Over the past year, there has been a significant and abrupt shift in direction, particularly within the People function. Leadership began promoting a “high-performing” culture, but without clearly defining expectations or providing a structured path to succeed. What followed was confusion, constant pressure, and a growing sense of instability across the team.
There has been a heavy push to adopt AI and deliver solutions through it, yet little to no enablement, training, or practical support has been provided. Teams are expected to produce results under vague direction, often feeling set up to fail rather than supported to succeed.
Workloads have steadily increased to a point that feels unsustainable. At the same time, turnover has become difficult to ignore. People frequently leave across teams, often abruptly and without acknowledgment. In some cases, individuals are not even given the opportunity to say goodbye, which creates a culture of silence and unease. It raises serious concerns about how people are being managed and treated behind the scenes.
There is a noticeable lack of investment in people. Development, coaching, and support are minimal. The expectation is that employees arrive with a fixed skill set and then instantly adapt to shifting demands without guidance. When challenges arise, accountability tends to fall entirely on the individual rather than being addressed at a systemic level.
Leadership presence is also misaligned. There is a strong focus on external visibility—events, panels, and industry presence—while internal team support and engagement appear to be deprioritized. This creates a disconnect that is felt daily by those doing the work.
Overall, the environment has become increasingly demanding, unclear, and, at times, discouraging. It is difficult to feel secure or supported, and many strong contributors have chosen to leave as a result.
