Those Town Hall Meetings with Employees - Don't Dare Dish Toxic Positivity

"Inside Google’s tense townhall meeting with employees following 12,000 layoffs"

Insider, January 23, 2023

Google CEO Sundar Pichai couldn't take the old-line toxic positivity stance on the state of the business. Those who hadn't been purged put on the pressure. For instance, they demanded that Pichai define what he meant about executives taking on "full responsibility" for the overhire that triggered layoffs. 

In response he noted that would take the form of significantly reduced bonuses. 

They also demanded specifics on how the cuts were determined. Pichai contended they weren't random. How then did the newly promoted and those with such positive reviews wind up jobless?

When coaching leaders I hammer the importance of authenticity and candor. Employees have gotten used to the reality that most jobs will be on short time. They will either leave voluntarily or be pushed out. So, there isn't a whole lot to lose by presenting those tough issues to the brass in the public venue of an internal town meeting. 

Obviously, that coming-together has mutated from a "we" to the combative "you and us." Usually the "us" prefers to hold onto that particular employment but stands ready to hustle for something else. So much is this a pattern that their issue in talking with me is how can they land on their feet with comparable compensation quickly. 

The tensions between management and labor will escalate as additional rounds of layoffs take place. No one knows how 2023 will play out but the assumption is that business will be facing increasing pain. 

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