In the last few weeks, leading companies like Target, UPS and Amazon have announced mass layoffs totaling more than 60,000 jobs across the three. And last week, tech firm Block made headlines when it axed nearly half its workforce.
Undoubtedly, the news has employees on edge. In fact, new research finds that more than 60% of employed Americans report being fearful of a layoff at their company—a 30% jump since 2019. During that same timeframe, levels of anxiety about how AI and automation will impact jobs have doubled, highlighting how ongoing uncertainty related to quickly developing tech is influencing the psyche of American workers.
It’s critical for employers to keep their finger on the pulse of how their workforce is feeling about their job security, says Todd Davis, FranklinCovey senior consultant. And the linchpin to that work will be managers.
“The way they communicate, especially in times of realignment or restructuring, plays a huge role in the continuation of the culture of that organization,” Davis says.
Davis, co-author of Everyone Deserves a Great Manager, says that while managers are key to helping leadership assess and respond to employee sentiment, they are also likely to be dealing with their own layoff fears. That’s particularly resonant lately, as many organizations pursue flatter hierarchies, especially in light of AI influence.
“Managers are human beings, as well,” Davis says. “They’re anxious about their futures and their roles, but when they took those on, they knew they had an additional responsibility to those team members.”
Coaching from HR will be critical to help managers navigate their teams’ uncertainty while dealing with their own.
In particular, Davis says managers should feel prepared to lead with transparency, which HR can model.
“No one can say there won’t be layoffs, or more layoffs, but HR can be transparent in how they coach leaders to recognize that the world is unpredictable. And that they can acknowledge that with their teams, and help them focus on what the organization needs and what value they’re each adding,” Davis says.
He points to the book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin, which offers a framework HR can rely on to help both managers and their employees lean into the unique contributions they can lend to their employers. It’s a role managers need to prioritize more than ever as technology rapidly redefines business strategies.
“HR needs to help managers continually be mentors to their teams,” he says. “Managers are supposed to be developing future leaders, so they need to know how to help them invest in themselves and add value to their company, so that, even if they are impacted by layoffs, they will find their next opportunity quicker.”
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