The Layoff Decision at Swiggy
Geeta Mishra
ACCF, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India
Bindu Gupta
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, India
Sandeep Puri
Asian Institute of Management, Philippines
Volume 16: 2021, pp. 219-236; ABSTRACT
This case discusses the post-layoff challenge faced by Swiggy, one of India’s major food aggregators, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The nationwide lockdown announced on March 25, 2020, to combat Covid-19 had left the online food ordering and delivery business in limbo, forcing many food aggregators, including Swiggy, to re-align their businesses. This case analyses Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety’s decision to layoff 1100 employees and the company’s business model, values, and people policy. The case provides valuable insights on managing the motivation and morale of the surviving employees amidst an economic or financial crisis. It also delves into Swiggy’s competitors and the challenges of India’s online food ordering and delivery industry. Instructors of employee motivation, people management, strategy, and leadership programmes can use this case to teach customer- and employee-centricity, leadership challenges managers face when delivering bad news, and strategies to keep the survivors’ morale high and performance effective, alternatives to layoffs, and workforce management during a realignment.
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