STACEY CHAMPAGNE
CORPORATE LAYOFFS: A PERFECT STORM FOR INSIDER RISK AND THE IMPERATIVE FOR HOLISTIC MITIGATION APPROACHES By Stacey Champagne, Insider Risk Expert, Founder & CEO of The Trade Secrets Network and Hacker in Heels With over 42,000 tech sector employees laid off in
that touts as its competitive edge a proprietary tech
2022, many workplaces are in a constant state of
platform for agents—has conducted three rounds
stress. A June 2022 survey found nearly 80 percent of
of layoffs since June 2022. Onlookers have dubbed
American workers concerned about their job security.
it “the WeWork of residential real estate” saying the
Individual identity, finances and healthcare are
company has “raised and spent money like a tech firm
intertwined with employment. Therefore, the threat
but made money like a brokerage.”
of losing one’s job is a threat to financial security and mental health.
Employees are voicing their opinions loud and clear. Articles about employees meeting their job duties but
The situation is further exacerbated by
refusing to complete above-and-beyond assignments
C-suite executives who display ineptitude and
are rife on social media. Dubbed “quiet quitting,”
mismanagement. In early February 2022, the
this workplace mentality aligns with a Gallup report
cofounder of fitness equipment maker, Peloton,
showing the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged
stepped down after being criticised for inconsistent
employees as 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.
pricing and manufacturing strategies. 2,800 jobs were
88
cut and an additional 800+ jobs are reported to have
The current workplace climate of distrust,
been cut since. Compass—a real estate brokerage
disengagement and threat to individuals’ livelihoods
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
N O V E M B E R • D E C E M B E R 2022
