3 types of employees at most risk during layoffs, according to former HR exec at Microsoft

Chris Williams, former vice president of human resources at Microsoft (Image credit: LinkedIn)

Following Microsoft's announcement on January 18 to lay off 10,000 employees, accounting for almost 5 percent of its global workforce, a former vice-president of the human resources at the company shared three categories of employees who are at most risk of being fired and two of the safest categories.

Chris Williams, who is now a podcaster, consultant and TikTok creator told Business Insider, "Every industry, company, even department has a different risk, but some areas are more vulnerable than others." He then listed the three most unsafe categories.

1.) Contract workers
"At the extreme end of the risk spectrum are contract employees. One of the main reasons companies use temporary or contract workers is for this very contingency. They want to remain flexible in case of a downturn," Williams told the publication.

2.) Employees associated with new initiatives
When companies decide to explore new avenues during a good phase, they tend to hire employees for these new initiatives. Such employees too are at risk during layoffs if the company decides to play it safe. "Unless the company is making a concerted effort to pivot entirely to these new areas, these kinds of new initiatives are often the first ones cut when times are leaner," Williams told Business Insider.

3.) Employees associated with event planning
According to Williams, events and luxury activities are quick to be axed when companies find themselves in a tight spot, making employees who handle events at risk of layoffs. "If you are involved in planning events, for example, those are some of the first things that companies cut when times get tight. People who are part of providing such services are at high risk of being laid off," Williams said.

Read more: Indian man laid off 'after working for over 21 years at Microsoft

He then went on to add the two categories of employees who are at least risk.

1.) Profit-making employees
"If you're an essential part of building the most profitable product for your company, your layoff risk is low. When retreating to the core business, companies turn to the quality products that make money," Williams told Business Insider. If employees are essential to one of those products, the company would not risk incurring losses if such staff are fired.

2.) Human resources staff"HR is essential in the layoff process, and finance is often relied on as the financial status gets more scrutiny. As such, these areas are rarely the source of major cuts in most layoffs," Williams added.

Read more: Microsoft held private concert for executives the night before layoffs: Report