Hiya, author here.

Have you been laid off or let go?

This statement "...but I doubt it will be genuinely appreciated" implies not. Otherwise I'd expect you to have written "but when I was let go, I would not have genuinely appreciated this type of response".

I have been let go. I truly didn't understand what it was like until I went through it. It was crushing. Really crushing.

That experience doesn't make me a world-class expert, I get it. But I would have loved any acknowledgement of my humanity or appreciation of the worth I provided to my employer from co-workers on that day (or even a few days later).

I also want to acknowledge that people who are former colleagues have a variety of energy they can offer to those who are laid off. The folks who remain have more work on their plate, may wonder about the future of the company, and are generally frustrated or frightened too. I think people who remain should offer whatever consolation they have the ability to, based on their relationship with the folks who are let go.

For some, that might be (as mentioned in other comments) offering up their network and helping someone actively. For others, simply saying goodbye might be all they have energy and space for. I wanted to keep the advice as simple as possible so that folks don't have the excuse of saying to themselves "it's too much work, I have so much going on" and doing nothing, which is, in my experience, worse for the folks who are laid off.

Appreciate the feedback about the coldness and tone. Lots of good suggestions in the comments about how to phrase my advice better.

I had a few other comments below addressing things you brought up that I'll link so I don't repeat myself:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45517727 talks about why I wrote about permission to disengage

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45481722 about how it felt when I was let go

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45517963 talks more about how I felt when I was laid off (and acknowledges that my experience is N of 1).

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45517875 what you should offer to folks who you are closer to (as friends and in geography)