Email template · Resignation and offboarding
Layoff notification email
In short
A layoff email tells an employee, in writing, that their position is being eliminated for business reasons, not performance. It confirms the separation date, pay and severance, benefits, and support available, and it follows a live conversation. Below are templates for affected employees, WARN-covered notices and the message to remaining staff, plus an SMS version.
When to send it: Send the individual email immediately after the employee hears the news from their manager or HR, within the same hour. Send the message to remaining staff once every affected person has been told, the same day.
Layoff notification email: 3 versions
Affected employee (after the conversation)
SubjectYour position with [Company]: details from today's conversation
Hi [First Name], Thank you for meeting with [Manager Name] and me today. As we discussed, [Company] is eliminating a number of roles as part of [brief business reason, e.g. consolidating our two regional service centers], and your position as [Job Title] is one of them. This decision is about the role, not your performance. Here are the details: - Last day of employment: [Separation Date] - Final pay: [what is included], paid on [Final Pay Date] - Severance: [Number] weeks of pay, [Severance Amount], offered in exchange for signing the attached separation agreement. You have until [Agreement Deadline] to review it, and we encourage you to talk to an advisor or attorney. - Health benefits: coverage continues through [Coverage End Date]. COBRA information will arrive from [Plan Administrator]. - Support: [outplacement service, résumé help, EAP access], available until [Support End Date]. - Internal roles: you're welcome to apply for open positions at [Internal Jobs Link]. [Any preference or priority given to laid-off employees.] I know this is a lot to take in. Call me at [Phone Number] any time this week, or book a follow-up here: [Scheduling Link]. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Advance notice (WARN-covered)
SubjectNotice of layoff: [Site Name], effective [Separation Date]
Dear [First Name], This letter is advance notice that [Company] will [close the Site Name facility / conduct a reduction in force at Site Name], and that your employment as [Job Title] is expected to end on [Separation Date]. [This action is expected to be permanent / This layoff is expected to last more than six months.] [Bumping rights apply / No bumping rights exist] for your position. [If a union represents the employee: Your union, Union Name, has also been notified.] You will continue to receive your regular pay and benefits until your separation date. Details of final pay, severance eligibility and benefits continuation will be shared with you in an individual meeting by [Meeting Date]. For more information, contact [Contact Name], [Contact Title], at [Phone Number] or [Email]. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Message to remaining employees
SubjectChanges to our team today
Hi everyone, Today we told [Number] colleagues in [Departments or Sites] that their roles are being eliminated. Each of them heard the news directly from their manager and HR before this message went out. The reason: [one or two plain sentences on the business reason]. These were difficult decisions about roles, not about the people in them, and every affected employee is receiving severance, extended health coverage and job search support. What this means for you: [what changes in teams, reporting lines or coverage, and what doesn't]. Your manager will meet with your team by [Date] to talk through priorities. We're holding an open Q&A on [Date and Time] at [Location or Link]. If you'd rather ask privately, reply to me or contact [HR Contact]. Please treat departing colleagues with the respect they've earned. If you want to stay in touch with them, that's welcome. [Leader Name] [Title]
Subject line ideas
- Your position with [Company]: details from today's conversation
- Notice of layoff: [Site Name], effective [Separation Date]
- Position elimination and next steps
- Separation details, severance and benefits
- Changes to our team today
- Reduction in force: what it means for you
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company] HR. Following today's conversation, I've sent the details of your separation date, pay, severance and benefits to [Personal Email]. Call me at [Phone Number] whenever you're ready to talk it through.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Manager Name], [Job Title], [Separation Date], [Final Pay Date], [Severance Amount], [Agreement Deadline], [Coverage End Date], [Plan Administrator], [Site Name], [Internal Jobs Link], [Personal Email], [Leader Name], [Your Name], [Title], [Company], [Phone Number]
Order of operations on layoff day
A layoff email is the last step of a sequence, not the first. The usual order on the day:
- Brief managers the day before with a short script, the list, and answers to the likely questions.
- Hold individual meetings, 10 to 15 minutes each, with the manager and an HR partner. For large groups, run them in parallel across the morning so news doesn't travel ahead of you.
