You’ve been told you’re being let go — not due to company finances or restructuring, but because of your “performance.” The label “low per

How Labeling Laid-Off Tech Workers as ‘Low Performers’ Destroys Careers

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2025-01-19 13:00:02

You’ve been told you’re being let go — not due to company finances or restructuring, but because of your “performance.”

The label “low performer” is assigned to you, a tag that sticks, staining your professional reputation and making it harder to recover.

When tech giants like Meta describe layoffs as “non-regrettable attrition” Fast Company breaks it down here, they’re essentially branding some employees as undesirable.

The term “low performer” becomes a convenient scapegoat in an environment where trust and transparency are already fragile.

This one-sided story can lead to feelings of shame and isolation, making it harder to network or even talk about the experience.

Now, as the market corrects itself, workers are paying the price. Meta’s latest layoffs highlight this trend, showing how even high-performing teams are being targeted in cost-cutting measures.

Labels like “low performer” do more harm than good, damaging not just individual careers but also the industry’s credibility.