24 Jun 2022
The Sill Response
3yWe had a lay off on May 5th, and unfortunately said goodbye to about 30% of our team.
Transparency is incredibly important to me as I address these points. While layoffs are hard and never come at a convenient time, there was no misleading the team as to how we were performing. Our financial performance, as well as the macro-environment, are discussed regularly in company forums -- along with the fact that we were staffed for a year of growth that has not manifested as expected.
It’s true that some of those let go were mothers and fathers (also non-parents). I believe in And vs Or – you can value, support, and celebrate women and motherhood in the workplace AND you can make difficult staffing decisions. You can also have vision AND adapt as the circumstances around you change.
As a company, The Sill stands at 80% women and our leadership team is 60% women. 50% of those who received promotions for taking on more responsibility following the layoff are women, and we continue to support parents with flexible work schedules and paid parental leave.
All of this said, it pains me that this was anyone’s experience at The Sill and for that I take responsibility. If I’ve learned anything about running The Sill in all of its iterations over 10 years, it’s impossible to be the right leader for every one in every moment. I will reflect on and learn from this.