Is This Really Progress?

The 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 recently profiled a growing trend: CEOs proudly shrinking their workforces—not quietly or reluctantly, but as a sign of strategic brilliance.

Layoffs and unfilled roles are being reframed as victories. 

Proof that companies are leaner, more efficient, AI-ready.

But let's be honest. 

This isn't just operational streamlining. 

It's a public rebranding of workforce reduction as innovation.

Because every time leadership celebrates "doing more with less," there's another story unfolding:

 • A frontline manager absorbing three jobs

 • Teams second-guess each other, jockeying for safety instead of shared goals.

 • An employee trying to explain to their family why their job disappeared despite their glowing performance review and rising stock prices

The decisions companies are making now, under pressure, in the name of profitability, are already creating ripples that will become dividing waves tomorrow.

I've communicated through RIFs, mergers, acquisitions, and every kind of "strategic transition" you can name. No matter how justified the business case, the internal impact is the same:

 • Survivor guilt

 • Fear of the next shoe dropping

 • A slow erosion of trust

 • The rise of the "Stepford employee"—present, compliant, and completely checked out.

At one organization that went through a major reduction in force, there were no follow-up conversations. Just business as usual. Despite my attempts, leadership's stance was: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯.

But they didn't. 

What followed was a firestorm of offline conversations, side-eyes in the hallway, and high-potential employees quietly looking elsewhere.

I was the one left trying to re-engage a workforce that no longer trusted what leadership said.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱.

I know the pressures are real—growth targets, investor expectations, operating demands. But if the cost of streamlining is internal erosion, what are we really optimizing for?

Will leadership treat people as strategic assets or line-item liabilities? 

Will internal communication be a lever for trust and alignment or a mouthpiece for damage control?

Because how you treat people doesn't stay quiet. They are the conversations happening at your employees' dinner table.

It reshapes reputation. 

It drives engagement (or lack of)

And it becomes your brand—inside and out.

When trust breaks down, so does execution. Strategy stalls. Talent walks. 

And no amount of messaging can fix that.

No pizza party, no CEO town hall, no carefully crafted talking points can realign a workforce that no longer feels safe, seen, or valued.

So, I'll ask again:

𝗜𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀?