Lay-offs are a tricky business. No one — neither the employer, nor the employee — likes it. They’re bound to be unpleasant and sometimes, insensitive too, as was the recent case with Better.com CEO Vishal Garg, who fired 900 employees over a Zoom call. With a video of the call going viral on social media, Garg — who cited reasons such as “market efficiency” and “performance” as the reasons behind the mass termination — quickly earned the tag of heartless. Several critics including business honchos also slammed the timing of the move as the US-based mortgage lender recently received a $750-million capital infusion; Indian industrialist Harsh Goenka also pointed out how it was a ruthless call just ahead of the festive season.

Companies can offer transition counselling or support to laid-off employees