💼 “Global Growth” Usually means Goodbye: The Quiet Shift Happening in Corporate America

The company’s Press Release was encouraging “We’re thrilled to expand our impact by opening a new business center overseas!”

The comments poured in: 👏 “Amazing!” “So proud of this work!” “Global impact at its finest!”

The dark side of this shiny new coin? They aren't telling you that on this side of things, people are losing their jobs to this 'growth'. In fact, the entire departments with loyal, high-performing, often mid-career employees, are being “transitioned” so those same roles can be filled overseas for less. And because the announcement looks like growth, the layoffs barely make a ripple.

I'm not talking about a one-off situation or company. No, it’s a pattern happening across

industries. The truth of the matter is that many everyday workers are balancing families, mortgages, and aging parents are being told their skills are “no longer needed.” Not because they failed, but instead because someone, somewhere, can do it cheaper.

Here's a hot take- companies can expand globally and protect the integrity of the people who helped build them. It takes foresight, honesty, and a willingness to lead with transparency instead of optics. The ripple effects of how organizations handle these moments reach far beyond spreadsheets and staffing charts, they shape trust, morale, and reputation for years to come.

I saw a post recently on LinkedIn that said something along the lines of HR needing to get back to being human-focused. It's no secret that the thought and approach towards HR professionals has changed and become more 'company-focused' than 'human-based', so we should push for a re-evaluation of the companies we are considering joining and staying with and determining for ourselves if we should be taking our skills overseas, or maybe just across the street to another team could be just as impactful.

If you’ve recently been impacted by workforce changes or you’re leading a team through one, there are spaces designed to help both sides move forward with clarity and care. My take is not just a selfish plug for the other side of what I do, it's insight and input from someone who has been there more often than she'd like to admit sometimes. It's a space I'm trying to create that can bring us together to learn from and with each other as a collective to create new paths and partnerships, with each other and with companies.

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