What you can do as a Leader right now

A week ago, I read an article about my former employer, Sunrise. Up to 450 jobs are set to be cut. For me, this wasn’t just an ordinary business news story; during my nearly seven years at the company, I experienced such moments firsthand on several occasions.

Back then, I managed job cuts and restructuring from an HR perspective, so I am very familiar with that strange tension between the announcement and the actual implementation.

On one hand, there is the economic reality: a company needs to cut costs and align its structures with the market, accepting job losses as a consequence. On the other hand—behind the anonymous figures and headcount statistics—there are people. Employees who do not know if their jobs are at risk and who have to live with that uncertainty for weeks.

They run through various scenarios in their minds, read between the lines, and speculate. They worry about their future and financial security.

It is a stressful experience that drains their energy and yet they are still expected to keep performing.

The limbo phase: when nothing is final yet

During this phase, many things remain undecided. Line managers, HR business partners, and senior management draft scenarios and consult with unions and employee representative bodies. Timelines and work packages are prepared. Yet, amidst all this, the situation has effectively already changed.

Rumours intensify, and the coffee machine becomes a hub for information exchange: employees compare statements and try to glean insights from others.

Managers often lack further information themselves, no matter how transparent they might wish to be.

When the sense of security is lost

In such uncertain times, employee do not work with their full attention. Part of their mind is occupied with trying to cope with the situation. Motivation drops right along with it.

What is happening here? Am I safe? What does this mean for me? Feelings and fears often remain unspoken. Many stay silent not to appear negative or difficult, or to gie the impression that they are not “on board.”

This is only human. However, for a company, this state of unease can prove costly, as it quickly impacts performance and results.

What Your Team Needs Right Now

➡️ Does your team feel psychologically safe at the moment? Are issues like overload, anxiety about the future, fears, and emotions openly discussed?

➡️ And even more importantly: How do you ensure that your team remains effective and capable of taking action?

After all, day-to-day business goes on.

This is where psychological safety and resilience intersect: psychological safety creates the space to speak up freely about what each team member feel whereas resilience strengthens their ability to cope with daily tasks despite the uncertainty .

Between announcement and implementation

This phase is particularly tricky for leaders. You might know more than your team but aren’t allowed to say anything yet. Or perhaps you don’t know anything yourself but are still being asked. Even then, you can make a difference.

👉 Stay present and approachable

Many leaders withdraw when under pressure. Doors stay closed, one-on-one meetings get postponed, and answers become short. Your team usually interprets this as a bad sign.

Stick to your regular schedule. Establish a fixed routine—such as a brief update every Monday—even if the message is simply: “There is no news yet.”

That way, no one has to go hunting for answers at the coffee machine.

👉 Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

“Nothing is going to happen to us.” That statement is well-intentioned, but it could cost you a great deal of trust later on. From my time in HR, I know that broken promises weigh more heavily than honest uncertainty. Share what you can disclose and know for sure, and be clear about the limits of your knowledge.

👉 Secure knowledge transfer before expertise is lost

Every time someone leaves the company, knowledge goes with them—contacts, workflows, and experience that isn’t documented anywhere. Often, it takes weeks to realize what is missing.

Don’t wait until the decisions have been made. Set the course now:

• Form tandems: Have two people familiarize each other with their respective tasks.
• Initiate documentation: Record key processes, points of contact, and ongoing projects.
• Identify critical knowledge: Where does too much currently depend on a single person?

Frame your intention as an initiative for the entire team, not for specific individuals. Otherwise, your team might interpret it as a sign of who is being let go—fuelling the very anxiety you want to avoid.

When done right, knowledge transfer actually relieves the burden on your team. After the downsizing, no one has to start from scratch.

👉 Acknowledge your own feelings

You, too, are under pressure. And your team notices it before you even say a word.

What happens to your voice? Your posture? Your breathing? Do you withdraw? Become frantic? Hold your breath?

Once you become aware of how your body reacts under pressure, your perspective on your own behavior shifts. You can then consciously take corrective action: feel your feet on the ground, exhale more fully, speak more slowly. This is not a trivial matter; your team looks to you for cues.

You don’t have to shoulder everything alone. Exchange ideas with colleagues or seek external support—such as through one-on-one coaching or a self-leadership workshop—if you realize the mental load is becoming too heavy. Make a conscious effort to find physical and mental balance. And create some distance where possible: things you cannot influence in your role fall outside your scope of responsibility.

