Downsizing

His classic framework has new resonance 16 years after the Great Recession.

Six strategies to help you navigate layoffs, reorgs, and economic instability.

Many cling to the idea that reducing staff is the fastest, easiest way to cut costs. But there are smarter, more humane approaches.

Don’t pretend you have all the answers. Do be prepared to deal with the messy emotions people may be experiencing.

It never hurts to be prepared for the worst.

A CFO wonders how to turn around a struggling division.

Better approaches to workforce transitions

Research shows it increases the chances of bankruptcy.

The transition is coming sooner than you think.

Research on downsizing, gender, and race.

The future of work is flatter.

No one gets a low score on this company’s performance reviews. Is there a better system for evaluating employees?

I know, I know. There’s nothing more boring than when bloggers write about their own experiences as a way to make a broader point about life, work, or society. But I hope you’ll indulge me this one time, as I reflect on a small matter of personal improvement and ask what it might say about […]

Big companies formerly took a reputational hit when they laid off massive numbers of workers. But according to E. Geoffrey Love and Matthew Kraatz, of the University of Illinois, U.S. business culture norms gradually changed from 1985 to 1994 as new ideas about boosting shareholder value took hold in executive suites and boardrooms. At the […]

If your firm has downsized recently, you’re now managing a bunch of survivors—the lucky ones who didn’t get laid off. But good fortune doesn’t make for good performance—at least not in this situation. Chances are, you’re presiding over a heightened level of employee dysfunction, even if you don’t see it yet. Here are areas to […]

It pays to go the extra mile for employees, customers, and suppliers.

If Astrigo Holdings is to remain competitive, 10% of its workforce must be cut. Who goes, and who stays?

Your company has a plan to survive hard times. Do you?

The gut-wrenching decision to downsize is usually made a little easier by the belief that at least there’s a purpose to it all: The company will save money and might even improve performance. But a new study indicates that layoffs often prompt demoralized survivors to quit. The resulting unexpected staff shortage can hinder efficiency, and […]

Managers of big retail stores have an opportunity to boost profits by maintaining or increasing staffing levels even when sales are slipping. That idea will probably sound strange to store managers, who tend to cut staff hours if there’s a dip in sales. Such cuts make perfect sense to the companies’ executives, given that big […]