Brave New Work: Making Layoffs More Human [Rebroadcast]
whatshot 12 snips
Mar 24, 2025
This podcast tackles the heavy issue of layoffs, emphasizing the need for humane treatment of affected employees. The hosts delve into the emotional complexities of layoffs and corporate practices that fuel anxiety. They question why layoffs are a go-to strategy and highlight the insincerity often found in layoff announcements. The conversation advocates for transparency, compassion, and thoughtful workforce management, also critiquing the performative nature of corporate decisions that prioritize profits over people. It's a poignant exploration of a challenging topic.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Aaron's Layoff Experience
Aaron was laid off when his previous company Undercurrent was acquired and subsequently went under.
This happened shortly after he bought a house.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Rodney's Near Layoff Experience
Rodney Evans, while not laid off, witnessed mass layoffs at KPMG Consulting after the internet bust.
He realized later that he likely survived due to being the cheapest employee.
insights INSIGHT
Layoffs and Short-Term Thinking
Layoffs often reflect short-term thinking during boom times.
Companies over-hire then over-correct, disregarding human costs.
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Rebroadcast note: With everything happening in the world right now, we're taking a quick break from our miniseries to reshare this episode about layoffs. Because sometimes large layoffs are necessary, but they shouldn't be the norm and those being let go should still be treated like humans, rather than a line on a spreadsheet. If you listened the first time around, share this episode with someone in your network who might need it (especially if they're a government employee 😬). We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode.
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We won’t mince words: Layoffs suck. They heap very real stress and chaos onto very real people’s lives. And as we’ve seen reported lately, big waves of layoffs are hitting several companies—and thousands of people—hard right now. This pile of not-good news sparked some questions for us, like: Why are layoffs a go-to cost-cutting lever? What pre-layoff org design decisions put employers and employees in this gnarly position? And why does every CEO letter announcing mass layoffs sound like it was written by the same robot?
In today’s episode, Aaron and Rodney, who’ve been on both sides of the layoff aisle, spend time with these queries and dig into:
The all-around messiness of the traditional layoff process
Why companies default to short-term thinking when the boom times boom
Dehumanizing layoff practices we should shelve for good
Creating clear containers and agreements for handling layoffs
How we could design a layoff moment that’s truly people-positive
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