I've been on both ends, being fired/laid off and doing the firing/laying. My advice is first, realize you're not going to be popular. Treat people with dignity

I've been on both ends, being fired/laid off and doing the firing/laying. My advice is first, realize you're not going to be popular. Treat people with dignity but don't worry too much about how they will take it. They're going to take it poorly. They're going to be upset. If some of your employees aren't, then that's a bonus. With this in mind, don't let your process or productivity become unnecessarily disrupted and be very careful in making concessions. With this many people, do it all at once. Don't make people wait in agony for hours or days waiting to see if they'll get called in next. The specifics on how to do that will depend on the structure and size of your company, but do not allow for suspense. Like others said, treat the employees with dignity and offer a reasonable severance as far as is possible. This isn't about preserving your relationship with them, it's about being a decent human being and making accommodation to ease a large transition like that. Good luck. Like I said above, don't overthink it or worry about preserving your employees' opinions -- just behave in a manner that seems both reasonable and decent to you and be satisfied with that. Making it fast, moving forward with resolve, and appearing like you know what you're doing will help comfort the remaining employees to whatever extent is possible.