What to Say to Employees After a Layoff? A Guide for HR Teams

How do you talk to your team after a layoff? This is one of the crucial questions HR and management ask themselves when a reduction in force takes place. Communicating with your remaining employees is central to a successful layoff event, helping maintain your company’s reputation and establishing ethical leadership. But doing this effectively takes some hard work.

In this article, we’ll help you to figure out what to say to employees after a layoff and how to keep them engaged even during those difficult times. First, let’s see how to organize a “perfect” layoff.

Of course, using “perfect” as an adjective for a layoff demands quotes, since it is one of the toughest work events for departing employees, those remaining, and even HR. What we mean by “perfect” is doing your best to avoid any hiccups or hitches during your reduction event.

First off, laid-off workers deserve a respectful, professional treatment—not only does it convey high ethics and empathy, but if you don’t manage this you’ll risk individuals leaving bad reviews or badmouthing your company in other ways. As for those remaining, they deserve support and transparency to improve morale, prevent survivor’s syndrome, and ensure business continuity. Having those elements in mind will pave the way for the best possible layoff event.

Let’s review some best practices to help you conduct a flawless layoff event:

• Establish a termination policy: It avoids confusion and legal risks.
• Create a layoff and recall policy: It will make it easier for staff to return later.
• Build a layoff communication plan: It helps keep everyone in the loop.
• Coordinate with managers: They must be ready to deliver the bad news.
• Provide severance packages: They are a crucial support for those laid off.
• Offer outplacement services: It’s key to help departing staff and maintain morale.

Above all, you must update surviving employees of the layoff in a human yet professional way. Deliver the information they need to stay in the know and perform to their best. Explain the reasons for the layoff and how work will look in the near future. Keep your message concise and focused on key details, but remain open to everyone and encourage an honest dialogue. Also, consider doing some homework and preparing thoughtful, straightforward answers in advance.

At the same time, do your best to address the surviving staff’s concerns about their own status in the organization. After all, they might wonder whether business is going well and worry that a second layoff will affect them later. Reinforce that HR and managers will be there to support them during the transition, and reassure the team of their essential role in the organization.

It’s also essential to inform everyone about the support available to laid-off employees, including severance packages and outplacement services. This information will address the team’s concerns about their departing colleagues and reassure them that the organization will take care of them if something similar happens to them in the future.

Keep in mind that emotions run high during layoffs. People will always consider layoffs a negative event, no matter how positive the outcome is for the organization. So, anticipate emotional reactions and plan how to respond, always staying calm and professional.

Once you’re ready to address the team, choose the best method for your layoff announcement to remaining employees. This model must fit your organization’s culture and comfort level for everyone involved. There’s no formula here: what matters is clarity, consistency, and empathy.

Below are the most common methods for talking to staff after a layoff. But first, if you need help figuring out how to announce the layoff to the whole team when it happens, click here for some actionable tips and an announcement template you can adapt to your needs.

A large meeting allows leadership to share updates directly, explain decisions, and show empathy in real time. Employees can see leadership’s tone and body language, which helps rebuild trust. Prepare clear talking points and allow space for questions so employees feel heard and supported, not left to speculate.

Smaller huddles create a more personal, open space for discussion. Managers can explain how changes affect their teams, workloads, and priorities. These conversations help rebuild stability, address concerns early, and show that leadership remains present and accessible—a key element for keeping up morale and minimizing the spread of uncertainty.

Written messages work best for remote or distributed teams needing clarity and consistency. Keep your tone direct and compassionate, outline what’s changing, and acknowledge the challenges ahead. Include contact points for questions or support, so employees feel guided and informed, even without an in-person meeting.

After a layoff, the way you speak to your remaining employees matters as much as what you say. Your goal is to restore stability and trust, not just share information.

Address the news directly and with honesty. Employees can sense when management is withholding details, and any attempt to “soften” the truth can only create more anxiety. Be clear about why the layoff happened, what it means for the organization’s goals, and how it will shape the next chapter for the organization and the team.

If you’ve handled the transition respectfully—providing outplacement support, fair severance, and open communication—your staff will recognize that integrity. Still, it’s normal for them to feel uneasy about their own future. Acknowledge uncertainty rather than trying to erase it.

Whether you choose an email, a team huddle, or a company-wide announcement, be consistent. Ensure your messaging aligns with what was shared with departing employees. Transparency builds confidence, while mixed messages create fear and resentment.

Finally, lead with confidence. When leaders are examples of integrity and compassion, you’ll increase the chances of having more engaged employees who are open to what comes next.

During layoffs, openness and honesty are your most powerful tools. Transparent communication helps employees—both those leaving and those staying—to understand the “why” behind the decision and trust that leadership handled it with care.

For HR and management teams, it’s about balancing compassion with clarity. Supporting departing employees through career transition and helping remaining staff process the change are equally important parts of the recovery process. How you communicate in this moment will shape your organization’s culture long after the event itself.

Finally, include outplacement services in your strategy to help laid-off employees find a new role more quickly. This is one of the most reassuring gestures possible, sending out the message to laid-off and remaining employees that they will be in good hands when things turn for the worse. 

Click here to speak with our experts and discover more about Careerminds’ modern, results-driven approach to outplacement. We might be the partners you need in your layoff.