'People who remain after layoffs get demonized' : Twitter employee who got fired after sleeping in office breaks silence

Twitter employee Esther Crawford witnessed a shot to fame late last year after a picture of her sleeping in the Twitter office went viral. She was later positioned highly only to get laid off a couple of months later. In the recent round of layoffs at Twitter, Elon Musk removed around 200 employees from an already shrinking workforce. The 200 employees also constituted Crawford. After being laid off, Crawford has finally come forward to talk about her experience and to even push back trolls who accused her of siding with the winning side. 

In a series of tweets, the former Twitter employee, Esther Crawford explained how some people felt who were left behind after mass layoffs at the company. She claimed that people who remain at a company after mass layoffs get 'demonized for not quitting'. She claimed that emphathy should also be shown to the employees who were not fired. She claimed that people who are left behind often end-up taking up more work as well. 

The former product head at Twitter claimed that occassions like layoffs also offer chances for people to shine. She said, "After layoffs, roles often change and some people get moved up to replace those who left. For people who were overlooked or under-leveled the shakeup can give them a chance to shine. If you’re one of those people it’s okay to shoot your shot. Leaders are made in these moments."

Crawford also explained that after a series of layoffs it can get even more 'lonlier and scarier' for the remainder of employees. She said, "For the people still at the company it can feel lonelier and scarier after a bunch of people you know and trust are gone. A new normal has to emerge and that takes time as projects, people and priorities shift."

Seeing people who remain at a company after a round of layoffs get demonized for not quitting in solidarity is truly bizarre. Empathy should be extended to both sides. It’s hard to lose your job and the people who remain often end up having to pick up even more work.

— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) March 3, 2023

She goes on to offer her take after the entire fiasco at Twitter. Crawford suggests that "businesses are not families". She believes that companies can change their own direction resulting in layoffs. She said, "At the end of the day businesses are not families - they’re teams. The company’s needs can change or new directions can emerge. If you’re delivering with excellence then you can feel good, no matter what happens or when your time is up."

Also read: Elon Musk announces new Twitter features including encryption, DM responses and emoji reactions