Canva Severance Package Wins Praise as Restructuring Affects Over 1,200 People

Canva Restructures Workforce and Offers Generous Severance Package

Design technology company Canva is undergoing a major restructuring that will affect nearly 1,300 employees, or approximately 22% of its workforce. The company is also drawing attention for how it is supporting employees who are being laid off.

On November 3, CEO Melanie Perkins announced the restructuring in a LinkedIn post, sharing the letter she had sent to all employees. The letter outlined a generous severance package that has received widespread praise on social media.

All affected employees will receive six months of salary, regardless of location. Sydney-based Canva will also remove its one-year vesting cliff for employees who joined within the past 12 months, enabling even recent hires to retain shares in the company.

Former employees will continue to receive healthcare coverage, along with dedicated career support, résumé assistance, coaching, interview preparation, and one year of LinkedIn Premium. Canva has also launched a fund offering $10,000 grants to employees seeking to start a company or pursue a project of their own.

“Whether it’s starting a business or doing something meaningful for their local community, the fund is designed to help get those ideas off the ground,” Perkins explained in the letter.

The company is also allowing all affected employees to keep their MacBook laptops.

“We’re making significant changes to how we’re organised, which sadly means saying goodbye to many exceptionally talented people who have helped build Canva into what it is today,” Perkins wrote in her LinkedIn post.

She added that Canva had invested time and effort in creating an opt-in alumni talent directory where former employees can learn about job opportunities. Perkins also included her email address and invited leaders with available opportunities to contact her directly.