When redundancies hit, the hardest part isn’t always the severance letter, it’s what happens after. I’ve been in enough conversations with leaders and employees to know the feeling: “I’ve been blindsided.” “I was just a number.” Redundancy isn’t just an organisational decision. It’s a deeply human event, reshaping families, communities, and trust in work itself.
Let’s take a closer look…
Here’s a snapshot of the wave of job losses across the UK and APAC in the last few months, it’s nuanced, severe, and rising:
UK
- Payrolled employee numbers fell by ~149,000 (-0.5%) YoY in June 2025. ONS
- UK banks: Lloyds Banking Group’s latest job review is expected to cut thousands of roles as part of restructuring. Independent
- Over June–August, firms slashed staff at the fastest pace in four years. Guardian & BoE
Australia
- Bank of Queensland (BOQ) announced 400 job cuts through a tech outsourcing deal with Capgemini. This includes 165 contact centre roles and others, potentially saving the bank $30 million annually. The Finance Sector Union condemned the move as secretive and outsourcing-heavy. AFR
- ANZ Group triggered outrage after prematurely alerting staff of job cuts via automated emails, before managers could inform them. Counselling was offered subsequently, but the damage was done. Reuters.
- KPMG Australia axed 635 jobs, including 21 partner roles, even as some equity partners received a 10.3% pay rise. The Finance Story.
- Telstra is preparing to cut ~550 roles, citing structural resets. Some job reductions link to AI strategy, while management insists it’s not a tech-driven cull. Reuters
- ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) is consulting on potential 100 job cuts—about 8% of staff—as part of a necessary rightsizing. Pocket Option
These aren’t just numbers, they’re real people navigating sudden upheaval. In every case, the distinction between care and indifference becomes clear in how the change is handled.
Mental health impact of job loss
1. Unemployment is linked to a significant increase in mental disorders. A global study analysing data from 201 countries (1970–2020) found a strong association between unemployment and higher rates of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. (PMC)
2. Job loss leads to double the mentally unhealthy days per month. A U.S.–based cohort study reported that those who lost their jobs experienced 5.24 mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days, compared to just 2.41 days for those still employed. (PMC)
3. Elevated risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide following job loss. A systematic review of longitudinal studies found that sudden or prolonged job loss significantly increases the incidence of depression, psychological distress, and even risks related to suicide. (Milbank)
4. Job loss and mental health influence each other in a harmful cycle. A long-term study found that unemployment deteriorates mental health—and poor mental health in turn raises the risk of future unemployment, with both effects being significant and mutually reinforcing. (BMC)
These stats make it clear: redundancy isn’t just an HR problem, it’s a public health issue.
Here’s what we know helps
1. Transparent, empathetic communication When people hear about job losses from an impersonal email, trust is shattered in an instant. Clear, human conversations, even when the news is hard, preserve dignity and signal respect.
2. Purpose-driven transition support Redundancy shouldn’t mean abandonment. Offering reskilling, career coaching, or redeployment pathways helps people move forward with confidence, and protects the organisation’s reputation at the same time.
3. Leadership as guardian, not scorekeeper When cutbacks are unavoidable, the real test is how leaders show up. Those who act with empathy, fairness, and consistency create residual trust. Those who reduce people to numbers leave lasting scars.
4. Designing for resilience High-performing teams aren’t built on constant pressure, they’re sustained by systems that surface strengths, share load, and protect wellbeing alongside results. The organisations that survive disruption are the ones that design rhythms of work where people can keep performing and keep thriving.
For leaders, HR, and peers: job cuts don’t just reshape structures: they reshape the social fabric of your organisation. Now’s the time to build systems that uncover hidden strengths, enable fair career transitions, and create clear future ready teams, support business performance while protecting human dignity.
So before signing off, I ask you again, “Do you think your employer really cares whether you’re made redundant?” I really do want to know. Do you feel like a number or genuinely appreciated? I’d like to know more about what others are experiencing beyond the news headlines.
If you know someone navigating a redundancy, whether they’re the one leaving or trying to hold a team together, please share this with them. The Inside Track may just remind them they don’t have to go through it alone.
Here’s to designing workplaces that honour people, even in the hardest moments. From the heart and the head, Luke
