Thousands of Oracle employees were made redundant on Tuesday — informed via email that their roles no longer existed. The missive offered workers a severance package that included several weeks’ of base salary and encashment of some leaves and benefits. The rules appeared to vary wildly based on location, with very different benefits offered to employees in India and the United States.

According to reports, the company emailed tens of thousands of employees early on Tuesday morning to announce the layoffs. First-hand accounts shared via social media indicate that many received the messages around 6:00 am — with at least 12,000 employees impacted in India. Oracle confirmed later on Tuesday that it will lay off 491 employees working remotely in Washington state and at its Seattle offices effective June 1.

“After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organisational change. As a result, today is your last working day,” Business Insider quoted the notification email as saying.

Different deadlines

Thousands of Oracle employees in India and elsewhere received messages on Tuesday informing that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect. Others have until the beginning of June to make alternative arrangements — with the company bound by the WARN act in some US states.

The company dubbed the job cuts part of a “reduction in force and other terminations” in notice filed under ⁠the ​Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The WARN ⁠Act requires employers to provide at least 60 days’ notice ahead of layoffs.

The company had about 162,000 ​full-time ​employees globally as of May 2025.

Severance packages vary

According to a Business Insider report, Oracle has a standard severance plan for US employees that provides up to 26 weeks of base salary. The payout will reportedly be adjusted for employees in states with a WARN notice period. Workers are also required to have worked at least six months during the last year for it to be considered a full year under severance terms.

“You are eligible for enhanced severance pay benefits of: four weeks of base salary for your first year of employment, plus one week’s salary for each additional year of employment, based on your most recent hire date, up to a combined maximum of 26 weeks of base salary,” the publication cited the severance explanation as stating.

Impacted employees told PTI that the US-based IT firm had laid off approximately 12,000 staffers in India — with another round of layoffs expected within a month. The figure accounts for nearly half of Oracle’s employees in the country.

“In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month,” two people impacted by the retrenchment told the publication.

News agency PTI reported that the company has offered 15 days’ salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India — in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and pay for a one-month notice period. Oracle has also offered a two-month salary as a top-up. But the severance package is only available for those who voluntarily and amicably resign from the company.