It never escapes me how similarly large company executives think and behave. Like lemmings, they follow the leader – even when the prevailing winds, such as economy, profit, and earnings, dictate otherwise. It's almost become a drinking game to see how many large companies fall in line with some trend just because Company A did it first. You'd never be sober again.

I know that business leaders aren't particularly creative, but it's so obvious that they're not really following any data, but rather the whims of other executives. It would be funnier if I weren't still part of the labor pool. I wish I could sit back and laugh at the sheer lack of compassion that executives have when laying off people just before Christmas or how in the face of record profits someone gets the idea that they should "clean house" and get rid of employees in favor of contractors or – worse still – offshore resources. I've dealt with these random acts of blindness for too many years and now I'm calling them out. Officially.

In the early 2000s, the trend was to begin allowing employees to work remotely at least a couple of days per week. We all got VPN software and a "desk set," and we were fully enabled and encouraged to work remotely. One of the primary reasons for this new "benefit" was to test the waters for offshore outsourcing. If it can be done remotely, why not get it done cheaper? I won't begin to tell you how that trend has ebbed and flowed over the years, and it always ended the same way – with disastrous results, the realization that cheaper isn't better, and you get what you pay for. It's funny how these same corporations preach the concept of quality differentiation to customers about their products, but when it comes to labor, there's no bottom. Unfortunately, customers are the ones left holding the proverbial bag.

I remember when Marissa Mayer, former Yahoo! CEO, announced that Yahoo! was starting a return to office (RTO) policy. After Yahoo!, and then Google, HP, and dozens of other companies followed suit. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted everyone remote again, so the whole RTO jig was up in short order. The RTO thing has reared its ugly head again in recent months with companies all doing it again, although I'm sure they don't feel like it's a trend at all. "Collaboration is necessary" they say with a glazed look in their eyes, because they don't believe it either. Company A did it, so it must be the right thing to do. I've seen several company announcements that everyone is to return to the office from two to five days per week … immediately.

The other interesting recent trend is dumping so-called middle management. Almost any large company you can name has cleaned out their middle management staff at some point in 2025. The typical excuses are economy, efficiency, and we are "top heavy." Right. I get it. Company A did it and now you are looking for justification beyond, "Hey, Company A is doing it and we should too."

Even the most seasoned company executive needs to learn a few lessons: Layoffs destroy morale. You lay off good people and then none of you can seem to figure out why you have such high employee turnover. You further destroy morale when you justify giving shabby or no raises and yet you still take home a huge bonus, stock options, and other perks. Employees see that. Another lesson you should learn is that the employees know you don't care about them, but trust me when I tell you that the feeling is mutual. Finally, you probably think that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to fix everything. AI bots will do all your bidding at minimal expense. But here's the thing you should realize about AI, just like offshoring: It's you, the executive, who is easier to replace than someone who works on the front lines. Your customers don't want to interact with bots. It tells them you don't value them as the lifeblood of your company.

Your takeaway should be that, rather than following trends, you should do what's right for your employees and your customers. Give them the same value you're trying to sell.

Ken Hess * Senior ADMIN Editor