The company is going through a major reduction in force, and employees have been left in a prolonged state of uncertainty, anxiety, and rumor. People are trying to understand whether they will still have jobs, whether they can pay mortgages, support families, maintain visas, and plan their lives. This is already an extremely difficult situation, and it requires leadership to communicate with transparency, seriousness, and basic humanity.
Instead, employees became aware of a leadership meeting apparently related to the RIF under the name “Project Ginseng.” In the context of layoffs, this landed as deeply dehumanizing. Ginseng is a root that is harvested by cutting away parts of the plant and keeping the valuable core. Whether or not that was the intended metaphor, using this kind of codename during a process where people are about to lose their livelihoods shows a shocking lack of judgment and empathy.
The issue is not only that layoffs are happening. Companies restructure. Markets change. Costs get cut. People understand that. The issue is the way this is being handled and what it reveals about the company’s culture. Employees have been left in limbo, trust has been badly damaged, and leadership has failed to treat the situation with the dignity it deserves.
People are not excess material to be trimmed away so the remaining company can become “leaner” or “stronger.” They are employees, colleagues, parents, partners, and people who have given years of effort to this company.
For me, this was the last straw. The gap between the company’s stated values and the way people are being treated has become impossible to ignore.
Cons
- Severe lack of transparency during major organizational changes
- Employees left in prolonged uncertainty around layoffs
- Leadership communication and judgment have been very poor
- Culture currently feels dehumanizing and trust is badly broken
- Values and “people-first” messaging do not match the current reality
