Recently, two unrelated news articles stuck in my mind. One was about Google laying off 1,000 employees last week after furloughing 12,000 people last year. The writer lauded Google for their dedication to cost-cutting and efficiency.

The second article was about an office building in San Diego being converted into housing. Following the COVID pandemic, many companies allowed employees to continue working remotely or come into the office a few days a week. The result is reduced occupancy of office buildings, up to 30% in some cities. While it’s not easy (or cheap) to convert floors of former cubicles into individual apartments, it can provide much needed housing, especially for service workers.

With lower occupancies, fewer commuters, and visitors, many formerly thriving urban areas are dying. The appeal of going downtown to shop, eat, and attend community and cultural events is tainted by the increase in crime, homelessness (up 12% from 2022), and closure of once thriving retailers, eateries, and service businesses like dry cleaners, tailors, and florists.   

It’s a pendulum that has swung too far in one direction and is struggling to get back into rhythm. Persistent layoffs coupled with slow to no hiring isn’t helping the situation. People are sliding down innumerable chutes of income instability, losing not only their livelihood and sense of worth, but savings, possessions, and sometimes, their homes.

Having applied for a ridiculous number of jobs in the past year and still looking for my next full-time, role, I commiserate with people who’ve lost their jobs and are now frantically rewriting their resumes, using AI to optimistically compose engaging cover letters, and figuring out how to de-emphasize negatives that could trigger rejections.

Unfortunately, a layoff is a chute, and climbing back up is difficult with few ladders. And the ladders that appear often have missing or broken rungs if you don’t have the required skills and experience.

Companies need to realize shuffling around and discarding employees have long-term consequences both to those who are impacted and the communities in which they’re located.