Meta is determined to have only high performers in its workforce. The company is all set to let go 3,600 employees who have not performed up to the mark. It plans to replace them with new hires. The move by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta, will affect five per cent of the company’s 72,400-strong workforce, as reported by Bloomberg. Exactly how many employees within the US and how many outside will be impacted by this layoff round is yet to be revealed officially.
Zuckerberg wishes to ensure that the workforce retains and attracts only the best-quality talent. The usual practice has been to eliminate poor performers over a period of a year, but now the process is being speeded up. This is also a way to introduce new talent into the team and weed out the poor performers faster. Zuckerberg has been emphasising the need to focus on managing performance and “raising the bar”.
The company is reportedly preparing to focus more on artificial intelligence (AI), enhancing social-media platforms, and developing smart glasses this year.
Last week, Meta was in the news for making significant changes to its Hateful Conduct policy, removing restrictions on discriminatory and harmful speech across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The updated guidelines now permit content that dehumanises or insults individuals based on protected characteristics such as gender, race, and sexual orientation. The changes were reportedly met with widespread discontent among Meta employees.
