<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Thousands of young Indians are suddenly staring at an uncertain future as technology companies and start-ups announce mass layoffs due to global headwinds and funding crunches. But many are refusing to stay quiet about it.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In October, when Ravi (name changed on request) realised that he and several colleagues were likely to lose their jobs with a major Indian edtech firm, he immediately set up a private messaging group with them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The group soon became a "safe space" for Ravi and his teammates to air their fears, share tips on dealing with the management and discuss labour laws and workers' rights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It helped many in the team negotiate better exit policies with the company," Ravi says.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The past few months have been difficult for Indian workers in private companies - especially in the tech sector. Edtech firms Byju's and Unacademy have cut hundreds of jobs; social media giant Twitter has laid off more than half of its staff in India and Indians are among those affected after Meta - Facebook's parent company - shaved off about 13% of its 87,000-strong workforce.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The spate of layoffs has sparked outrage on social media and many of those affected are turning to the internet - like their counterparts in other countries - to air their dissatisfaction and form support networks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They're tweeting about unceremonious firings, asking for jobs on LinkedIn, and using messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Slack to rally colleagues, assert their rights and share information with journalists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is partly because the culture of shame and silence that once existed around terminations in India is gradually wearing thin as mass layoffs become more common.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And while the jury is still out on how effective social media is as a tool for redressal, experts say that it is helping unite and amplify voices, especially as trade unions are no longer as powerful as they used to be.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While millions of Indian workers still belong to trade unions, the movement as a whole has been weakening for years. A number of factors - including burgeoning private sector jobs, new labour reforms and a rise in contractual work - have played a role in denting their membership and might.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Along with employers making themselves more accessible, social media too is giving employees a platform to air their grievances, thereby reducing the need for a mediator - a role traditionally played by unions," says Professor Chandrasekhar Sripada, professor of practice, organisational behaviour, at the Indian School of Business.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After Byju's announced in October that it would "rationalise" about 2,500 employees to "achieve profitability", many of its employees have been speaking to the media - often anonymously - about the company culture and the pressures they face.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sacked Twitter employees have taken to social media to vent their frustrations. "Always a Tweep never a Twit," tweeted one former employee in a veiled reference to new owner Elon Musk's Twitter bio at the time. "Got fired without even a confirmation email. There's always a new low," said another.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pritha Dutt, a management and development sector professional, points out that even a couple of decades ago, layoffs weren't that common and terminations were most likely chalked up to "a performance issue".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Today, layoffs and downsizing have become accepted business practices, so terminations are no longer a taboo topic," she says.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the job market expanding, Ms Dutt adds, employees have become more confident about the marketability of their skills and don't mind standing up for their rights, even if that means burning bridges by calling out a person or organisation on social media. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>