[serf]

>2. Why on Earth does your friend think having multiple rounds of layoffs will convince poor performers to resign?

for the sake of playing devil's advocate, i'd like to remind that poor performers may not see that same image when they look in the mirror.

it's likely that they too will experience the same dread and despair as anyone else might when they are confronted by the very real future prospect of unemployment.

[superfrank]

You're absolutely right, but it's also likely that they will have a harder time finding new jobs. I know there are exceptions, but generally you'd expect the high performers to have the most options.