[irrational]

Is there a worse time of year to do layoffs than just before the holidays? Do they do it because their fiscal calendar is aligned to the … whatever you call the normal calendar? My company has its fiscal calendar about 5 months off from the normal calendar and while we have had layoffs, they have never happened at the holiday time.

[bunderbunder]

That's exactly why.

Thing is, laying people off in January would be even worse, for pretty much the same reason. As much as getting laid off during the holidays is a gut punch, it's probably ultimately better to go on the job market right before the January hiring season than to get laid off right after it wraps up.