Company offers top employees the opportunity to leave and start their own business with the option to return

In every office, there is usually a colleague who can lighten the burden of Monday. This person might reserve a spot for you during lunch, understand your hints after tiring meetings, share jokes, and know when you need a cup of strong tea or coffee most, even if their name is not listed on your employment record. These are likely the people who are the main reason why one wants to go to work every day.

Friendship in the office is often ignored as a mundane aspect of work, but new research demonstrates that these relationships deeply influence how employees feel about their job, how effectively they work, and whether they want to stay with the company.

The report 'Human Connection: The Crucial Secret to Thriving in the Digital Age' by 'Wily Workplace Intelligence' (2024) presents a number of striking data points. According to the survey, 78 percent of employees reported feeling connected to their colleagues, and 69 percent prefer to build relationships with colleagues in the office. Importantly, 59 percent of workers stated that having friends in the office directly influences their decision to remain with the company.

Similarly, a Gallup study links having a best friend at work to improved engagement, stronger collaboration, and longer employee tenure. Statistics show that where close friends exist, employees are more willing to share their thoughts and opinions.

The true value of these relationships manifests in difficult moments. When there is high work pressure, an awkward conversation with a manager, or a sudden tight deadline, having someone to listen without judgment significantly reduces stress levels. An analysis published in the journal 'Work' in 2024 asserts that friendships in the office strengthen employees' mental health, mutual trust, and emotional support. Simply put, having 'your own' person at work prevents the workplace from feeling lonely or burdensome.

There is another side to workplace friendship. When a close colleague resigns, transfers, or moves to another company, it causes significant personal sadness. Lunch breaks suddenly become quiet, daily conversations disappear, and the workplace starts to feel foreign. Often, it is at this moment that other employees begin to re-evaluate their attitude towards work. This does not mean they will immediately quit, but their emotional attachment to the office certainly weakens.

No, it cannot be forced. No employee wants to be part of a mandatory 'best friend program' or forced team-building sessions. However, companies can create an atmosphere where these relationships arise naturally. Joint projects, benevolent and supportive managers, and an inclusive environment simplify the process of mutual trust for employees. Ultimately, people join companies for salary, position, and career growth. But often, it is the person sitting next to them at the desk who becomes the real reason they stay longer. And when that person leaves, the gleaming office simply becomes a place to fulfill duties.

In the corporate world, when the word 'layoff' is mentioned, feelings of tension, uncertainty, and anger usually arise. However, recently, Melanie Perkins, CEO and co-founder of the graphic design platform Canva, has given this trend of layoffs a completely new and human dimension. While the tech sector is mass-cutting jobs, Canva's approach to severance pay and managing this process has become an example in both social media and business circles.

Canva announced a restructuring that affected 22 percent of its total staff, which is 1,271 employees. Characterizing it as the most difficult period in the company's 13-year history, Melanie Perkins took full responsibility for humanizing this process. The package offered to departing employees attracted significant attention.

Employees were offered the following:

• Six months of salary.
• Medical insurance for up to 12 months in relevant countries.
• Gadget discounts, allowing employees to take their office MacBooks home.
• Career support, including an annual subscription to LinkedIn Premium, as well as assistance with interview preparation and career counseling.
• 'Canva Collective Fund': financial aid of $10,000 (grant) for employees who wish to start their own business or social project, without requiring equity.

The reaction from employees and social media was mixed. Despite the sadness of job loss, employees highly appreciated the company's attitude. One employee wrote on Instagram that although the news was hard to accept, the support provided by the company during maternity leave and during a difficult time proved that Canva is a great organization.

This case demonstrates an important lesson: employees may feel disappointed about being laid off, but if a company treats them with dignity and respect during difficult times, that respect remains in their hearts.

Although Canva is not the only company to offer support, its package has unique features. It is worth noting that other companies offered the following conditions:

• Meta: 16 weeks of salary plus 2 weeks for each year of service.
• Dropbox: 16 weeks of salary, one extra week per year, and retention of the laptop.
• Microsoft and Amazon: Time to seek internal opportunities and voluntary departure.

Compared to these offers, Canva's package focuses not only on financial security but also directly on career relaunch, such as through startup grants and the ability to keep a MacBook.

Following all these events, the discussion has resurfaced about whether female CEOs tend to handle complex decisions from a different perspective. Although attributing empathy solely to gender is incorrect, a recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) indicates that companies led by women have a 6.4% higher probability of achieving better business results.

Deciding to forgo a high-paying job for one's own business is a difficult step, especially when it turns out that staying a little longer could have brought in a significant sum of money after leaving. Atishay Jhin, a former software engineer at Microsoft, faced this situation. He left the company to create his AI startup, but shortly after his departure, Microsoft introduced a voluntary separation program that could have earned him around 1.5 million rupees.

Despite losing this amount, Atishay does not regret his decision. Previously, Atishay Jhin worked at both Microsoft and Nutanix. Last month, he left Microsoft to dedicate himself fully to his AI project, ScaleWorks AI.

Atishay shared in a LinkedIn post that he made the decision to leave too hastily, quitting a month earlier than planned. If he had stayed with the company for one more month, he could have received about 1.5 million rupees under Microsoft's voluntary separation offer. He noted that these 1.5 million rupees were offered in exchange for leaving the very job he had already decided to quit. Although the loss of this amount disappointed him, he emphasized that he does not regret his decision to leave the job.

Atishay also mentioned in his post that his startup, ScaleWorks AI, has achieved significant success in its first month after his departure. According to him, the startup officially became a member of the OpenAI partner network. Furthermore, he managed to get into the global freelancer network Toptal. Atishay believes that now, with the time freed from work, he can focus entirely on developing his startup, allowing him to work on his ideas faster.

In his post, Atishay questions whether he lost 1.5 million by leaving a month early or gained an extra month to pursue his dream. In his opinion, only time will provide the answer to this question. In conclusion, he asked to be asked about this decision in two years. His story serves as an example for those willing to take risks, leaving stable employment and guaranteed salary for their own venture. Nevertheless, startup success is not guaranteed, and such decisions always involve financial risks.