Layoffs are not simply an operational exercise. They put a company’s accumulated trust on display. Departing employees, those who remain, prospective hires, customers, partners, and investors are all watching to see whether its treatment of people matches its stated values.
Canva’s recent layoffs offer a prime example of how leaders can approach an inherently difficult event with transparency, empathy, accountability, and concern for employees. By pairing clear communication with meaningful support, Canva demonstrates how companies can put their values into practice during moments that test employee and brand trust.
Employees Leave, But Their Experience Stays With Your Brand
Companies invest significant time and resources in recruiting talent, developing employees, and building a culture people are proud to represent. That investment should not end with a termination notice over a group video call and minimal severance. The exit experience reveals whether employees were genuinely valued or valued only while they were useful.
Consider the difference between two accounts of the same event: “I was let go and left to figure things out,” and “My role was eliminated, but the company offered support and helped me take my next step.” Neither changes the reality of job loss. But they tell very different stories about the employer.
The objective should not be to purchase praise from departing employees. It is to give them an experience they can describe honestly without contradicting everything the company says it stands for.
Canva Put Its Values Into Action
Canva’s response illustrates several practices that help organizations preserve trust during workforce reductions:
- Explain the decision candidly. CEO Melanie Perkins described what was changing, why leadership believed the restructuring was necessary, and how decisions about the organization preceded decisions about individual roles. That context helps employees understand the rationale rather than forcing them to fill an information vacuum.
- Acknowledge the human impact. Canva explicitly recognized the disruption to employees, families, friends, and coworkers. It did not rely on a detached corporate announcement to convey a deeply personal decision.
- Make support tangible. Impacted employees received continued salary and healthcare, career and interview support, LinkedIn Premium, access to an alumni talent directory, and their company MacBooks. Canva also created grants for employees interested in starting a business or community project. These resources matter because they help people move forward.
- Preserve dignity and agency. Instead of immediately cutting off access, Canva allowed departing employees time to communicate with colleagues and say goodbye. It also planned individual conversations with senior leaders and broader all-hands meetings.
These choices do not erase questions about how the company arrived at the decision. Nor do they guarantee goodwill. They do demonstrate something more fundamental–empathy becomes credible when an organization supports it with action.
Treat The Exit Experience As A Brand Experience
A layoff tests whether a company’s values hold when honoring them becomes difficult. Leaders should approach the departure experience with the same intention they bring to attracting employees:
- Communicate the decision transparently and acknowledge what people are losing.
- Offer practical support that helps departing employees take their next step.
- Give people real conversations, clear information, and room to say goodbye.
- Ensure that the experience reinforces rather than contradicts the company’s brand promise.
Trust is not built by avoiding every difficult decision. It is built by demonstrating what values mean while making one. The employment relationship may be ending, but the employee’s experience of the brand does not.
Forrester clients can learn more in Build Trust Through Strategic Communication During Reorganizations and schedule a guidance session with Rani Salehi and Karen Tran.
