How to Rebuild Psychological Safety After Layoffs: A Leadership Design Imperative
Layoffs do not just remove roles from an org chart. They disrupt the emotional contract between leaders and the people who remain. In the weeks after a reduction in force, something quieter but more consequential often unfolds. Trust fractures. Fear rises. Psychological safety erodes. People begin scanning for risk instead of opportunity. Meetings tighten. Innovation slows. Candor disappears. Leaders, often exhausted themselves, sense that something fundamental has shifted ev
