š” How to Stay Off the Layoff List (Issue 625)
We will teach this and more in our new upcoming course
āUS employers pulled back on their hiring plans last month, while layoffs in the federal government spiked to their highest level in more than four years, new labor market data showed.ā (source)
Here is a comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs from TechCrunch. According to Layoffs.fyi, in the past 3 1/2 months, 23,505 tech employees have been laid off across 93 tech companies. And 79,616 U.S. government employees have been laid off, with an additional 156,858 total federal departures.
So, that means that our terrible job market just became more competitive, and with the economic struggles happening right now, more companies are planning more layoffs. I wish I had better news. But now is the time to put your head down and find a way to keep your job, ride out this storm, and avoid being fired.
Every manager has one, whether they admit it or not, the dreaded āLayoff Listā of employees they would be willing to let go.
Sometimes, they have already created this list and shared it with upper management and HR. Sometimes, it is a fuzzy list that managers maintain in their heads but havenāt shared with anyone else. So, that means you have a chance to stay off that list before itās too late.
At one company, we called this task the ālifeboat exercise.ā If your ship was sinking and you could only take 80% of your staff, who are the most valuable people you would put in the lifeboat?
Who gets to keep their jobs?
At another company, we had to stack rank our employees and cut the bottom 10% yearly. Luckily, this practice is falling out of favor since it never worked that well anyway.
Even if your company hasnāt regularly conducted layoffs, the current economic climate may force it to do so.
If you havenāt already lost your job or been forced to shut down your small business, Iām going to assume that youād like to keep your current position and wait this out. It would be risky to dive into this insane market if it isnāt necessary.
So, how do you keep your name off that layoff list?
10 ways to stay off that list
Iāve been an employee, manager, leader, and business owner over the past 30 years of my career. Iāve been involved in all aspects of the layoff process.
I was at IBM as a young employee when it conducted its first layoffs in the company's history (luckily, I kept my job).
I was at Apple as a junior designer during multiple rounds of layoffs and learned why I was spared when more experienced employees were let go (Iāll talk about this in the upcoming course mentioned below).
I worked at a startup that was acquired (š Yay!), but then the parent company eliminated all of our jobs (š¢ Boo).
Unfortunately, I had to conduct my own layoffs while leading teams at Yahoo. That sucked. But it taught me lessons about how to position yourself so as not to be on that list.
So, who tends to stay off the list? How did I determine who would remain? Managers like to keep people who fit into one or more of these ten categories:
Employees performing in the top 20%
Employees in critical roles working on strategic projects
People with the knowledge, skills, and experience for the companyās future
Employees who keep essential products and services running
Those few employees whom the boss canāt live without
Employees who bring in more revenue
Those who consistently save the company money
People who reliably add qualitative value to the organization
Those employees with a highly positive benefit-cost ratio
People who arenāt a pain in the butt to manage
More about our upcoming course
Of course, the devil is in the details!
How do you ensure youāre working on the right projects?
How do you know if you have the skills the company needs for its future?
What are the essential products and services in your company?
How do you make yourself invaluable to your boss?
How do you add more value to your organization?
What does it mean for you to have a positive ROI?
What makes an employee feel like a thorn in their managerās side?
Who can help you recognize when a layoff is being planned?
Weāre here to help answer these questions! Tim Yeo and I are teaching a new course with two sessions on May 31st and June 7th this year. We will cover the 10 ways to stay off that secret layoff list. But we will also cover so much more that will be valuable for your career!
There are only 14 days left to grab your early bird ticket and save $200 on our course "Make Yourself Too Valuable to Lose," which will be taught by Tim and me!
Do you know how to keep your name off a layoff list?
Do you know how to sell yourself for a promotion or ask for a raise the right way?
Do you feel comfortable, confident, and ready for job interviews to land that new job you might be seeking (especially if you do lose your job)?
Learn how to get hired, get promoted, and stay employed ā in ways that feel authentic to you. We hope to see you in our live course!
After 14 days, the ticket price starts going up until we close the doors on registration.
Iām Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
š Check out my The Invincible Daily Journals!