'We are nothing but numbers to them, fat to be trimmed off': General Motors employee reacts to layoffs

• General Motors laid off over 1,000 employees
• An employee who lost his job reacted to layoffs
• He says the company lacks empathy

The mass layoff spree at Twitter (now called X) back in November 2022 got the world's attention and soon, people on LinkedIn were empathizing with the ones who were affected by the job cuts. After that, many companies began laying off employees and that resulted in the entire job market being in a state of flux. We're almost at the end of 2024 and this year too, several companies laid off employees left, right and center. The latest one to carry out layoffs is General Motors.

General Motors cuts 1,000 jobs

The popular car company reportedly laid off more than 1,000 employees recently. The company reduced its workforce by approximately 600 positions at its tech campus near Detroit, as part of an effort to streamline operations.

The company, in a statement to CNBC, said, "As we build GM's future, we must simplify for speed and excellence, make bold choices, and prioritise the investments that will have the greatest impact."

Some of the employees who were affected by the job cuts have started reacting to the same on LinkedIn.

'General Motors lacks empathy, we are nothing but numbers,' says employee

One of the employees shared his experience on LinkedIn, expressing shock and disappointment over the way the situation was handled. He arrived at work only to find that his badge had been deactivated, his access to company systems revoked, and instructions from GM Security to leave the premises. He mentioned that he couldn't even say goodbye to his colleagues or express gratitude for the memories they shared.

"I was unable to tell my coworkers goodbye, thank them for the many memories we had. I couldn't do anything but stand there in shock," his post read.

The employee revealed that the only prior notice came in the form of a 5 AM email, which he hadn't seen. The email talked about the importance of the Software and Services division to GM's future and the need for bold decisions to enable faster progress and effective investment.

The ex-GM employee also criticised the company for lacking empathy and compassion, arguing that these qualities distinguish being bold from being ruthless. He felt that employees are treated as mere numbers, expendable in the pursuit of profit, despite GM's recent financial success.

"We are nothing but numbers to them, fat to be trimmed off in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Even though they recently celebrated a $4.6B profit in Q2 2024, that was not enough for them. We were not even given the common decency to say goodbye, just thrown onto the curb like useless trash," he wrote in his post.