Health And Human Services Department employees in Washington DC collect their belongings after mass layoffs on April 1, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Julie Fong, a 25-year employee with the Health and Human Services agency in San Francisco, was among the workers who received layoff notices on April 1 as part of a nationwide restructuring plan led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The overhaul aims to realign HHS with its core mission, potentially affecting up to 10,000 employees. Fong, who worked for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program, expressed concern for the potential impact on the public. "We oversee child welfare. We oversee federally funded temporary assistance, community families -- which is welfare. We oversee federally funded child care, child support enforcement. These are the services that serve the taxpayer, and they are gone. The people who administer these programs are gone," Fong said.
Dive Into the 2025 State of Employment Work is evolving fast, and staying ahead means adapting to meet the challenges of tomorrow. During ExpressTalks, you'll learn about the trends and insights that will shape hiring decisions and workplace dynamics in 2025. Watch today!
Being able to weave a compelling, concrete story about the meaning behind the challenges your company faces and the purpose your team members serve in overcoming those difficulties can boost employee retention, a communications executive writes. He encourages company owners and managers to contextualize setbacks and connect them to the company's purpose to help withstand turbulent times.
A survey by financial services firm Equitable found that 80% of Americans are stressed about daily expenses, but benefits such as flexible spending accounts, budgeting tools, health savings accounts and financial planning services may help. Equitable's Stephanie Shields said employees need to understand how to use benefits to help optimize their value.
Nontraditional students, often juggling careers and family, now outnumber traditional students, says Mark Milliron, president of National University. This shift is driven by the need for upskilling in cybersecurity and health care sectors. Nontraditional students face challenges such as feeling like outsiders in a traditionally structured education system, but they bring advantages like real-world experience and resilience.
"The best leaders don't just manage; they uplift," writes Christine O'Connell, the executive director of Riley's Way Foundation, who notes that a new Gallup poll shows 56% of people see hope as the top trait of good leaders because it means they are resilient and optimistic. Research also shows that leaders who build trust, practice gratitude and kindness and empower others are more likely to have a greater impact than those who don't, O'Connell writes.
Julie takes her work seriously. I’ve often been inspired by the way she pours herself into others and their lives -- even when those lives are messy and complicated. She pushes that aside to get to the person, to find out what they need and how she can coordinate services that will provide true support. It’s hard work! But Julie brought energy and brains to every person she served. These folks weren’t cases on her desks. They were lives with heartbeats.
For more than two months, the news has been flooded with stories of mass federal layoffs. Every time I turned on the news or checked my feeds, another agency was handing out pink skips and closing its doors. After a while, the stories blended together, and the numbers just blurred. I stopped doing more than glance at the headlines.
It’s easy to get desensitized in this type of environment. We see the same thing over and over and just stop paying attention. It takes a story like Julie’s to remind us of the human -- of the reality, the tragedy, the grief. As people who manage teams, I don’t think this is something we can afford to do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t do our jobs. Layoffs are necessary sometimes. But when we do it, I hope it’s smarter than the Grim Reaper-like approach we’ve seen in recent weeks. Eliminating low performers is smart business. But cutting the champions, the true contributors -- the Julies of the world -- will cut you off at the knees.
To the Julies out there, email me. I’d love to hear your story and support you as much as I can.
And to all of us in manager roles, may we remember the human in our work.
Every day.
Do you enjoy this brief? Share it with others. Want different stories? Something about it bug you? Tell me. In the words of Frasier Crane, “I’m listening.”
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
