In the last 3 years, we've seen more than 500,000 people laid off in tech, often with no more than a text message. I think it's naive to expect different from corporations, but managers aren't corporations. You're a person. You can choose to be human even when your company isn't being humane.

I spent almost five years at Amazon. I saw good people laid off with no warning, no support, and no preparation. But then I also saw and had the honour to help others get the right guidance at the right moment and land somewhere better. When talking with my peers since October, many of whom are still in big tech, it was clear that the difference often came down to one manager who gave a damn.

And of course this isn't just about big tech. As a manager, when layoffs happen, you can feel powerless. You can't change the direction, you probably can't even influence the selection of people laid off. Your HR will often hand you a five-minute script and tell you that's all you're allowed to say. Fine. You follow the process. If you've done it, you know.

But afterwards, compassionate managers are human. They call, they stay in touch, they help figure out what's next.But as a manager if you still have time before the next round hits, you can use that. You can help people on your team see where work is actually going and what they could do about it. If you see the workforce dislocation underway, you are the best person to help your teams prepare for it.

When the most recent Amazon layoffs impacted some of my friends, I spoke with them about what might have been different. And from those conversations, I started to write a guide for compassionate managers facing this situation. It's a short article about helping at-risk employees with honest conversations, with support, advice and opportunity to prepare. In particular, the article emphasises the path into AI governance roles, work that can't be automated because it requires human judgment over AI systems. It's challenging work, and it's not for everyone, but the skills gap is acute, the talent pipeline barely exists. So many people being pushed out of traditional roles already have the foundational capabilities this work requires.

Sas we start a new year, hopeful and positive, I thought I would finish and share this guide for those brilliantly compassionate managers. Those of you who may work in corporations anticipating layoffs that can feel inhumane. Yet, aware and present, you remain very much human.

I hope it sparks an idea or two for your first team meeting of the year.

Happy new year!