Management saying "we're going to announce layoffs in a month" means that in addition to the pain that comes with getting laid off, there's also an additional month prior to that where people are stuck in limbo, "am I safe? am I on the chopping block? Should I start job hunting?" And since you're still employed, you still have to do your normal full-time job for 40 hours a week, on top of searching for a new job. It'd be incredibly stressful.

The reality is that there is no scenario where an employee who gets laid off will feel good about it. Getting a respectful, professional termination notice with generous severance is about as good as it gets.