The transparency is more foggy than transparent. I found out that there would be layoffs from someone else who is not and has never been a Zillow employee. It was embarrassing that we were the last to know when it was our livelihood. Prior to the layoffs, between the announcement to pause home buying and the layoff announcement, everyone had questions. Everyone asked if there was a possibility of layoffs. Everyone was asking the right questions to decide what was going to happen next. No one ever said “no there will not be layoffs” but the implication to me and to everyone else is that there weren’t going to be layoffs. Higher-ups used different tactics to pull the “wool” over our eyes so to speak. There were analysts hired within a month prior to the layoff announcement. They claimed ti have created 5 entirely new positions to the ZO division implying that it was expanding so much that they needed to create new positions. These positions were annoyed about 2 weeks before the layoffs were announced. The decision to layoff 25% of the company is not a split second decision. This had to have been at least a conversation for several weeks, if not months. The “new positions”, the busy work during the paused time, the encouraging pricing meetings and “plans” for 2022 all feel like lies and tactic to keep people from seeking other employment and leaving before ZO was ready. I get that layoffs happen. I understand that business is business and this iBuyer model was not done properly and the division had to be dissolved. It’s business. But when you’re a company that preaches inclusivity, transparency, and employee appreciation, taking all of these ridiculous steps to keep the hood over our eyes was too much. Hiring people so close to the layoffs, creating “new positions”, answering our questions about job security with positivity and assurance is just dirty. I can’t speak for anyone else but I know that if someone came to me and said “hey there may be a chance of layoffs”, it would give people a chance to restructure their lives and secure their future.
