Exactly. In fact in the UK if you want to lay off more than a certain (fairly small) number of staff then you get audited to ensure that you couldn't have poss

Exactly. In fact in the UK if you want to lay off more than a certain (fairly small) number of staff then you get audited to ensure that you couldn't have possibly kept them on or found them jobs elsewhere in your company. Once you make someone redundant you're also not allowed to re-hire for that position for 6 months I believe, again to ensure that you're not using layoffs inappropriately. Note: this is all different to _firing_ someone. I understand in the US these two are often less distinct. Firing someone opens you up to a different kind of legal liability, you essentially have to be able to prove that they weren't good enough at their job, should they take you to court over being fired.