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What Actually Happens After the Cut
SECTION 1 · ABOUT YOU
1. At the time of the reduction, what was your role?
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1. At the time of the reduction, what was your role?
A
I led a team that was directly affected
B
I was a senior leader over multiple affected teams
C
I was in HR / People and supported the reduction
D
I was in transformation, finance, operations, or a PMO and supported the reduction
E
I was an individual contributor on an affected team
F
None of the above
2. Roughly how many employees did the company have at the time?
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2. Roughly how many employees did the company have at the time?
A
Under 250
B
250–999
C
1,000–4,999
D
5,000–19,999
E
20,000 or more
3. What industry?
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3. What industry?
A
Manufacturing / industrial
B
Consumer goods / retail
C
Healthcare / pharma / life sciences
D
Technology / software
E
Financial services / insurance
F
Professional / business services
G
Energy / utilities
H
Transportation / logistics
I
Public sector / nonprofit / education
J
Other
4. Where was the affected team based?
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4. Where was the affected team based?
A
North America
B
Europe
C
Asia-Pacific
D
Latin America
E
Middle East & Africa
SECTION 2 · WHAT KIND OF CUT WAS IT?
5. What was the primary reason for the reduction?
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5. What was the primary reason for the reduction?
A
Survival — the business was losing money and the cut was existential
B
Margin pressure — the business was viable but missing targets or under board/investor pressure
C
Strategic shift — exiting a business, product line, or market
D
Post-merger or acquisition — eliminating overlapping roles
E
Correction after over-hiring or a slowdown in growth
F
A mandate from new ownership or new leadership
G
Automation or AI replacing work
H
Offshoring, outsourcing, or relocating work
I
Site or facility closure
J
A performance-driven trim presented as a restructuring
K
Other, or I never knew the real reason
6. Roughly what share of headcount was cut in your team?
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6. Roughly what share of headcount was cut in your team?
A
Under 5%
B
5–9%
C
10–14%
D
15–24%
E
25–49%
F
50% or more
G
Not sure
7. Was the reduction applied across the board or targeted?
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7. Was the reduction applied across the board or targeted?
A
Across the board — a similar percentage everywhere
B
Targeted — specific functions or units took most of it
C
A mix of both
D
Not sure
8. Was this cutting only, or cutting and reinvesting?
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8. Was this cutting only, or cutting and reinvesting?
A
Pure cost reduction — nothing was reinvested
B
Cut, with reinvestment promised but never delivered
C
Cut in some areas, hiring in others at the same time
D
Cut, with reinvestment in the remaining team (tools, automation, training, process redesign)
E
Not sure
SECTION 3 · WHAT WAS THE PLAN?
9. How much warning did you have before you had to execute?
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9. How much warning did you have before you had to execute?
A
Less than a week
B
1–2 weeks
C
2–4 weeks
D
1–3 months
E
More than 3 months
F
I wasn't involved in executing it
10. How much say did you have in who left?
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10. How much say did you have in who left?
A
I made the decisions
B
I recommended; the decision was made above me
C
I was handed a list
D
Selection was formula-driven (tenure, performance rating, role elimination)
E
I wasn't involved
11. Which of these actually happened, before or during the reduction?
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11. Which of these actually happened, before or during the reduction?
A formal decision about what work would stop being done
Redesign of the remaining roles and jobs
Structured knowledge transfer from people who were leaving
A plan for how the remaining team would deliver the work
A communication plan for the people who stayed, beyond announcement day
A plan and timeline to rebuild capability
A budget for recovery support (training, tools, outside help)
Measures defined to track workload or performance after the cut
A retention plan for people you couldn't afford to lose
None of these
12. What happened to the amount of work after the cut?
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12. What happened to the amount of work after the cut?
A
The work stayed the same or grew
B
The work was reduced, but by less than the headcount
C
The work was reduced roughly in proportion to the headcount
D
The work was reduced by more than the headcount
E
Not sure
13. Was there a plan to rebuild the team?
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13. Was there a plan to rebuild the team?
A
Yes, with a specific timeline
B
Yes in principle, but no timeline
C
No plan, but an unstated assumption we'd rebuild eventually
D
No — the reduction was explicitly permanent
E
Not sure
SECTION 4 · WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
14. In the 12 months after, which of these did the team run into?
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14. In the 12 months after, which of these did the team run into?
