Tag: laid-off
Google won’t pay remaining parental or medical leave for laid-off employees
Google is facing pushback from some of its 12,000 laid-off employees. CNBC has learned that over 100 ex-staffers have formed a “Laid off on Leave” group asking Google to pay for the full leaves they were approved to take before the January 20th layoff announcement, including parental, medical and caregiver leave. While the company said in early 2022 that it was extending all parental leave to 18 weeks for full-time staff (24 weeks for birth parents), it told terminated employees that they’d get 16 weeks of severance pay plus two weeks for every added year of employment, with paid time off included.
The group members say the approach has not only impacted their parenting plans (including those who had recently given birth), but has also disrupted healthcare. Some former workers tell CNBC they lost access to Google’s in-house medical care the day they received their layoff notices, denying them access to ongoing in-person treatment. Google has offered virtual doctor’s appointments, but has otherwise asked affected people to find alternatives.
In a statement to Engadget, Google repeated its 16-week severance pay plan and noted that outgoing employees would be eligible for regular salary and stocks for their “60+ day” notice window. Google claims its accommodations for people on leave compare “favorably” with those of other companies.
The affected people are demanding that CEO Sundar Pichai and other management quickly clarify the leave policy. Google is poised to finalize severance terms as soon as March 31st.
Google is far from alone in creating potential issues for workers laid off while on leave. Numerous tech giants have announced mass layoffs in the past several months as they grapple with a tough economy. However, the uproar at Google highlights one of the problems these companies face: they previously promised extensive benefits to attract would-be hires, but now have to reconsider those perks as they cut costs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-wont-pay-remaining-parental-or-medial-leave-for-laid-off-employees-161713912.html?src=rss
Laid-off technology pros are launching their own ventures — and competing with their previous employers
The Human Cost: One laid-off tech worker’s odyssey: 5 months, 25 interviews and 100 job applications
Tech’s next great mafia? Laid-off talent
Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. After tech’s massive exodus of talent, we’re starting to see laid-off talent start companies that are ambitious and aspirational in aim. I’m talking about the […]
Tech’s next great mafia? Laid-off talent by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch
Daily Crunch: Nuro founders admit aggressive hiring ‘was a mistake’ in email to laid-off workers
Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
Daily Crunch: Nuro founders admit aggressive hiring ‘was a mistake’ in email to laid-off workers by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch
There’s a new tool to match laid-off tech employees with VC investors
Uniborn is giving former employees of tech companies a chance to start their own business by linking them up with investors.
Read more: There’s a new tool to match laid-off tech employees with VC investors
Twitter reportedly asks some laid-off staff to return
Mere days after cutting its workforce in half, Twitter is asking some employees to return, according to Bloomberg. Citing two sources within the company, the outlet reports management at Twitter has come to the realization it either let some workers off by accident or without realizing their experience was essential to building the features Elon Musk wants to bring to the platform.
From Twitter Slack: “sorry to @- everybody on the weekend but I wanted to pass along that we have the opportunity to ask folks that were left off if they will come back. I need to put together names and rationales by 4PM PST Sunday.
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) November 6, 2022
Twitter did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. Platformer’s Casey Newton was the first to report on the company’s plan, sharing messages from one of its internal Slack channels. One post suggests the company is in need of Android and iOS developers.
A decision to bring back some employees would cap off a chaotic weekend at Twitter. The company began Friday by laying off approximately 3,800 employees, a move that gutted teams across the company, including those responsible for developing new accessibility features. On Saturday, the company began briefly rolling out its new paid verification system. One day later, the company reportedly made the decision to delay the release of that feature until after the US midterm elections.
Startup success: Laid-off tech workers are becoming their own bosses
![A person at a desk with a notebook computer and a pen.](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/hero-image.webp)
If you’ve ever thought about quitting your job and starting something new, a survey from Clarity Capital about tech workers laid off during the pandemic found that might be a great idea, according to a report by Emily Dreibelbis of PCMag.com.
Of 4,188 respondents, a staggering 1,007 reported starting their own company post-layoff.
The top motivations for doing so were more professional growth (58%) and more money (52%), although not being paid enough ranked lower (35%). Perhaps they were being paid enough, but they knew they could make more while gaining new skills.
![a graphic showing reasons for starting a company. 58 percent said "For personal growth." 52 percent said, "For more money," and 49 percent said "To create something new."](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/images-1.fill.size_694x750.v1666990780.webp)
Credit: Clarify Capital Survey
They were right. Self-employment has yielded handsome pay bumps: Founders are now making $13,000 more on average. And millennials are raking in an additional $17,535.
![A chart showing annual income increases. About $14,000 for men, and $1,300 for women. For Gen-Z about $7,000 more, for millennials about 18,000 more, and for Gen-X about $15,00 more](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/images-7.fill.size_2000x1359.v1666990780.webp)
Credit: Clarify Capital Survey
Still, 70% of those surveyed went through a period of remorse related to the decision. Gen Z respondents, some of whom may have left their first jobs ever to start their own companies, reported the most turmoil over their new daily grind, at 79%. They also experienced the smallest pay increase—$6,638, on average.
What lessons can we learn from all this? Data behind why former tech workers began their startups and the challenges they encountered are quite revealing.
Most respondents made the decision within a year of being laid off (72%). The ideas they chose to pursue were most often closely related to their former companies, with 91% saying they’re competing directly.
![A chart showing how long it took most people to start a business after being laid off. Most did so within 12 months, and the majority of those waited six months.](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/images-4.fill.size_2000x1850.v1666990780.webp)
Credit: Clarify Capital Survey
Most got started the old-fashioned way, by using their own money—$20,000 on average—and 70% secured investments from friends and family, mostly around $8,000. For an extra “stick it to the man” moment, 84% of new founders tapped connections from their former companies for funding.
![A detailed chart a section on people's funding sources, and a second section on people's challenges. Most funding came from friends and family, and the biggest challenge was finding the right technology.](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/images-5.fill.size_392x750.v1666990780.webp)
Credit: Clarify Capital Survey
Acquiring customers took varying amounts of time, but most of these new businesses found it took eight months or less (68%). A fortunate subset found buyers within three months (18%).
In the end, most of these new company founders are happy with their decision. Respondents reported feeling surprised, excited, confident, and optimistic about their new venture. The majority reported having better mental health, more job security, and better work-life balance.
![A detailed chart about the emotions of business founders. Most of the feelings are positive.](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/03ij2JMuY4cIDrYale7NPoZ/images-6.fill.size_380x750.v1666990780.webp)
Credit: Clarify Capital Survey
Survey Methodology (learn more):
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4,188 former tech employees surveyed
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1,007 indicated having launched their own companies afterward
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52% men and 48% women
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25% Gen Z, 36% millennials, 25% Gen X, and 14% baby boomers
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For short, open-ended questions, outliers were removed.
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The margin of error was plus or minus 3%, with a 95% confidence interval.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com, Mashable’s sibling site. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.