Survived the layoff? Here comes 50% more work, techie's post sparks debate

As companies cut costs and reduce team sizes, the employees who remain may find themselves handling the work of those who leave. A post on workplace discussions has raised a familiar concern: surviving a layoff does not always mean escaping its impact.As companies cut costs and reduce team sizes, the employees who remain may find themselves handling the work of those who leave. (Representational image: AI-generated)New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 10:25 ISTSurviving a layoff should bring some relief. But what if the next thing waiting for you is your former colleague's workload?That is the concern behind a workplace post about job cuts in the IT sector. The original one is an X post, sharing this experience.The employee claimed that companies were reducing teams in the name of cost-cutting, while expecting the remaining staff to keep the work moving.The post's punchline was blunt: “So if you are not being laid off, you will be given 50% more work.” The post questions the reality of restructuring: a company may cut its salary bill without reducing the amount of work it expects to get done.TWO PEOPLE OUT, TWO BIGGER TO-DO LISTSThe employee shared what had happened at their own company. Two people were laid off: a Scrum Master and a senior developer. The Scrum Master's work was handed to a senior employee, while the tech lead took over the senior developer's responsibilities.“My company laid off 2 people,” the post said, before explaining how the responsibilities were redistributed.That can look efficient on a spreadsheet. In practice, though, adding responsibilities without taking anything else off an employee's plate can leave teams juggling competing priorities.A senior employee may now have less time for their original work, while a tech lead could find their day split between technical decisions and development tasks.In other words, the work did not disappear when the employees did. It moved to people who already had their own jobs to do. (Photo: SS/Reddit Post) THE LAYOFF DOESN'T END WHEN THE MEETING DOESFor employees who keep their jobs, the uncertainty may not end with the announcement. They may also be left wondering whether they will be next, while trying to manage a heavier workload.And if extra duties become the new normal, workers may find it difficult to push back, particularly when job security already feels fragile.The post invited others to compare experiences, asking whether their organisations were following the same pattern.The bigger question for employees is not just who survives the next round of cuts, but what their jobs will look like afterwards.(Disclaimer: This story is based on a social media post. The details, including figures, background, and outcomes, have not been independently verified by India Today. The article is intended for informational purposes only, and readers are advised to exercise their own discretion before drawing conclusions or making decisions based on the content.)- Ends