Do a lot of companies actually fire people via email? That seems very cold! Most of the companies I've worked for they will call you into a meeting with your boss and HR and then have security walk you out after gathering your things. Not ideal, but at least has a human element. If this person was remote then it could at least be done via phone.
Once I got laid off via 1:1 call.
Once I got laid off via a mass call with HR, they canned my entire department at once (300+ people).
Once I got laid off via bulk bcc'd email because I was on vacation and missed the last-minute mass call with HR.
This has never happened to me, but I am absolutely 100% positive some companies just shut your access off, send you an email to an account you can't log into any more, and move on without a second thought.
For small layoffs its possible to do it individually. If you're firing hundreds or thousands of people, there isn't enough HR to go around and a lack of IT people to individually cut people's access throughout the day. Laid off in 2012, they just put hundreds of us in an event room and let us all go at once. I'd prefer an email and not have to do the walk of shame back to my desk with a box.
More resources for "normal" business. Laying off large number of people isn't normal business and so there would be no expectation you had HR/security resources just sitting around waiting for that type of an event.
Yes it does. When working remotely most communication, and even work, is usually done asynchronously. Which makes email or instant messaging system the most appropriate way to communicate you are no longer part of the company.
