 |
|
|
|||||
A surge in layoffs during the first half of 2025 has neared record-breaking pace, with Marchs total alone the third-highest number of single-month layoffs in history, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That total was eclipsed only by April and May 2020 during the pandemic. The 696,309 layoffs announced through May of 2025 represent an increase of 80% over the first five months of last year and are just 65,000 short of matching 2024s total layoff numbers.The reasons for these enormous numbers are multifaceted, ranging from staffing and funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and their ramifications, companies leaning in to automation and artificial intelligence to sluggish sales. And while the reasons may vary, business realities remain the same, even in the midst of layoffs. How can companies making cuts also keep the employees who remain productiveand retain top talent? The best people have other opportunities elsewhere and who wants to be on an unstable ship, right? So that’s exactly the right question, says Deborah Lovich, a Future of Work fellow at BCG Henderson Institute, Boston Consulting Group’s think tank. Show compassion Lovich says that, throughout the layoffs, its important to treat people who depart with dignity, humanity, and support. In addition to being the right thing to do, they may become customers or partners in the future. Finally, doing so sends a signal to those who remain. How you treat people in hard times is what the soul of the company is, she says. Allison Vaillancourt, a vice president in the Organizational Effectiveness Practice at HR and benefits consultancy Segal, adds: Demonstrate compassion during the layoff process: People want to be part of an organization they feel good about, and they will be looking for evidence that others are being treated as kindly as possible during this difficult time. Address the aftermath Lovich says that, as your team plans what happens after the layoffs, use the opportunity to add employee enjoyment of work into the criteria for reshaping the workplace. Its a good time to streamline processes and focus on adding more of what employees enjoy in their work. Carolyn Troyan, president and CEO of HR consulting firm Leadership 360, says its important to allow for a grieving period, but to also begin addressing concerns about redesigned workflow and other issues. That’s usually the first thing I hear from employees: Theyre just going to lay people off, and I’m going to have to take all this extra work. How am I really going to do that? Leaders need to ensure that their high performers know that they can come forward if they have concernsespecially when no one wants to come forward and admit that they cant do all of the work left after their teammates have been let go. Spot engagement surveys can help managers spot friction points that may indicate high-performers and other employees are unhappy. Troyan also says managers may want to look at redesigning physical space so empty workstations arent a constant reminder of missing former coworkers. Be responsibly transparent Troyan says that its a good idea to be transparent about the layoffs and the current employees’ roles in the company going forward to help them feel secure in their future roles. Managers may want to share their vision for the future, including potential career paths for high performers. Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved, a provider of human capital management solutions, adds that its important to help employees understand why theyre happening. There are reasons why we have to make these decisions, she says, and helping employees put them in context and realize that the decisions werent made capriciously may not make them easier, but may help calm the concerns of the employees you wish to retain. Communicate in as many way as possible The methods by which layoffs are communicated will vary by company and situationand larger companies may be required to give advance notice in the case of mass layoffsbut Mosher says some companies may simply send out a mass email or other communication after the fact to answer basic questions. But the communication that matters when trying to retain top performers comes from individuals, she says. She recommends deputizing everyone who works in a leadership capacity in the organization to participate in keeping top performers engaged. Whether they’re a supervisor or not, you have a lot of leaders in your organization, Mosher says. Make sure that you’ve identified who those people are and deputize them so that they understand the why and they feel comfortable articulating it. Make sure you involve the behind-the-scenes leadersthe administrative worker who has all of the answers or the gregarious IT worker who is the go-to person for computer issues. Engage those leaders and ensure they understand the reasons for the decisions. [Make sure they] understand what’s going on here, so that [they] can articulate it to other people at the water cooler, she says. Identify your best peopleand their managers Its a good idea to have regular discussions, perhaps quarterly, about your top talent so your management team is aware of the organizations high performers, says Troyan. Having some of those talent conversations as part of your operating model, you’re just ready to go and have the list, she says. However, if you dont have that list, its a good idea to connect with your various departments and have them identify their top team members so the company can work on keeping them, she says. And one of the first things you should do with those top performers is offer reassurance, says Vaillancourt. Let top performers know they are highly valued and have a future with the company.” Consider offering retention bonuses to ensure your top performers know you are serious about wanting them to stay, she adds. She also advised considering the potential downsides of voluntary separation incentive programs, as they can be more attractive to top performers than to the individuals a company would like to release. Top performers may think, I can go anywhere, so let me get some money. If organizations are not careful, these programs can deplete top talent.