- Send each affected employee the individual layoff email within the hour, to their personal address, with the separation agreement and benefits information attached.
- Once every affected person has been told, send the message to remaining staff, then hold team meetings.
- Answer external questions (clients, candidates in process, the press if relevant) with one approved statement.
Sending a mass email that tells hundreds of people to "check your calendar for a 15-minute meeting" is a well-known way to cause panic. If you must notify a large distributed group at once, a short live all-hands followed immediately by individual emails is the least bad option.
What the affected-employee email must cover
People read this email several times over the following days, usually at home, often with a partner. Write it for that reader.
- That the role is eliminated, and that the decision is not about performance, if that is true. It matters for unemployment claims, references and the person's confidence.
- Separation date and whether they are expected to work through it or are paid in lieu of notice.
- Final pay, including accrued PTO if your state or policy requires payout.
- Severance terms, the deadline to sign, and a suggestion to get advice. See our glossary entry on severance pay for how packages are typically structured.
- Benefits end date and COBRA continuation.
- Support: outplacement, references, internal job openings, EAP.
- One named contact, with a phone number.
The formal version of the same information belongs in a layoff letter attached to the email. Keeping both as approved document templates stops managers from improvising wording under stress.
Legal checks before you send
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act generally requires employers with 100 or more full-time employees to give 60 days' written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff that meets its thresholds. Notice goes to affected employees (or their union), the state dislocated worker unit and the chief elected local official. Our WARN Act entry explains the triggers. Several states, including California, New York and New Jersey, have their own versions with lower thresholds, longer notice or other requirements.
If severance is offered in exchange for a release of claims and any affected employee is 40 or older, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act applies. For a group layoff it requires 45 days to consider the agreement, 7 days to revoke after signing, and a written disclosure of the job titles and ages of those selected and not selected in the decisional unit.
Run a disparate impact check on the selection list before anyone is told. If the list skews heavily by age, race, sex or another protected group, revisit the criteria. Rules vary by state and country, so involve counsel early, not on the morning of.
Tone for a layoff versus a termination
A termination email confirms a decision about a person. A layoff email confirms a decision about a role, and the wording should make that clear. Acknowledge the impact plainly ("I know this is a lot to take in") without heavy emotional language, and avoid euphemisms like "rightsizing" or "talent realignment." Plain words read as more respectful.
The broader layoff entry covers temporary layoffs and furloughs, where the wording is different: you state an expected return date or review date and explain what happens to benefits in the meantime.
Mistakes to avoid
- Remaining staff hear first. If the all-staff message lands before a single affected employee has been told, trust is gone for years.
- Work email only. Access is often cut during the meeting. Use personal addresses.
- Different terms for similar people without a documented reason. It invites challenge.
- Vague severance language like "a generous package." Give numbers.
- Silence afterwards. Survivors want to know what changes for them. Follow the team message with an organizational change announcement once new structures are set.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a layoff email to an employee?
Send it after telling the employee in person or by video. State that the position is eliminated for business reasons, then list the separation date, final pay, severance and deadline, benefits end date, support offered and a named contact.
What is the difference between a layoff and a termination?
A layoff ends employment because the role is eliminated or work is reduced, not because of the person's performance or conduct. A termination is usually for cause, performance or conduct. The paperwork, severance and notice obligations often differ.
How much notice is required for a reduction in force?
Under the federal WARN Act, covered employers must give 60 days' notice for qualifying plant closings and mass layoffs. Some states require more notice or apply at smaller headcounts. Smaller layoffs below the thresholds have no federal notice requirement.
Should a layoff notice to employees be sent by email?
The email confirms the decision; it should follow a live conversation. Formal WARN notices must be written and delivered in a way that reasonably reaches each employee, which can include email alongside mail.
What should I tell remaining employees after a layoff?
How many roles were affected and in which areas, the business reason in plain words, how departing colleagues are being supported, what changes for the remaining team and where to ask questions. Send it only after every affected employee has been told.
Can laid-off employees apply for other jobs at the company?
Usually yes, and saying so in the email is good practice. Some employers give laid-off staff priority consideration for open roles for a set period.