Google, the tech giant of Alphabet Inc., spread shocking news earlier this week announcing job cuts for some 12,000 workers. A Yahoo Finance report now indicates that this affects not only those who have been made redundant, but also the well-being and facilities of the remaining staff. For example, when employees are most in need of relaxation, they lose access to one of the company’s many well-known benefits, massage therapy.
The layoffs affected 27 massage therapists in Los Angeles and Irvine, in addition to numerous employees with “senior” and “director” in their job titles. Reports indicate that eligible personnel who have been laid off will receive their salary for the full notice period, plus severance pay starting at 16 weeks of pay and two additional weeks for each year of service. Also part of the package: bonuses, vacation time and healthcare for up to six months are paid, along with job placement and immigration support.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that this was one of the company’s “toughest days” but admitted it is a necessary adjustment. He also admitted that “an almost 25-year-old company” like Google is “certainly going through tough economic cycles.”
“These are key times to sharpen our focus,” Pichai said, “to redesign our cost base and focus our talent and capital on our highest priorities.”
The job cuts at Google are a devastating blow to those affected, though it is clear that the company has made efforts to provide adequate support and compensation to those it has laid off. But how the other employees will adapt to the new changes remains to be seen, especially now that the option for a relaxing massage has been removed.
