TikTok Shop indicates layoffs are looming; Meta says more workers will get poor reviews

Study: Deskless workers feel internal comms are lacking.

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the past week and see what we can learn from them.

1 . TikTok Shop internal memo tells employees to work remotely ahead of potential layoffs 

TikTok is in the news again, but this time it’s not about the legal status of the app — it’s concerning an internal memo asking employees to work from home and announcing layoffs from its retail arm this week.

According to Business Insider, the memo was authored by Mu Qing, the head of TikTok Shop’s US operations.

We have undergone careful analysis of how to create more efficient operating models for the team’s long-term growth and, as a result, will be communicating organizational and personnel changes to the e-Commerce US operations, US operations center, and global key accounts teams beginning early on Wednesday, May 21 (PT). Our goal is to communicate with employees swiftly and with as much clarity as possible. All updates will be made via your company email, followed by HRBP outreach. To best facilitate these conversations, it is recommended that you work remotely on Wednesday, May 21. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate these difficult discussions. We are committed to supporting our teams throughout this transition with as much compassion and support as possible.

For all the uncertainty and upheaval TikTok has dealt with over the last year or so, this memo handles an impending layoff with clarity. The memo emphasizes the need for dialogue in a time of major change, and it also acknowledges the difficulty of layoffs while claiming the company will handle the move in a way that’s supportive of employees. The reasons for the layoffs are clearly stated, the memo addresses the impact on employees and it underscores the importance of communication during times of change. That ticks the boxes for layoff comms done the right way. In addition, allowing employees to work from home when a layoff is coming can make things easier on both impacted employees and their teams from both an optics and logistical standpoint.

Will the follow-through of the job cuts be handled this deftly? We’ll see, but it seems that TikTok’s internal comms arm is saying the right things during a big strategy shift. 

 2. Meta tells managers to be tougher judges of performance

A few months ago, we covered a news item that reported Meta employees were questioning whether the company’s layoffs were really related to performance, as the tech giant claimed.

According to a report from Business Insider, the company is indeed doubling down on efficiency and changing the standards of its performance metrics. A memo viewed by the publication stated that it’s telling managers at the company to rate more workers in the “below expectations” category. The memo cites this move as an “opportunity to make exit decisions” while simultaneously claiming that there won’t be associated layoffs.

Meta’s use of managers to deliver on a mandate from higher up is notable. Managers are arguably the most key cog for communicators who have to spread messages and cultivate company culture on the team level. But when there’s a mandate to rate a percentage of your team in a certain performance bucket even if the quality of their work doesn’t merit it, you’re placing constraints on how your managers can effectively relate to their teams and how well they’re able to convey the company line.

Managers are a great resource for communicators to help relate what the company is saying — even if the message isn’t necessarily a positive one. But if managers aren’t able to properly talk about performance with clarity and honesty and are instead forced to put employees in buckets, it can cause major roadblocks for clear team communication.

3. Report: Deskless workers are largely unsatisfied with internal comms

A new report from Staffbase revealed that just 10% of deskless workers are very satisfied company’s internal communications efforts. In addition to this stark statistic, the report also showed that only 38% of employees rated their internal comms efforts positively, regardless of their work location.

This data reiterates the need for robust internal comms as an organizational connector. The Staffbase study emphasizes this by reporting that 61% of employees who considered a job change did so because of poor internal communications. We covered the connection between retention and internal comms last week through an analysis of this study, and we found several conclusions.

• Internal comms can’t be an organizational afterthought, as it has a direct impact on an employee’s perception of the company and talent retention.
• Care needs to be paid to catering internal communications to subsets of employee populations — a one-size-fits-all plan risks alienating people.
• With 60% of employees reporting that internal comms has an impact on productivity, communications need to relay this information to the top brass and explain how comms effects the bottom line.

 4. How about some good news?

• A 2,000-year-old scroll has been deciphered via X-ray — despite it also being charred by Mt. Vesuvius.
• The first human bladder transplant took place at UCLA.
• A researcher in Boston is protecting snowy owls from jets at Logan Airport.
• Ragan Training is great for communications pros to find inspiration and resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and trivia.

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