Category:
E-Commerce
I have not found much joy in iPhone photography of late. Between the flat, HDR-heavy image processing and the stagnant hardware compared to competitors, its rare that Ill use my iPhone for anything beyond quick, functional snapshots. Here is the price of eggs at the supermarket today in a chat message. That sort of thing. But over the past week, Ive been having more fun with my iPhone camera than Ive had in years. The reason for that is !Camera, a new app that completely reimagines the experience of taking photos on your phone. Inspiring design !Camerano, I am not entirely sure how youre meant to say that out loudcomes from Not Boring Software, which also makes a suite of iOS apps including a weather app, a timer, a calculator, and more. Ive tried some of these in the past and admired their stylish, original design, but none of them really stuck with me; I tend to lean into functionality if Im going to learn a new app. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} But cameras are the opposite. Unless Im shooting professionally at a critical event, I want cameras to have their own personality and inspire me to use them. Thats exactly what you get with !Camera. Although !Camera solely exists in software, its unique 3D interface makes your iPhone feel like a new device. The colorful, customizable UI is not intended to look realistic, exactly, but the combination of visual effects and haptic feedback is surprisingly believable. I set up a shortcut to open !Camera with the iPhones physical Action Button, which adds to the verisimilitude. The chunky virtual dials show shadows in the knurls as you tilt your phone, based on input from the gyroscope. The iPhones haptic system lets you feel every notch along the dials, together with satisfying clunks when you swap between lenses or turn the flash on. And I cant remember the last time I didnt immediately turn off the beeps on a digital camera, but the stereo sound effects here actually add to the experience. Simple UI The UI itself is extremely simple. There is a huge shutter button thats impossible to miss, plus two key dials: one for exposure compensation, and the other to select photo styles. You do have the option to switch to a manual mode, but it feels intentional that the two virtual dials are dedicated to accessible features that are more likely to make a real difference on a phone camera. Theres also a clever take on manual focus that brings up a loupe-like ring when you drag directly on the viewfinder. The UI is rounded out by two switches for the flash and to swap between lensestheres no option for 2x or any other fake digital zoomas well as a settings button that takes you to a more conventional menu with all the customization features. One feature you wont find is the ability to view all your photos; they just get saved straight into your iPhones photo app. This is presumably so that you dont spend half your time chimping, or immediately checking the pictures you took rather than concentrating on taking some more. Its a good decision, especially since the photos themselves can take a second or two to process. After pressing the shutter button, you get a quick preview on the viewfinder that doesnt quite match the final results but is enough to let you know whether you got the shot or not. Great results The results are usually great. !Camera can shoot in Apples ProRAW format or use the basic JPEG processing, but it defaults to its own SuperRaw system that adds a slight grain and goes for punchy exposure. These photos can all capture HDR data, and you can also save a regular RAW file at the same time for editing later. !Camera supports importing LUTs, or lookup tables, the same kind of presets used by many pro photographers. It also comes with several styles of its own, including a couple of monochrome filmlike options by Tokyo-based AgBr, the collective behind the excellent Mac and iOS photo editing app of the same name. These arent just filters: Theyre embedded right into the image-processing pipeline. Last month Apple announced that it is shifting all of its operating systems to a new visual style built around a virtual material called Liquid Glass. Design chief Alan Dye said in a statement that it combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context. !Camera takes a similar approach in some ways, as it acknowledges the physical properties of the iPhone and reacts in real time. But you couldnt make !Camera out of Liquid Glassits already made out of something else. Its materials have a style and a charm entirely their own, and they make your phone feel like a timeless camera in the real world rather than something that exists only in the Apple universe. More to the point, it is simply a heck of a lot of fun. Id fallen out of love with iPhone photography, but !Camera has pulled me right back. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
