What Day Do Most Layoffs Happen?

Is there really a “best day” to lay off employees? Well, there is never a good day to terminate a staff’s employment. This is a crucial and difficult process for most employers and Hr managers. No matter what day of the week, it is never a cinch.

However, to ease the pain when receiving such news as that of being laid off. It is always a good idea to be strategic. Before moving on to our findings about the best days to give a laid-off notification to an employee, here’s what you need to know first.

Legal Requirements

There is no law that mandates a specific day to lay off an employee. However, there are laws surrounding when the notice should be given before implementing a layoff on any employee. 

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, requires employers who are laying off employees on a large scale to hand in a 60 days notice to selected employees.

Similarly, some states may also have specific laws relating to the number of days required to notify selected employees of a layoff as well.

So, it is important to always review the WARN Act regulation and policies before working out what particular day to lay off an employee.

Let’s see if we have a specific day to share difficult news like an employee layoff.

What is the best day of the week to lay off?

If you are ever in a situation where you have to let go of employees, there are many things to consider. It is essential to go over the entire situation, review the pros and cons and also focus on making the best decision for your organization.

Beginning Of The Week: Typically this means Mondays. Although this is considered the worst day to lay off an employee since prompting them to come to work on the first work day of the week just to displace them from their jobs seems unpleasant. Looking at the other side, this might give your employees the rest of the week to begin their job search.

Mid-Week: This is often regarded as the best time to lay off an employee. The middle of the week can be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday. It doesn’t seem as unpleasant to lay off employees on the first day of the week and it allows employees to begin their job search during the week. Again, the Hr teams can also get some time at the beginning of the week to prepare to address the situation. 

End Of The Week: There are two sides to this, just like Monday, Friday is also considered a bad day to lay off employees. This is because employees may feel like they were forced to work the whole week even if they were paid for their job. Again Fridays are usually a happy day for employees since it gears toward the weekend. Laying off employees at this on a Friday may spoil the rest of their time away from work. On the bright side, notifying employees on a Friday will give the Hr team a lot of time to prepare on addressing the situation and might allow employees who may get emotional to feel better during the week.

What are the best working hours to lay off?

During Morning Work Hours: Laying off employees during early work hours might be embarrassing since they have to clean up their desks in front of other co-workers. However, it can be appreciated when employees get the time to say goodbye to other colleagues and take care of anything they need before leaving.

During Afternoon Work Hours: Since some employees won’t like to feel embarrassed at work, this could be the best time to lay that employee off.  On the other hand, employees might feel upset after working throughout the day only to be notified after work. Also, they may need to stay at work longer if they have other things to clear up before they leave which may seem unfair to the employee in question.

Conclusion

The best day to inform an employee(s) of a layoff depends on the situation and teg employee(s). Regardless it is important to evaluate and decide on what works best for the organization if possible.

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