Why are African tech startups laying off staff?

This episode is also available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/3ltkVytZfZs

Today on the Techpoint Africa Podcast, we discuss layoffs by companies within and outside the tech space. Tech human resources expert, Wenyimi Barber walks us through:

1. What to expect in the coming days,
2. How to protect yourself from being laid off,
3. How to tell your employees they are being let go,
4. The effect layoffs have on both employer and employee, among other things.

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Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
03:31 - Why are tech startups laying off employees?
10:36 - Was this inevitable?
11:51 - What could have been done to cushion the effect?
14:28 - Other alternatives to layoffs
18:10 - Making the decision to downsize
20:22 - Can you avoid been laid off?
21:10 - Case study: Strategies Xiaomi's HR person could have taken when downsizing
22:27 - How to diplomatically tell an employee that they are been laid off
25:17 - What severance packages are
27:09 - How to handle the stigma as a company
30:42 - Is there a respite in view?
34:21 - Who comes out as the "winner" at the end?
36:02 - What causes talent churn?
 
Useful links

• Softcom’s Weyinmi Barber is making HR desirable one startup at a time
• Kenyan startup, Marketforce, lays off 9% of its workforce 
• A troubling startup layoff trend has emerged
• Post-pandemic rebound: Why businesses must weigh the cost of layoffs
• The reality of corporate layoff dawns on Xiaomi as 900 of its employees become jobless

This episode was produced by Ogheneruemu Oneyibo and edited by Múyìwá Mátùlúkò

Email us your feedback at [email protected]. Visit www.techpoint.africa for more stories.