I worked for Weyerhaeuser, a major US forest products firm in the Seattle area during the early 2000s. In 2009 they decided to get out of the forestry products business and become nothing more than a land owner. Multiple thousands of workers were let go. At least at the company headquarters, managers met with every worker to tell them whether they'd been laid off or not. The announcement came in the summer, a couple of months before the actual lay-off date, and salary and benefits were extended until year end. It was by far the most humane layoff I'd ever experienced.