In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Allison Jno-Baptiste, Head of People and Culture at Storyblocks, for a candid, practical conversation about a topic most people leaders avoid discussing publicly: how to navigate a reduction in force with honesty and care.
Allison draws on her experience leading Storyblocks through four separate reductions since 2020, sharing the emotional weight of the decision-making process, how she builds buy-in with leadership, and the specific scripts and systems she uses to prepare managers for difficult conversations. She's refreshingly transparent about what these days actually look like — from fielding anger and anxiety attacks on calls to the physical and emotional toll it takes on HR leaders themselves.
The conversation goes beyond the day of the layoff itself, digging into the often-overlooked aftermath: how to rebuild trust with remaining employees, plan for inevitable attrition, and support departing employees through alumni networks and career transition resources. It's a resource-rich episode for any people leader preparing for — or currently navigating — this kind of organizational change.
What You'll Learn
How to get leadership buy-in and build a layoff plan starting with "the why"
How to prepare and script conversations for managers involved in layoff meetings
How to decide when to loop in managers ahead of a reduction
What to do in the first hours, days, and weeks after a layoff to rebuild trust
How to identify flight risk and attrition patterns in the 30-60-90 days after an event
How HR leaders can protect their own wellbeing while carrying this responsibility
Company Highlights
Industry: Stock media and creative content (footage, audio, and video assets)
Customer Base: Filmmakers, content creators, and businesses in need of licensed creative assets
Company Stage: 17-year-old, bootstrapped company (originally VideoBlocks), now backed by private equity; lean team of 74 across 20 states
Culture: Remote-first, transparency-driven, and intentional about honoring people through organizational change
Focus Areas: Organizational resilience, employee wellbeing during change, and rebuilding trust after reductions
Key Practices & Frameworks
Post-Event AMA Process: A dedicated Slack channel for employee questions, reviewed and answered in a follow-up all-hands within days of a layoff
Manager Check-In Scripts: Specific, scaled questions (e.g., "where do you land, 1 to 10?") to gather real data on how employees are processing change
Alumni Notion Page: An opt-in resource for departed employees offering referrals, continued connection, and career support
One-Week Manager Notice Window: A deliberate window before layoffs are communicated, balancing preparedness with minimizing prolonged emotional burden
Listening Tours: Structured post-layoff check-ins to identify single points of failure and engagement risks across teams
Personal Recovery Rituals: Intentional practices for HR leaders themselves, including scheduled time off in the weeks following a reduction
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