims that it needs employees to get on board with to achieve.

Target acknowledges the difficulty that comes with setting out new values and behaviors, but by communicating them clearly in this announcement, it sets the stage to pepper these concepts into future internal communications. These changes don’t happen overnight or through osmosis — they happen through intentional communication that aims to guide employee behavior over time. Doing that early and often amid a major change like a layoff is a wise move to help those new ideals stick in employees’ minds.

3. With SNAP benefits set to lapse, DoorDash and GoPuff step in to help

As the government shutdown wears on, tens of millions of Americans who receive SNAP benefits won’t receive their funding on Nov. 1. With the vast majority of SNAP recipients already working to support their families, employers across the country are likely to soon be faced with team members who will be going without critical food resources.

Delivery apps DoorDash and GoPuff are both stepping in to help fill the gap. GoPuff is offering $10 million in free groceries in the form of $25 discounts to SNAP recipients by providing discounts to users who connect their SNAP accounts to the service. DoorDash will alsoprovide 1 million free meals to SNAP recipients, while also donating to local food banks across the nation.

Internal communicators should create pathways to direct their employees to resources to help. That includes employee assistance programs that can help either provide direct assistance when needed or show employees where they need to go to obtain it. Comms pros can consider drafting easy-to-understand guides of what help is available and where employees can go to get them. There should also be considerations for deskless workers — digital signage and analog communication can do the trick here. In addition, communicators can also share information about their organizations doing charitable donations and giving back to the community or employees in need in a similar vein to DoorDash and GoPuff.

Internal communicators aren’t the cause of or solution to all the fallout of the government shutdown’s impact on SNAP. But they do play an important role in guiding employees in the right direction during a tough time.

4. How about some good news?

• 2025’s winners of the Comedy Wildlife Awards were revealed.
• A family in Southern England found a treasure trove of Tudor-era coins.
• The endangered North Atlantic right whale is showing signs of a comeback.
• Ragan Training is great for communications pros to find inspiration and resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and trivia.