Make it clear from the start that we're a business that pays people for their work, not a charity or a family, and that we scale up and down based on the market

Make it clear from the start that we're a business that pays people for their work, not a charity or a family, and that we scale up and down based on the market and our needs. Then give as much notice as possible. Imo the problems start with the cute demonyms and other pretend familial stuff. In industries like construction, layoffs and scale-up-scale down is very regular, and I don't think we see CEOs taking fake ownership and writing sappy letters. It's a fact of business, and lying about the nature of the relationship right up to the moment you lay people off is what makes things the worst.