Layoffs done right: the operator's checklist most companies skip.

I'd rather write about anything else. But if you're reading this in 2026, there's a non-trivial chance you're either running a reduction or supporting one. The brutal truth: the post-mortems we read in the press almost never blame the comms team. They blame operational sloppiness — wrong names on lists, severance variances, manager scripts that contradict the FAQ, badge access cut while someone is mid-sentence.

Here's the operator's checklist. It's not the empathetic version (you've read those). It's the one that keeps you from being the next case study.

The 7-day operator's checklist

T-7: Lock the list

• Final list approved by CEO + Legal + Head of People in writing, with a timestamp.
• Cross-check against: pregnancy/parental leave, disability leave, protected-class concentration (adverse impact analysis).
• Cross-check against: visa holders, immigration timelines, severance interaction with visa status.
• No additions after T-3 except by CEO sign-off. No exceptions.

T-5: Build the matrix

• One spreadsheet: name, manager, location, severance amount, notice period, equity treatment, healthcare extension, outplacement tier.
• Two People partners review every row independently. Reconcile differences. Re-review.
• Severance formula in writing, applied identically. Document every deviation with the reason.

T-3: Manager scripts and rehearsals

• Every manager doing a notification gets a 1:1 rehearsal with HR. No exceptions, including execs.
• Scripts include: opening sentence, the 'why this role' answer, severance summary, what happens next 60 minutes, where to ask questions.
• Backup notifier identified for every manager (illness, last-minute conflict).

T-1: Systems and access

• IT briefed on exact access-removal timing — typically end of notification meeting, not before.
• Email auto-responder + manager forward in place. Do not orphan customer-facing inboxes.
• Severance docs in DocuSign queue, ready to send within 30 minutes of notification.

Day 0: The 4-hour window

• Notifications complete within a 4-hour window. Longer than that and people learn from Slack before their manager.
• All-hands or written message to surviving employees within 90 minutes of last notification.
• Manager office hours open for affected employees AND survivors. Both groups need it.

Day 1–14: The part most companies skip

• Surviving manager 1:1s within 48 hours, focused on workload reassignment, not pep talk.
• Public commitment from the CEO on whether more cuts are coming, with a date for the next update.
• Outplacement firm contact within 5 business days for every affected person.
• Severance + benefits questions answered within 48 hours, by name, by a real person.

What never works