What would it take for business leaders to make employee layoffs a last resort?

There’s no debate about the fact that humans are the reason for business …and… it takes humans to create the relationships to transact the business. That includes, at minimum, marketing, sales, delivery, and support. Sure, you may have AI doing some of that, but the research is clear: when push comes to shove, people want to deal with people.

So it leaves us wondering, why, if humans are so important, are they the first thing that gets the chopping block when times get tough or targets are missed?

What’s even worse is when it happens when the business is doing fine, just not as fine as some would like. This is heartless and inhuman.

Ultimately, this practice is lazy, not to mention cowardly.

So …for those who have a soul… why not, instead of hurting people (and their families), address efficiencies? Why not real estate optimization? Why not better supplier contracts? Why not trim discretionary spending? Why not eliminate waste?

All of those could not only save money but also make your business better overall …for the long term.

Eliminating employees, on the other hand, may work short term, but it creates problems.

What happens when you need more people? Now you have to hire. That’s a cost …and a gamble. The people you let go were a known quantity. New people …who knows?

What happens when the word is out in the world that your organization doesn’t care about employees? What talent is coming your way? Looks like average and mediocre are your best bets. Believe me, that will haunt your bottom line.

Hear this: you/we need people. Your business needs people. Your customers need/want people. Ultimately, your financial success will need people.

So don’t make getting rid of them your cost-cutting, bottom-line-improving first choice. Find anything else. Show you care about those people who have done and are doing the hard yards to get the work done.

The bottom line here: STOP DISCOUNTING HUMANS DAMN IT! They’re not objects. They’re not tools. They have hearts, lives, and souls. Without them, we/you wouldn’t have a world …and certainly not a business. Think on this …seriously!

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