Apple, Target address Minneapolis internally; Amazon navigates complex layoff comms

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. Target, Apple brass address the Minneapolis with employees — without referring to ICE or Trump

Incoming Target CEO Michael Fiddelke and Apple chief Tim Cook both sent internal messages to employees on the ongoing crisis in Minneapolis in the wake of two fatal immigration-related civilian shootings — but didn’t directly refer to the enforcement agency or the Trump administration while calling for cooler heads to prevail.

According to CNBC, Fiddelke’s also video message didn’t name the victims of the separate shootings, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The soon-to-be-head of Minneapolis-based retailer instead called for a general de-escalation of the situation. This communication was paired with a public message Target sent out concerning the unrest.

“I know it’s weighing heavily on many of you across the country, as it is with me,” he said in a video message sent to the big-box retailer’s workforce. “What’s happening affects us not just as a company, but as people, as neighbors, friends and family members within Target.”

In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, Apple’s Cook took a similar line, with a message that emphasized unity.

“This is a time for deescalation. I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace our shared humanity.”

It’s a fine comms balance that both Fiddelke and Cook are stepping into here. It’s worth noting that some parts of the employee audience will feel both leaders went too far in acknowledging the situation, and others will feel they didn’t go far enough by staying neutral and not referring to ICE or the administration. It’ll be worth watching to see if other companies adopt this tactic as time moves forward.

2. Amazon confirms layoffs after mistaken email announcement — then follows up with FAQ doc for affected employees

Earlier this week, Amazon sent around an email to some employees in error that job cuts were imminent, before the message was quickly unsent.

 According to Business Insider, some employees screenshotted the accompanying message of the calendar event and shared it with the publication, which was attributed to Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of AWS Solutions. The email referred to pending job cuts as if they’d already gone out, without any actual announcement.

“This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing for more than a year to strengthen the company by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy, so that we can move faster for customers,” the accompanying message read. “The notifications to impacted colleagues in our organization who are based in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica have now been completed.”

The next day, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, shared a memo with employees stating that 16,000 jobs were indeed being cut as part of the company’s wider strategic refocus that has resulted in past layoffs. She said that some affected employees would be offered new jobs within Amazon, and for those who weren’t offered or chose not to take a new internal role, the company would follow up with the next steps.

Galetti also told employees that she doesn’t plan for rolling layoffs to become the norm.

Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm – where we announce broad reductions every few months. That’s not our plan. But just as we always have, every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate. That’s never been more important than it is today in a world that’s changing faster than ever.

Finally, Amazon shared an FAQ with affected employees covering everything from continuing benefits to how to apply for internal opportunities, which was obtained by Business Insider.

It’s worth noting that Amazon’s layoff communication doesn’t acknowledge the initial email error, which isn’t ideal. But the messaging that did hit the mark is thorough, and importantly, it gives employees support and guidance on next steps. The prescriptive nature of the FAQ document flows from Galetti’s announcement and gives the thousands of employees a central resource hub and points them in the right direction to ask questions. The thorough nature of the doc can serve as a tip for other internal communicators dealing with a layoff — the clearer you are and the more you share with employees, the more likely they are to feel supported, which helps protect employer reputation.

3. The Home Depot ‘simplifies the business’ with layoffs, RTO announcement

The Home Depot made two major change announcements at the same time earlier this week, telling employees that 800 jobs are being cut and that corporate employees will return to the office. According to CNBC, CEO Ted Decker alerted employees via an internal memothat  150 of the affected roles would be from the Atlanta HQ, with the rest being remote cuts. He added that the RTO process will be fully implemented by April 6, at which point employees will need to be back at their desks.

In the memo announcing the moves viewed by CNBC, Decker said that the impetus for the decision was to simplify business processes and promote person-to-person collaboration.

“In-person engagement enables more meaningful support for store and field associates, drives results and reinforces our people-centric culture and inverted pyramid,” he said.

By blending the announcement of layoffs and RTO into one memo as opposed to separate messages, Decker is tying the company’s organizational structure and work model together into a single narrative about what the future at The Home Depot needs to look like for the company to be successful. Beyond just an adjustment in financials with the layoffs and a change in cultural norms with the RTO, the move being communicated in one swoop can be viewed as a reframe of the company’s operational model.

4. How about some good news?

• Kestrel falcons in Michigan are playing their part in preserving cherry crops.
• Bison returned to Illinois for the first time in nearly two centuries.
• An animal shelter in Nova Scotia closed — because all the pets were adopted.
• Ragan Training is an excellent place for communications professionals to find inspiration and valuable 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.