Focus on what is achievable

No one on the team can change the management’s decision. But you can shape the next few weeks. Clarify priorities, set short-term, achievable goals, and make small successes visible. This provides stability when there is a lot of uncertainty.

Decisions will be made eventually. Then the next phase begins.

After Job Cuts: 5 Concrete Things You Can Do

1. Don’t try to act «normal» right away

A reorganization isn’t over emotionally just because all the cards are on the table and everything has been communicated.

People need time to process what has happened. Someone might feel relieved that their own job was saved. Another person might be sad because their team no longer exists. A third person might feel guilty for having stayed while a colleague had to leave.

Research on job cuts describes these kinds of reactions—including uncertainty, increased workload, and so-called “survivor guilt.”

Talking about this doesn’t mean turning the team into a therapy group. It simply means acknowledging: “That was a lot to handle. Let’s talk about it before we pretend everything is back to normal.”

2. Separate facts from speculation

Especially in uncertain times, transparency does not mean “knowing everything.” Sometimes, the most honest communication is:

This is what we know.
This is what we don’t know yet.
This remains open.
We will know more at this point in time.

This may sound unspectacular, but it is real and valuable. Uncertainty becomes particularly draining when no one knows where the line between information and rumor lies.

3. Reassigning tasks

This is arguably one of the most important points.

After a workforce reduction, the question is often: “Who will take over X’s tasks now?” A different question is perhaps even more important: “Which of these tasks do we actually still need to do?”

What do we stop doing?
What do we postpone?
What do we automate?
What is the actual priority?
What can we outsource or delegate to external providers?

Simply distributing the work of exiting colleagues among those who remain does not constitute reorganization; it is an additional burden.

4. Clarifying roles and expectations anew

Who decides what now? Who bears which responsibilities? What is no longer part of my role? How do I recognize that I am successful in my new role?

Particularly following a downsizing, role ambiguity and perceived overload strongly influence how employees experience their commitment to the organization and their own outlook.

5. Moving forward

After a downsizing, many employees wonder if they still see a future for themselves in the changed context.

That’s precisely why discussions about the new direction and potential development opportunities are so important. Further training, new areas of responsibility, mentoring, or internal career paths offer new perspectives and provide renewed motivation.

Equally crucial are discussions within the team about which skills are needed now. The message you send is quite simple: We see you, and we are planning the next steps with you.

This helps rebuild trust in the organization and in one’s own future within it.

Practical Example: A “Pulse Check” on the Mat

I recently guided a client through this process using a Budo-based team workshop. She had already held several conversations with her team and done some preliminary work, yet she wasn’t satisfied; the picture didn’t feel complete to her. At the same time, she didn’t want to simply schedule another standard meeting.

She wanted a genuine “pulse check”: How were the individual team members experiencing the current situation? What was on their minds? Where did they stand? And above all: How did they want to move forward as a team?

She was looking for a different approach—a space where her team could step out of their usual work mode and interact in a new way. So, we combined the pulse check with a Budo workshop focused on safety and resilience.

On the mat, we alternated between activating the body and the mind. Everyone reacts differently to stress and uncertainty. The first step was to recognize one’s own triggers and become aware of personal reactions and patterns—both physically and mentally.

How does this situation affect me? What happens in my body when I arrive at the office and start working? What goes on in my mind? How do I behave?

This connection between mind and body was a new experience for some of the participants.

From Experience to Dialogue

Next, the focus shifted to the team: How do we want to handle the changes? What is within our capabilities? What scope for action do we have? What can we tackle proactively?

The feedback revealed that the workshop was more than just an unusual experience. Participants said the day helped them open up to one another, embrace the restructuring with greater confidence, and grow closer as a team.

A Change of Location alters Team Dynamics

Changing the location shifts the context and the dynamics. We step out of the space where we have to function day in, day out. We enter a learning environment governed by different rules—no screens, more movement and personal interaction—where no one plays their usual role.

Not the team leader.

Not the specialist.

Not the new employee.

Everyone starts from the same baseline: barefoot and in sportswear. Together, the team experiments, laughs, hesitates and gains a fresh perspective on their own situation.

What sustains a Team through Change

A team needs people who feel safe enough to speak openly. And it needs people who remain capable of taking action, even when the situation is anything but certain.

The former creates space; the latter creates room for action.

Together, they form a team that can withstand change and process it in a solution-oriented way.

If you’d like to know what this could look like for your team in practice, get in touch. We’ll take a look together at where your team stands right now and what it needs to remain resilient under pressure.