After struggling to make their sales numbers for over a year now, this company recently laid off 80% of their employees, many of whom had been with the company for decades. The layoffs were swift and cold, with employees locked out of their emails minutes after getting off the call with HR.
Upper management was risk-averse to a fault. They clung to outdated strategies while the market evolved around them. They consistently prioritized appeasing big-box retailers, even when it came at the expense of innovation, creativity, or long-term profitability. New ideas were routinely dismissed, and employees were left feeling unheard and undervalued.
Perhaps most baffling has been the company’s complete lack of communication throughout this entire process. Longstanding retail partners, vendors, and employees alike were left to piece together what was happening through rumors and silence. To end decades-long relationships without even a statement of thanks or an explanation is not just unprofessional — it’s deeply disrespectful.
Now, as more information comes to light about the dysfunction and poor decision-making behind the scenes, it's hard not to wonder how this didn’t all come crashing down sooner. The writing was on the wall for some time, but leadership failed to act.