Open Source: Are Friday layoffs right?

I’ve never been laid off, but I did have a job in my pre-journalism days when my boss kindly informed me that I should seek employment elsewhere. This conversation, like so much bad news delivered to employees, occurred on a Friday.

Of late, I’ve noticed colleagues at other news outlets post about losing their jobs on the last day of the work week. Several did so last Friday, a day when Google announced the company cut 12,000 positions globally (including a certain number of employees in downtown Durham).

Friday layoffs feel like they make sense. Affected workers get the weekend to reflect and regroup. No one has to see the working world keep spinning the day after their professional lives, and perhaps personal lives, has been derailed.

But what if Fridays are not the ideal layoff days? In fact, what if they’re the worst?

The News & Observer spoke with several HR consultants in the Triangle who advise companies on how best to handle layoffs. They sit next to managers as they let people go. Some have had objects thrown at them in the process.

And each one said companies should make layoffs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays — and that’s it.

“I am adamant that it’s done any day but Friday,” said Kim Conklin, who owns KC Consulting Resources in Raleigh. “Put yourself in the (laid off) person’s shoes: They can’t call their financial adviser (the next day). They can’t call their HR person back. They have a ton of questions, and then just sit there and stew all weekend.”

Do you agree with Conklin?

I must admit, I stewed (okay, I cried) for two days when I received my bad job news many years ago. That said, I probably would’ve done that on a Tuesday as well.

Boom. Here comes the Boom.

Around this time last year, the supersonic jet startup Boom Supersonic announced it would be opening an assembly, testing and delivery facility at the airport in Greensboro. This week, the company that hopes to revolutionize commercial air travel with jets that go very fast (Mach 1.7, which is apparently quite quick) celebrated the facility’s ground breaking.

Like last year, Gov. Roy Cooper and Senate leader Phil Berger were on hand to give congratulatory remarks. When it comes to Boom’s ambitious plans, there are plenty of skeptics. Will be fascinating to see if they can pull it off.

Fun Fact: Back when Boom Supersonic was deciding which state to build its facility, I reviewed emails from Boom executives who were worried a Weekend Update segment on “Saturday Night Live” might hurt its public image.

The joke? “Get ready to fly fast and cheap on the only airline named after the sound of an explosion.” Boom!

Red Hat stays red hot

Raleigh’s open-source software company Red Hat once again grew its revenue by at least 15% in a quarter, as it continues to deliver rock star returns for IBM, which purchased Red Hat in 2019 for the handsome sum of $34 billion.

This week, IBM executives specifically shouted out two Red Hat platforms, OpenShift and Ansible, for their performance.

Open Source

Do you enjoy Triangle tech news? Subscribe to Open Source, The News & Observer's weekly technology newsletter and look for it in your inbox every Friday morning. Sign up here.

Short stuff: Computer science school requirement?

• A bill filed in the North Carolina General Assembly this week would require students to complete a computer science credit to graduate high school.

• The Durham semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed will name a new plant after its late chief technology officer John Palmour who died in November.

National Tech News

• Tesla slashed prices on several of its models.

• The Department of Justice is suing Google for anti-trust over its use of advertising tech.

• Meta says it’ll lift its ban on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. I’m worried that might make Facebook uncool with the kids!

Thanks for reading.

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.