Shortly after taking over Twitter, Elon Musk laid off round 50 p.c of the corporate’s employees. On the identical day, he tweeted that every one these laid off would obtain three months of severance pay. However, after two months of ready for the corporate to say what sort of severance and advantages will likely be accessible, a number of former Twitter workers say they’ve heard nothing.
As weeks of ready flip into months, former staffers within the US are submitting arbitration fits, whereas some within the UK try to barter phrases. In different international locations the place Twitter laid off employees, folks have heard nothing.
Quickly after the layoffs have been introduced, Twitter was pressured to backtrack and preserve some employees on payroll for longer. California workers have been employed, although not working, till January 4 to keep away from working afoul of the state’s Employee Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN. In New York, former staffers will likely be employed for an additional month in accordance with state legal guidelines. However as these deadlines move, Twitter’s silence has develop into deafening.
Seven former Twitter workers who spoke to WIRED mentioned they’d not obtained details about their severance, regardless of some coming as much as or being previous their final day on the firm. Final month, a handful of former workers introduced that they might be submitting arbitration instances in opposition to the corporate, alleging that it had violated the WARN Act and that its dealing with of the layoffs constituted a breach of contract.
One former worker, who was laid off in November, is ready on authorized proceedings to see whether or not they’ll be given severance in any respect—and isn’t assured they are going to be. One other, who was laid off in early November, has heard nothing from the corporate.
A 3rd has but to obtain any particulars of severance, though they’ve been chasing Twitter for data since they have been fired in November. That they had been promised no less than twice earlier than that they might be given particulars of their package deal—and every time the promised deadline handed with none data.
An ex-staffer within the UK says that they’ve additionally not obtained phrase about severance however are at present discussing phrases with the corporate on behalf of the some 300 employees primarily based within the nation.
A former worker from Twitter’s Accra, Ghana, workplace, which was open for lower than per week earlier than its complete employees was laid off, says that they, “like different employees globally, have been assured severance however haven’t heard from them but.” The previous worker says they weren’t positive what, if any, recourse they could have in opposition to the corporate in Ghana.
Twitter is, nonetheless, offering severance to some. One former contractor says their boss obtained their severance particulars on January 5. As for the contractor, they got a field of sweets by the company that received them the job at Twitter. All former Twitter staffers contacted for this story have been granted anonymity as a result of speaking to the media may have an effect on them being granted severance pay.
Whereas some selected to attend till their official standing as workers expired on January 4, others selected to take preemptive authorized motion in opposition to the corporate.