I have a brain tumor. The good news is that its benign. The bad news is that I need surgery to remove it. Brain surgery typically involves a lengthy recovery period. Six weeks, at a minimum. On top of navigating the emotions that come with such a diagnosis, Ive had to figure out what work will look like as I recover. More specifically: how I will manage not working for such a long period of time. This isnt the first time Ive experienced a major life event in my career (unfortunately). The Extreme Planner in me immediately started to figure out the logistics. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} If youre going through something similar, I feel you. If youve never faced a significant medical challenge, I hope it stays that way. But I write this so that if you ever need it, you can return to this article. And I write this so if you need to support someone going through a medical challenge, you know where to start. Talking with your boss or team Telling other people about a medical diagnosis is deeply personal. Theres no right or wrong time. Im self-employed, so I talked with my clients as soon as I had more definitive information (a surgery date). For 10 agonizing days, I knew that I had a brain tumor and my clients didnt. I somehow fumbled my way through deadlines and normal client communications as though nothing was wrong. But for me it made sense to talk about my diagnosis as soon as possible. My clients could start to plan for my absence. Plus, I have a lot of doctors appointments leading up to the surgery date that I need to work around. When I previously had a medical issue in 2017, I told only my boss and one or two close colleagues. I didnt want to talk about it. It was strictly a need-to-know basis. Bottom line: Do what feels right for you. Navigating the pressures of working Living with a brain tumor is Not Fun. There are a lot of unknowns around the outcome of surgery. The same is true for many medical conditions: Fear, pain, or both may impact your life daily. One benefit of telling your boss or team is that hopefully theyre compassionate. Theyll lighten your workload or understand if you have to rearrange deadlines. But youre likely also facing financial pressure. With most companies having limits on paid sick time, you probably feel like you have to keep working until the point when you cant anymore. I certainly feel that pressureeven guiltas I think about the gap in my familys income as I recover. I finally decided to take a break between my last working day and my surgery date. During that time, Im going to take my family to a show in Chicago and maybe get a pedicure. I have a special lunch date planned with my husband. If youre facing a potentially life-altering surgery or other procedure, dont spend your last few days before working. Enjoy the time as best you can. How to ask for support Heres the thing about telling people that youre experiencing a major medical issue: People want to help. Theyll ask you if theres anything they can do, because they know youre going through something rough. When I first told people about my brain tumor, they told me to let them know if there was anything they could do. For a long time, I said, Ill let you know. I couldnt think of anything, because my mind was still reeling from the shock of the diagnosis. But then I started to ask for help with specific things. I thought about the people in my life, and how their skills might help keep my business running while I cant work. I circled back with some people who had offered support and said, Can you do XYZ for me? If you work for a company, you can do the same thing. Make a list of the things that would truly make your workday easier so youre ready anytime someone asks, How can I help? How to provide support If youre on the other side and a colleague or professional contact is going through something hard, offer specific ways you can help. So many people (like me) are overwhelmed and dont know how to reply when someone offers support. Say, Can I take ABC off your plate? Or XYZ? rather than Let me know if theres anything you need! It reduces the mental load of the person youre trying to help. Check in again, even after weeks or months have passed. The persons needs may change. Significant medical issues can be long-lasting. People are eager to offer help at the beginning, but that fades over timeespecially at work, where its easy to be removed from peoples personal lives. Be the person who continues to show up, saying, How can I help? Or simply, How are you feeling? Do you want to talk? Im here to listen. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||