Man the mental gymnastics in this thread are hilarious.

No one could possibly concentrate enough to do good work with the loomimg axe.

I don't care if you're writing code or flipping burgers the distraction is mind-numbing.

I don't enjoy the period between layoff announcements and finding out you were (or were not) laid off, but I've been through them several times and don't have a problem concentrating enough to "do good work." My work output might be mildly reduced, but it's certainly not zero.

I understand this might vary between individuals. It's just overstating your case to claim that it is impossible.

Let's look at the specific case:

1) Company says "we reduce force" and fires a bunch of employees

2) They say "we'll fire a bug chunk more"

3) they notice productivity is low

4) boss says "won't tell you, whether you can keep your job"

This won't help to increase morale and productivity.

> This won't help to increase morale and productivity.

I'm not disputing that!