Gili Malinsky -
CNBC
Twitter has made headlines for its mass layoffs just a week after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acquired the company.
Nearly 1,000 California employees were laid off earlier this month, according to notice letters Twitter sent to local law enforcement, and others from out-of-state offices were also laid off.
Some have been asked to return, according to Bloomberg.
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And it's not the only social media giant making changes: Facebook's parent company Meta is laying off more than 11,000 employees, according to a letter to the company from its founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
The company's shares have fallen 72% this year.
Whether or not you work for these companies, if you find yourself being laid off unexpectedly, here are some steps experts recommend you take.
Forward all dismissal communication to a personal email
For starters, keep any interactions that took place through company messaging, such as email or Slack, in connection with your termination.
“Any emails, evidence, correspondence that you have on that,” explained Arick Fudali, partner and managing attorney at civil rights firm The Bloom Firm, “forward to your personal email, take screenshots, whatever you have What to do to preserve that is important because once you leave the company, you no longer have access to those emails.”
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How quickly you stop having access to your work accounts may vary.
In some cases you can lose access to work accounts immediately, as reported by some former Twitter employees.
In others you may have until the end of the day or week.
And keep in mind that if there are other work emails or data you want to send to your personal accounts, company policies on sensitive information still apply.
Read termination agreements carefully before signing them
Don't immediately agree to any of the conditions laid out in the layoff, recommends Fudali.
“My best advice is don't sign any termination agreements, don't sign any acknowledgment forms,” Fudali says.
He doesn't even respond to an email, "confirmed," he says.
Especially when it comes to cases where the termination may have been illegal due to discrimination or a violation of the WARN Act, this could result in you giving up your rights.
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Read what the company offers you, read its human resources policy to make sure you know the company's stance on layoffs, and research the labor and human rights laws in your state.
If you suspect or are not sure that you have been illegally terminated, talk to a lawyer.
Some offer free consultations.
Make sure the basic conditions are met
Ultimately, regardless of whether you decide to take legal action against what could be an illegal termination, "make sure your basic conditions and yourself are taken care of" first, suggests Daniela Urban, executive director of the Center for Workers' Rights. workers.
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Request the strike.
Find out if you can take advantage of COBRA, which allows you to keep the health plan you had through your employer for a limited period of time, or the health insurance plans in your state's Marketplace.
Start looking for another job and go to your professional networks.
Do whatever it takes to make sure you're in a comfortable position and the basics of your living conditions are covered as soon as you can.