Employee layoffs in big companies, especially those in Silicon Valley, are not uncommon.

It is usual
for companies to regularly fire employees because of changes in the economy, the business
markets and other factors that may dictate the current necessities of companies. It is just how
business works, answering to the current demands of the public and making the apropiate
changes to accomodate those demands.

Nearly three weeks ago, Goggle CEO Sundar Pichai sent an e-mail to Google employees
announcing the layoff of 12,000 Googlers from the company. The news, and the way it was
delivered, came as a shock to many. In response to this news, Forbes published an article showing
how the layoff of this many employees in such a cold way should make them rethink their roles,
professions and the way they choose in their jobs.

Jack Kelly, the author of the article, tells readers that employees, especially those working in big
companies in Silicon Valley, should start looking out for themselves in this new world of jobs.
Throughout the article, he reminds readers how little company cares about their workers and that
they will fire them without justification to answer current market demands. He makes a case that
people shouldn’t stay in a single job for too long and should try to change jobs once in a while so
as to avoid being manipulated by employers and feeling complacent. He also highlights that
working too long in one job may end up killing workers dreams and ambitions and should
therefore, with the goal of acquiring knowledge and work experience in an everchanging world,
leave their jobs periodically and search for new opportunities.

In the article, Kelly clearly shows his discontent against such actions as those taken by Google.
Even though he states that companies only work for their own benefit, such as they should, he still
takes more of a liberal approach to the subject by recommending employers to switch jobs every
so often. Nevertheless, this way of working isn’t something so sustainable in the long run.
Switching jobs periodically may not look good in one’s curriculum, on top of the risk of remaining
unemployed for a period of time that may not be in one’s favor.

To sum up, although Google’s action of firing 12 000 employees may seem a little crude, it is a
sensible decision for a company to make so as to answer the new demands in an everchanging
market. Nevertheless, the best answer to these types of events might not necessarily be switching
jobs every so often as it could create problems of its own such as unemployment and a not so
desirable curriculum.