Editorial
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Mass layoffs have become a normalized business strategy in today’s workplace, driven by economic uncertainty, ongoing organizational restructuring and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. In fact, more than 1.2 million job were cut in 2025, a 58% increase from 2024 and the highest annual total since 2020. The troubling trend has continued into 2026, with the technology sector alone accounting for approximately 120,000 job cuts since the start of the year. This trend raises important questions about how organizations lead people through the uncertainty, loss and disruption that inevitably follow workforce reductions.
Although layoffs may now be routine for organizations, they are anything but routine for the people experiencing them. The loss of a job can be devastating. The job market today is highly competitive, with thousands of qualified candidates often competing for the same opportunities. Given that, a layoff is not simply a business decision, it can be a personal crisis. Leaders cannot afford to overlook this important distinction. While leaders can spend months planning workforce reductions, few are prepared to lead and communicate inclusively in ways that help employees navigate the human impact of these changes.
At its core, inclusion is the intentional practice of creating an environment where people feel welcomed, included, respected, supported and valued. In my work coaching and training leaders to lead and communicate with inclusion through organizational crisis, I've learned that successful outcomes are often determined by how leaders communicate, show up and support people.
Communicate Early, Often and Honestly
Research by Dr. Jeanne Brooks on the neuroscience of crisis shows that uncertainty activates the brain's threat response system. Employees facing layoffs may become anxious, withdrawn, defensive, emotional or hypervigilant. They tend to fill information gaps with speculation, and trust becomes fragile. Additionally, identity-based fears, and concerns about job security and belonging intensify. In these fragile moments, communicating and leading with inclusion is imperative.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is waiting until they have all the answers before communicating. Unfortunately, silence destroys psychological safety, erodes trust and creates opportunities for rumors to spread. Sending a simple note that recognizes concerns and feelings and provides an update, even if the update is “there are no updates yet” is better than no communication at all.
Employees do not expect leaders to know everything. They do expect leaders to be transparent about what they know, what they don't know and when more information will be available.
Communicate Strategically
The CDC’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework is an evidence-based model designed to help leaders communicate effectively during times of uncertainty and disruption. While originally developed for crisis and emergency situations, its principles are highly relevant for organizational leaders navigating difficult transitions such as mass layoffs.
The following practices, adapted from the CERC framework, can help leaders communicate with clarity, credibility and compassion through organizational change and/or crisis.
- Be Timely: Respond quickly because silence creates anxiety. Provide updates regularly to prevent misinformation.
- Be Transparent: Say what you know, what you don’t and when you’ll update.
- Be Consistent: Avoid contradictory information, be aligned on messaging, repeat key messages.
- Be Compassionate: Acknowledge the human impact and communicate respect.
- Be Credible: Avoid over-promising, don’t speculate or blame, follow through on what you say.
- Be Contextual: Explain why decisions are being made.
- Be Action-Oriented: Provide next steps and how people can get support and/or help the situation.
This framework encourages leaders to acknowledge uncertainty and consequences of layoffs without amplifying fear and provide context for decisions while avoiding defensiveness or over explaining. Most importantly, it encourages leaders to communicate with care and empathy.
Avoid Messages That Break Trust
During times of organizational change, leaders can unintentionally undermine trust through well-intended communication.
Telling employees "not to worry" when they can clearly see disruption around them can feel dismissive and inauthentic. Avoid minimizing the situation and acknowledge the stress and disruption that layoffs will create and be sure to demonstrate empathy and sincere concern when doing so.
Avoid blaming former leadership for the organization's current challenges. Doing so can appear evasive, undermine accountability and weaken organizational culture. Assigning blame can damage the credibility and cohesiveness of a leadership team at a time when employees need unity and stability from their leaders.
Be consistent in your messaging across the organization. When different stakeholder groups receive conflicting information, it creates confusion, fuels resentment, undermines trust and allows rumors to flourish.
Employees need honesty, consistency, accountability and emotional clarity. Every interaction and message from leadership signals whether people are valued, respected and deserving of transparency.
Don't Forget the Survivors
Layoffs impact more than the people who leave the organization.
Dr. Joel Brockner’s extensive research on survivor's guilt found that layoff survivors often experience anger, depression, fear, distrust and guilt after watching their colleagues lose their jobs. These emotions can lead to declining productivity and engagement, as well as an increase in voluntary turnover.
Underestimating the needs of employees who survive the layoff is a huge mistake, because they are the ones who will determine whether the culture recovers or crumbles.
Thoughtful leaders acknowledge the loss of layoffs rather than rushing layoff survivors back to business as usual. They create opportunities for dialogue, offer support and listen to concerns, and recognize that people may be grieving the loss of colleagues, relationships and a workplace culture that suddenly feels very different.
Most importantly, they help employees reconnect to a shared purpose, collectively shape a path forward and rebuild organizational culture with trust, dignity and humanity.
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Be Intentionally Inclusive
Leaders who communicate with transparency and intentional inclusion while creating opportunities for people to feel connected, heard and seen can help minimize damage to company morale, strengthen trust, and preserve organizational culture during periods of uncertainty.
Inclusion is not just a long-term culture strategy. It is a critical leadership practice that can serve as a stabilizing force during times of uncertainty, helping people navigate change with care and dignity.
Editor's Note: Navigating the aftermath of layoffs is tricky. Further reading to support you:
- The Neuroscience of High Impact, Lower Noise Communications — How brain-based communication strategies drive business results in an era of information overload.
- How to Keep Teams on Track After Layoffs — Layoffs often hurt more than they help. Learn how smart leaders sustain team morale, productivity, and retention after workforce cuts.
- The Hidden Costs of Losing Employees — Losing employees is an inevitable part of business. But organizations that fail to plan for the full impact of these departures will suffer.
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