Salesforce employees are bracing for more layoffs amid the company's major executive exodus

• Salesforce employees told Insider they're bracing for another round of layoffs.
• "People are afraid it could come at any point," one employee told Insider.

Amid Salesforce's leadership shakeups, increasing pressure to make sales goals, and the influence of an activist investor, employees told Insider they're bracing for another round of layoffs.

"People are afraid it could come at any point," one employee told Insider.

Salesforce declined Insider's request for comment.

The company laid off hundreds of employees in November and has since enacted what some insiders called unrealistic new mandates primarily for salespeople, like making daily in-person meetings throughout the holiday season and returning to working in the office despite Marc Benioff's public statements saying workers were just as productive at home.

Rumors are swirling inside the company that more layoffs could come as soon as this month.

Some employees who spoke to Insider speculated much of these internal pressures might be related to the activist investor Starboard Value, which disclosed a significant stake in Salesforce in October, just before the layoffs. A person familiar with the matter told Insider the firm has pushed for cost-cutting measures since first approaching the company this summer.

Employees said these changes were indicative of a larger cultural shift at Salesforce. Where once the company was rated one of the best firms to work for, they said, its welcoming "Ohana" culture is being replaced by a ruthless prioritization of metrics and sales targets. Perhaps fittingly, even its most recent layoffs were referred to internally as a "performance management event."

Read more about what's happening inside Salesforce as Marc Benioff dials up the pressure, driving executives out.

Are you a Salesforce employee or do you have insight to share? Contact Ashley Stewart via email (astewart@insider.com) or send a secure message from a nonwork device via Signal (+1-425-344-8242).