Bring Humanity back to Tech

How did we get here? Where did the leadership accountability go? When did we decide it was ok to make strategic errors that were avoidable and just toss out people via email?

Last year when I was sitting as CHRO of a startup, we felt the pressure of the market shift. The companies that began throwing “stupid money” to recruit talent to “meet customer demand”. Everyone was stuck in their own microcosm, barely taking a moment to look up to see what was happening.

You see, if you’ve been around the block, or even taken the time to study the ups and downs of tech, you would have seen all the market indicators that signaled some sort of market correction. It is never too long after great shifts in compensation when those same compensation packages end up being too much for companies to bare, and layoffs ensue.

Here we are, a little over a year from the height of that ridiculous time, with a market correction and thousands of people without jobs, all just before the holidays.

It all angers me because it’s avoidable. And even if it truly is the last resort, you can let people go humanly. You see, what makes me absolutely nuts is that people are no longer treated as human beings in this process. I’m not saying you need to give someone ice cream after letting them know, but I am saying the person losing their job has a right to hear it from someone, not via email!

I know telling someone that they’ve lost their job is difficult. I know that it can cause a ton of anxiety and upset for the one delivering the message, but what about the one that must hear it?

As leaders, we need to go back to good leadership principles. To a time when we made difficult decisions and delivered difficult messages. Where we had to think strategically. Perhaps we should stop dumbing down the job of leaders and hold them to account. And for the record, I don’t mean that employees should do this, because that’s not where the change will be most impactful. Boards, investors, and right-sized government interventions are what it will take to make a difference, because like anything, the reward and recognition system is what will drive the behavior. CEO’s have gotten a lot of “carrots” in their portfolios and not enough “sticks”.

There is so much more I can say about this, but I’m still “seeing red”, so angry and upset for all those who have been impacted, that I'll just stop here. If anyone has been impacted and needs to chat, or is wondering what’s next, feel free to reach out, I’d be more than happy to be there for you.