You're going to want to keep your best employees. They're going to be thinking about leaving.
By virtue of being the best, these are the employees who would most easily be able to find work elsewhere, and they're the smartest employees who will not just shrug and carry on as before when they see their fellows being made redundant around them. They will think about what it means for the company (and thus their future). They will see what's happened and think about moving on. Maybe not right away, but they'll be thinking about it, and your best employees are (by definition) the ones who other companies most want.
You asked us to note where we speak from personal experience. I've seen it happen, and I've done it myself. I watched a round of redundancies come through, and I was told not to worry; I was essential and a good employee. I found another job with a company that was doing better. The company I left found that the people it most wanted to keep drifted away over the following year.
You need a plan to keep these employees.
Also, check the local laws for laying people off for whatever reason you're doing it. You'd hate to have someone come back with a legal claim in a year. I've seen that happen too.
By virtue of being the best, these are the employees who would most easily be able to find work elsewhere, and they're the smartest employees who will not just shrug and carry on as before when they see their fellows being made redundant around them. They will think about what it means for the company (and thus their future). They will see what's happened and think about moving on. Maybe not right away, but they'll be thinking about it, and your best employees are (by definition) the ones who other companies most want.
You asked us to note where we speak from personal experience. I've seen it happen, and I've done it myself. I watched a round of redundancies come through, and I was told not to worry; I was essential and a good employee. I found another job with a company that was doing better. The company I left found that the people it most wanted to keep drifted away over the following year.
You need a plan to keep these employees.
Also, check the local laws for laying people off for whatever reason you're doing it. You'd hate to have someone come back with a legal claim in a year. I've seen that happen too.