WorldatWork, an association for compensation and total rewards professionals, is teaching companies how to explain why pay hasn't kept up with the cost of living. What the resource reveals isn't about employees—it's about what the company already believes.

Every layoff solves a number on one ledger. Few leaders track what it costs on the other. A look at the belief-level damage behind 2026's layoff wave — and what it means for the deals and transitions built on top of it.