my company layed of or allowed to atritte (word?) about 25 percent of our force

[atritte] a new word by perris, it is the conjugation into a verb the word attrition

And that doesn’t count all of the out-of-work lobbyists on K Street!

You are correct, it is a back formation from attrition. These sorts of things drives William Safire crazy (crazier), which may not be a bad thing.

American Heritage Dictionary – Cite This Source – Share This
at·trit (ə-trĭt’) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. at·trit·ted also at·trit·ed, at·trit·ting also at·trit·ing, at·trits also at·trites

1. To lose (personnel, for example) by attrition.
2. To destroy or kill (troops, for example) by use of firepower: “Pro-active counterattacks are a useful way to attrit the enemy” (John H. Cushman, Jr.)

[Back-formation from attrition.]