[someonehere]

The workers impacted by this most across all companies (whether benefitting or dying from this) are the workplace staff. The people that keep the office running. Most of these people are hourly and only real purpose to keep the office lights on. When the office is closed, they don’t have any purpose any more.

I have friends at various mid sized startups looking to lay off workplace staff because of office closures.

If you hired people to stock canteens, prep lunch, ensure the office is functioning, and now they’re working from home, there’s no reason to keep them around anymore.

The good thing is once offices open up again they’ll need to hire them back. But who knows when that is.