Some Meta staff are making up their own tasks or avoiding work as layoffs leave them in an anxious and confused limbo, report says

• Meta began the last part of its layoffs on Wednesday, with 21,000 expected to be affected in total.
• But some have been left avoiding work or making up their own tasks due to fears and confusion, per Bloomberg.

Meta staff are making up tasks for themselves or avoiding doing work because of confusion caused by layoffs, Bloomberg reported.

On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg's company began the third and final part of its latest round of layoffs.

Over 4,000 people have already lost their jobs in the recruiting and tech divisions, with a further 5,000 due to be cut in the business division, Insider reported.

Zuckerberg announced this second round of layoffs in March, after November's first round saw 11,000, or 13%, of company headcount, let go.

"We're restructuring teams to increase our efficiency," the billionaire CEO previously said. He added that he took responsibility for Meta over hiring during the pandemic.

But it looks like things aren't going too efficiently at the moment.

Staff at Facebook and Instagram's parent company told Bloomberg they've been left unsure who they're supposed to collaborate with and how they can reassign responsibilities.

Zuckerberg announced which business units would be laid off weeks ago, leaving Meta staff anxious and demotivated, according to Bloomberg.

So until there's a clearer directive, they've ended up inventing their own tasks or not doing anything at all.

And some important work and planning has been halted, with Meta still deciding on its product roadmap for this year because it's sorting out resources after the layoffs, Bloomberg reported.

Meta attracted criticism from the likes of venture capitalist Keith Rabois for over-hiring, with people doing "fake work."

Last month, Insider's Kali Hays reported that Zuckerberg was grilled by furious employees after execs received six-figure bonuses as high as $940,000 during a turbulent year for the company.

Meta did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.