People left behind were overloaded; sustained long hours
Burnout, exhaustion, or increased sick leave
Loss of critical knowledge or skills
Unplanned resignations, especially among strong performers
Unclear roles, ownership, or decision rights
Broken handoffs; work falling through the cracks
Slower decisions and approvals
Quality problems, errors, or rework
Missed customer commitments or deadlines
Loss of trust in leadership
Disengagement among the people who stayed
Managers spending their time on morale and retention instead of the work
Too many direct reports per manager
Improvement, growth, or innovation work stopped
Compliance, control, or safety gaps
Trouble hiring or backfilling when we were finally allowed to
My own workload became unsustainable
None of these — the transition went smoothly
15. Of those, which was the single biggest problem?
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16. And what got better?
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16. And what got better?
Priorities got clearer
Low performers were removed
Decisions got faster
Unnecessary work was finally eliminated
Fewer layers; less bureaucracy
People stepped up into bigger roles
The business stabilized financially
Cost structure matched the revenue we actually had
Nothing got better
SECTION 5 · DID IT WORK?
17. Did any of these happen within 18 months of the reduction?
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17. Did any of these happen within 18 months of the reduction?
We rehired for roles that had been eliminated
We backfilled with contractors, temps, or agency staff
Overtime or premium labor costs went up
Work was outsourced or offshored
We lost people we didn't want to lose
There was another round of cuts
None of these
18. Overall, did the reduction achieve what leadership set out to achieve?
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18. Overall, did the reduction achieve what leadership set out to achieve?
A
Clearly successful
B
Mostly successful
C
Mixed
D
Mostly unsuccessful
E
Clearly unsuccessful
F
Too early to tell
19. One year on, were the savings still there?
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19. One year on, were the savings still there?
A
Fully sustained
B
Mostly sustained
C
Partially eroded
D
Fully eroded — the cost came back
E
Not sure
20. How long did it take the team to get back to its previous level of performance?
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20. How long did it take the team to get back to its previous level of performance?
A
Under 3 months
B
3–6 months
C
6–12 months
D
12–24 months
E
More than 24 months
F
It never got back
G
It's still not back
H
Not sure
21. Twelve months after the cut, compared with before it, how was the team doing on each of these?
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Much worse
Somewhat worse
About the same
Somewhat better
Much better
Not sure
Output
Quality
Speed
Ability to take on new work
Morale
Voluntary turnover
Customer or internal-client satisfaction
SECTION 6 · HOW DID IT IMPACT YOU?
22. How hard was the period after the reduction for you personally?
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22. How hard was the period after the reduction for you personally?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
23. What was the hardest part for you?
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23. What was the hardest part for you?
A
Delivering the news
B
Carrying work I couldn't hand to anyone
C
Keeping the people who stayed engaged
D
Deciding what we would stop doing
E
Retaining people I couldn't afford to lose
F
Not believing in the decision I had to defend
G
My own hours and workload
H
Rebuilding trust
I
Watching good people struggle
J
Other
24. Where did the support come from, and was it any use?
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I didn't get any
Got some, not useful
Somewhat useful
Very useful
HR / People team
My own manager
Senior leadership
Peers in similar roles
External consultants or coaches
Formal training or tools from the company
My own network outside the company
25. Three months or more after the cut, did anyone from above check on how the team was actually doing?
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25. Three months or more after the cut, did anyone from above check on how the team was actually doing?
A
Yes — a formal review or look-back
B
Informally, in passing
C
No
D
Not sure
SECTION 8 · REFLECTIONS
26. In hindsight, what would have made the biggest difference?
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26. In hindsight, what would have made the biggest difference?
A
Deciding what work to stop
B
Capturing knowledge before people left
C
A retention plan for key people
D
Honest communication and a credible plan for the people who stayed
E
A more realistic savings target
F
Coaching or support for the managers running it
G
Outside help to run the recovery
H
Nothing — it was handled well
30. What one thing would you do differently next time?
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31. Anything else about this experience that people planning a reduction should know?
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SECTION 8 · STAYING IN TOUCH
32. Would you be open to a 30-minute confidential conversation about your experience?
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32. Would you be open to a 30-minute confidential conversation about your experience?
A
Yes
B
No
C
33. Your name and role, so I know who I'm talking to.
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34. If you'd like a copy of the results, leave your email.
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