Why tech layoffs can be like grief
At first, it may seem odd to draw a throughline between grief and a job loss or project reassignment. Typically, we associate grief with a cataclysmic event, a death in the family, or a steep and severe drop in your health. However, mental health experts and organizational leaders agree that workplace conditions can create a similar reaction, one that it is helpful to name and process. Sometimes, your brain just doesn’t know the difference between a change in employment and a change in, for example, family dynamics.
“A big change at work, a project ending, movement that we didn’t expect or want, or a job loss, I think, again it’s a loss in some way,” says Gary McClain, New York-based therapist, “So, we grieve, and I think we often don’t want to admit that we’re in grief, but we are.”
Layoffs and project reassignments are happening at a rapid pace in the tech sector. Crunchbase, which tracks US layoffs in the sector, has found that more than 95,000 US tech workers were laid off in 2024, a figure significantly lower than the approximately 191,000 who met the same fate in 2023. Jeanne Cross, another therapist who operates in Colorado, says that tech workers are particularly susceptible to some of the rampant negative impacts of this type of change.
“Tech workers, especially in the Boulder and Denver-metro area, often voice concerns about job instability, burnout, and the pressure to work long hours,” Cross tells ITPro. “Compared to other industries, there’s a strong link between self-worth and professional success in tech.
“Unlike traditional sectors, layoffs in tech are sometimes abrupt, affecting morale and trust more deeply. Many also express anxiety about maintaining the desired ranking and professional status in a fast-changing field, which adds to their stress.”
Technology is also increasingly being used to make that sudden change in employment status even more abrupt. Reports abound, whether in the media or in first-hand accounts on social media, of workers in various industries finding out that their role has changed or been eliminated because they can no longer log into their work computer, or being fired via Slack message. This sort of workplace callousness begs the question: what can managers do to soften the blow when a change is, like death, taxes, and layoffs, inevitable?
Trina Clayeux is CEO at Give an Hour, an organization that works to provide support in mental health deserts, places where access to care is limited. She explains to ITPro that those in positions of power need to be aware of their own feelings and pressures when conveying changes like a layoff or job reassignment.
“Part of it is that we’re managing what we think is risk for the organization, and then we’re also managing our own discomfort. And so if you really take an empathetic approach, you’re thinking…[about] what can you do to create a space that this person can hear and receive what’s going on.”
Clayeux suggests making sure that the person is receiving the news in a calm and confidential space, including if the meeting is happening over Zoom; offering next steps, including possible workplace resources; as well as thanking them for the work they’ve done in their current role. A manager in this position can also show care by being sure to follow up via email so that nothing gets lost as the process unfolds
“I can almost guarantee they’re going to remember that moment, of how you handle that conversation. Not whether or not it happened, that is its own process, but how you showed up for that person, and the empathy you showed to making sure that they are in the best position for whatever their next step has to be.
McClain’s advice is for management to make sure that they’re on the same page with communications surrounding layoffs, to avoid compounding any distress with inconsistent messaging.
“I think to be able to say, ‘This was a strategic decision, we’ve decided to move in some different directions.Because of that, we need different skills. This is not personal.’…So that everybody’s hearing the same thing, even if you don’t necessarily like what you’re hearing.”
How workers can best handle layoffs
Of course, what leaders can do is only half the battle when it comes to handling layoffs. Workers need the right frameworks to make it through role changes.
Addressing what a worker affected by layoffs or job role reconstruction can do to process their feelings, Jenna Richardson, a therapist who specialises in grief, says that people can lean on each other.
“With those first steps, there’s not a lot happening there,” Richardson tells ITPro. “It’s sort of just sitting with it and dealing with the emotions of it. And I think with a layoff or with a project switch, it would be helpful if someone could do that in community, like with their colleagues that were on the project, or with other people they know that were laid off, and have that support to sort of process it together.”
In reporting this story, a common word that came up was ‘closure’. Cross says it’s a key component of ensuring you maintain good mental health in these sorts of situations.
“Acknowledge the loss and validate the feelings of grief. Create closure by reflecting on what was learned or accomplished. Engage in self-care routines and seek support from friends and loved ones. Establish new short-term goals to regain a sense of direction.”
Like any grieving process, it’s important to be kind to yourself, to come back to remembering what you’re good at, and engaging in the processes and procedures – whether that’s professional support, physical activity, maintaining a hobby, or something else entirely – that help support you as you move onto what’s next. After all, like emotion, the winding road of employment is long. Grief is part of that.
“Ritual is really important for grief,” Richardson adds. “That’s why every culture in the world has some sort of funeral rites or ceremony to honour the lost object.”
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