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Blogging the Corporate Cutbacks

By: Robin Anderson | 11/11/2008

Any time a company announces layoffs, someone will be discontented. Most of the time, it is the employees who must face the prospect of looking for a new job. However, with online communication more prevalent now than ever before, companies themselves are faring worse in the situation – unless they blog about it first.

Even before informing their employees, some executives are blogging about company layoffs in order to keep the news from showing up elsewhere in cyberspace. According to a recent New York Times article, companies have begun to use their corporate blogs to provide accurate information about the situation before their employees read about the downsizing on a gossip blog.

To many companies, transparency is a core value. Executives use their company blog to broadcast corporate successes, and some believe their blog should be used for communicating less-cheerful news as well. While not everyone is gung-ho with the idea, some companies have realized they have better control of the message if they are the first to comment about it; and, they realize if they don’t make the announcement, someone else will.

Many companies have been successful with this line of reasoning. Blogging about layoffs has actually been seen as more heartfelt than simply issuing a press release about all of your employees who are now without jobs. For example, Steven A. Carpenter, chief executive of an investing advice site, Cake Financial, posted this excerpt on his company’s blog immediately after informing employees of 30 percent cutbacks:

“…It is an extremely sad day for all of us who have to say goodbye to a group of great people who dedicated their time and energy over the past few years to our ambitious project. It is especially hard when you have to part ways with team members who have demonstrated tremendous passion and dedication to changing the standards set by a century old industry…”

In this increasingly virtual era, methods of communication continue to adapt. More people look to the Web as their main information source, and companies have been forced to adapt their means of communication in order to reach these individuals. I can’t say I would be overjoyed to learn about my layoff on my company’s blog; however, I recognize that our economy has led to a “survival of the fittest” notion for businesses, and they are doing everything they can to stay afloat.

Posted in Digital Communications, Employee Relations