In layoff season, social networks are stepping up to help ease the anxiety

Support and empathy on sites such as LinkedIn and a market that is still hiring are softening the blow

Manisha Sharma (name changed) was always among the high achievers in her company. She was recognised and rewarded for those efforts as well. Mid-December 2022, however, she received a jolt: an email informing her that she had been laid off – along with several of her colleagues. Sharma worked for a big tech firm, which had decided to downsize. And just like that, she was asked to go.

“It did come as a shock,” she says. “I did not take calls for the first two days, but then realised there is no point in beating oneself up for a