When Performance Isn’t Enough
A Matter of Trust
We’re in an era of deep economic instability. Tariffs are back (and gone, and back, and gone, and…). Trade tensions are escalating. The dollar’s dropping. The stock market swings between panic and euphoria on an hourly basis. And somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, employees are expected to keep calm, carry on, and “do more with less.”
The truth? People aren’t stupid, they’re disillusioned.
I recently wrote a piece for Reworked about Big Tech layoffs and how performance isn’t the real reason so many people are being let go.
Despite the narrative of cutting the fat from their payrolls, these decisions aren’t really about underperformance. Many of the people impacted were top contributors. The real drivers? A mix of economic posturing, shareholder appeasement, and internal politics.
It happens, but as I concluded in my column, truth matters:
“Companies need to acknowledge when their own decisions, rather than employee shortcomings, are driving layoffs. The longer they continue to rely on performance-based messaging to explain away poor planning, the more difficult it will be to regain trust and establish honest accountability.”
The disconnect between effort and reward is what’s breaking people’s trust. And if doing great work in an age where everything feels uncertain doesn’t shield you, what does?
When people can’t trust the economy, and they can’t trust leadership to protect performance, they start looking for something that feels steady and safe. And they won’t find it in companies that behave like fairweather allies.
It’s painfully clear that some companies are happy to trade long-term reputation for short-term stock bumps. They lay off workers in record numbers while raking in profits. They spin narratives instead of owning hard truths. They lose credibility and think they can buy it back later (like they do with their stocks).
But trust doesn’t work that way. You can patch it up once it’s broken, but it won’t be the same.
So if you’re in a leadership role right now, ask yourself: Are we building a place where people can trust the system they’re in? Or are we just hoping the perks will distract them from the instability?
You can be honest and still lead with strength. You can tell people the truth and still retain their respect. You can make tough calls and still protect your long-term credibility.
The world outside is unpredictable. That’s why the systems inside your organization must be grounded in clarity, fairness, and truth. I continue to be unmoved by the accusation that EX is soft. It’s not fluff. It’s the backbone of trust.
And trust is what keeps people showing up when everything else feels like it’s falling apart.
Don’t be the kind of company that cracks under pressure. Be the one people remember for doing the right thing, especially when it would’ve been easier not to.
QUICK HITS FROM AROUND THE WEB
Alleged Mole Admits To Spying in Rare Drama for HR Tech via Morning Brew
Spotify’s Head of HR Outlines Transformative Strategy for Talent Acquisition, Retention via the HRD
Why HR Posters Matter via Punk Rock HR
Ford: If HR Tech ‘Isn’t Solving a Problem, It’s an Irritation’ via Unleash
The People-First Workplace Approach Is Slipping Away, Researchers Say via HR Dive
Quiet Cracking: A Hidden Workplace Crisis via TalentLMS
AI Is Changing Work—The Time Is Now for Strategic Upskilling via the World Economic Forum
Layoffs Reached a Near Record High in March, Most From DOGE’s Hatchet Job on the Federal Workforce via HR Brew
Top Five Labor Law Developments for March 2025 via The National Law Review
Predictive Analytics Goes Off The Rails
I know my crystal ball is still a little hazy after the last few years but in the UK, maybe that isn’t as big of a problem. They have now developed an algorithm that can predict who will be murderers:
Researchers are alleged to be using algorithms to analyse the information of thousands of people, including victims of crime, as they try to identify those at greatest risk of committing serious violent offences.
That’s it for this week!