Layoffs Aren’t Inevitable
The agency that should've been. The choice to be a leader.
Layoffs are often framed as an unfortunate but inevitable part of business. A tough but necessary decision. A numbers game. A reality of market downturns, shifting strategies, and cost-cutting measures.
But here’s the truth: Layoffs don’t just happen. They are a leadership decision.
Yes, sometimes businesses must adjust. Priorities shift. Market conditions change. But how companies navigate these changes isn’t set in stone—it’s a choice. And more often than not, companies default to eliminating roles without exploring the one thing that could make layoffs less harmful: giving employees agency over their own future.
Agency means having the ability to participate in decisions that affect your own career. It means being given options, rather than just being handed an outcome.
In the context of layoffs, it means:
✅ Clear, honest communication about potential risks before a decision is finalized
✅ Opportunities to transition into new roles or teams when restructuring occurs
✅ Discussions about alternative options—scope changes, role adjustments, even temporary salary reductions if it means staying employed
✅ A real chance to prepare—not just being blindsided by an abrupt decision
Instead, what often happens is the exact opposite. People are told their work is still needed—right up until the moment it’s not. They’re reassured that their role is secure—until the email lands in their inbox. They are kept in the dark, and by the time they learn the truth, it’s too late for them to do anything about it.
This isn’t just a failure in business planning—it’s a failure of leadership.
When a company decides to lay people off, people managers are the ones closest to the ground. They understand their team’s skills, their adaptability, and their value to the business. And yet, too often, they act as passive messengers—simply delivering bad news rather than fighting for alternative solutions.
A good people manager doesn’t just execute layoffs. They advocate for their team before it ever reaches that point.
That means:
Pushing leadership to consider reassignment opportunities before terminations
Giving employees a clear understanding of where they stand, even when the news is uncomfortable
Having hard conversations early, rather than misleading people with false assurances
Exploring creative solutions, instead of defaulting to headcount reductions
Too often, managers avoid difficult conversations until it’s too late. They remain vague, noncommittal, and reassuring—perhaps because they don’t have all the answers, or because they don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. But this does far more harm than good.
By the time employees realize their roles are at risk, they have no agency left. No room to negotiate. No time to prepare. No chance to transition internally. The decision has already been made.
And in that moment, the message is clear: Your career is not in your hands. It never was.
The irony is that when companies handle layoffs this way, they don’t just lose people—they lose trust. They create a culture of fear, uncertainty, and disengagement. Employees stop believing in long-term growth because they realize decisions about their careers can be made without them.
The most talented people? They don’t wait for the next round of layoffs. They leave on their own terms, taking their knowledge, expertise, and loyalty elsewhere.
Layoffs aren’t always avoidable. But the way they’re handled? That’s a choice.
A company that values its people doesn’t wait until the last minute to have hard conversations. It doesn’t treat layoffs as the default answer to financial challenges. And it doesn’t strip employees of their agency, their dignity, and their ability to shape their own future.
Because when employees aren’t given a say in their own careers, it’s not just the employee who loses. The entire organization does.
What do you think? Is this also what you observe?