SPECIAL REPORT

JustAnswer Workplace Study Looks at Attitudes About and Experiences with Layoffs, Negotiating
Severance Pay and Addressing Harassment and Discrimination on the Job
After several years of unprecedented growth and furious hiring, particularly in the tech sector, the economy and job
market in 2023 has taken a dramatic – and in some cases – steep downward turn. Estimates from sources such as
Layoffs.fyi put the running tally of US layoffs to date this year at nearly 170,000. So far, a majority of that downsizing
has been in tech, but now the layoffs are rippling through other industries as well.
With all the current economic uncertainty and job market constriction, it’s not that surprising that JustAnswer
has seen a major spike in questions for its Employment Law experts this year with people asking about
severance packages, exit packages and agreements and other workplace legal topics. Specifically, questionsin the “Employment Law” category increased by 19% in the last six months over the same time period in
2022 and are up 31% YoY. This YOY increase was even higher among JustAnswer customers from themajor tech hubs of NY, Texas, Washington, California, where employment law questions surged 35% YoY.
In order to get a handle on current consumer sentiment about the job market, layoffs and workplacesituations that prompt people to seek expert legal help, JustAnswer recently commissioned a*survey by YouGov of 1,202 U.S. adults on these topics. Here are some of the key findings.

SPECIAL REPORT
Layoff Concerns
45% of people said they are concerned about getting laid off from their current job
More men than women concerned about layoffs - 51% vs. 37%
Two-thirds of Black respondents (66%) and 55% of Hispanic respondents are concerned aboutpossible layoffs - compared to only 30% of White respondents
67% of Tech workers and 66% of marketing/adversiting and entertainment workers areconcerned about layoffs - compared to 45% overall population
GenZ respondents are by far the most concerned about future layoffs – 64% said they wereconcerned about getting laid off, compared to 47% of Millennials and 46% of GenXers

Negotiating Severance Pay
21% of people who have been laid off from a job did NOT receive any kind of severance pay or package
58% of people who received a severance package when laid off did NOT negotiate that package. However …
Of those who DID negotiate severance package, Black respondents were nearly twice as likely as White
respondents to do so (64% vs. 36% respectively)“Other” were 59%
Hispanic - 37%
GenZ respondents (age 26 or under) and Millennials (age 27 - 42) were more than 3x as likely to havenegotiated a severance package upon getting laid off than GenXers (age 43 - 58) or Senior/Boomers (59+) –77% of GenZ respondents and 70% of Millennials compared to only 22% of GenX respondents and 23% of
those age 59+
Women were slightly more likely than men to have negotiated a severance package – 45% vs. 40% of men

Employment Contracts
Nearly a quarter of respondents (22%) admitted they have at least once signed a contract from an employer(e.g., nondisclosure agreement, non-compete agreement, etc.) – without reading it carefully
This is more than double – 54% – for people working in marketing and 48% of entertainment respondents
said they had signed a contract without reading
35% of GenZers have signed an employer contract without reading it carefully, compared to 29% ofMillennials and only 16% of GenXers

SPECIAL REPORT
Seeing + Acting on Illegal Behavior at Work
34% of respondents (more than one-third surveyed) said they have experienced or witnessedsomething at work that they believe warranted legal action against an employer
Slightly more men than women said they had experienced or witnessed something illegal (36%men vs. 33% women)
What did they see or experience?
#1 - Harassment (49%)#2 - Discrimination (40%)#3 - Wrongful termination (35%)#4 - Retaliation (33%)
However, 56% of respondents – more than half – never took any legal action about what they experienced or saw
More men than women have taken legal action – 46% vs. 30%
66% of women who saw/experienced never took legal action
Only 30% of white respondents have taken legal action compared to 58% each of Hispanic and Black
respondents and 38% of “other” who have
A whopping 69% of healthcare workers and 67% of manufacturing workers have seen or experienced illegal
activity but never taken legal action
Gen Z & Millennials are much more likely than older respondents to have sought legal recourse when experiencing
or witnessing something illegal at work – 63% of Gen Zers and 50% of Millennials who experienced or witnessedsomething took legal action, compared to only 15% of Seniors+Boomers (59+) and only 34% of Gen Xers who did.
A whopping 79% of Seniors who have witnessed or experienced something they thought was illegal at work
have NEVER taken any legal action
For those people who chose not to take legal action, what stopped them from doing so?
The number-one reason cited for not taking any legal action was they doubted their ability to make an impact
or have success in the outcome (33%)
The number-two reason given was they were not the victim and didn’t want to get involved (29%)
Three other reasons tied for third at 24%:
Too much time or effort
Didn’t want to make it a bigger issue
Afraid I would get in trouble

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Industry Differences
91% of people working in the legal field said they have experienced or witnessed illegal behavior, and about ⅔
of advertising/marketing professionals have – tech workers were the least likely to say they’ve seen orexperienced anything illegal (33%)
67% of Tech workers and 66% of marketing/advertising and entertainment workers are concerned aboutlayoffs - compared to 45% overall population

Gender Difference
More men than women are concerned about layoffs - 51% vs. 37%
But slightly more women than men negotiated a severance package when getting laid off from a job (45% vs.
40% of men)
More men than women said they had experienced or witnessed something illegal at work (36% vs. 33%)
And more men than women who saw or experienced something illegal took legal action about it ( 46% vs.
30%). In fact, two-thirds ( 66%) of women who saw/experienced NEVER took legal action

SPECIAL REPORT
Race Differences
Hispanic respondents were much more likely to say they have experienced or witnessed something illegal atwork (46% of Hispanic respondents vs. 35% of Black and 38% of white)
More Hispanic and Black respondents have taken legal action – Only 30% of white respondents have taken
legal action compared to 58% each of Hispanic and Black respondents and 38% of “other” who have
⅔ of Black respondents and 55% of Hispanic respondents are concerned about possible layoffs - compared toonly 30% of White respondents
Of those who DID negotiate severance package, Black respondents were nearly twice as likely as White
respondents to do so (64% vs. 36% respectively)“Other” were 59%
Hispanic - 37%
Age Differences
Gen Z & Millennials are much more likely to have sought legal recourse when experiencing or witnessing
something illegal at work – 63% of Gen Zers and 50% of Millennials who experienced or witnessed something
took legal action, compared to only 15% of Seniors+Boomers (59+) and only 34% of Gen Xers who did.
A whopping 79% of Seniors who have witnessed or experienced something they thought was illegal at work
have NEVER taken any legal action
Millennials were much more likely to have negotiated a severance package than any other age group – only
30% said they had never negotiated a severance package, compared to 78% of GenXers who had notGenZers are by far the most concerned about future layoffs – 64% said they were concerned about getting laidoff, compared to 47% of Millennials and 46% of GenXers
35% of GenZers have signed an employer contract without reading it carefully, compared to 29% of Millennials
and only 16% of GenXers

Survey Methodology:
This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc panel of individuals who have agreed to take part insurveys. Total sample size was 1,202 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st - 22nd March 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures
have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).