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Protect Your Team

5 min read

Eng Manager

You're the shield. When leadership wants cuts, you're the one with the names. Fight for the keep list. Have the data.

Cto

You set the strategy. David implements. Align on who gets protected and why. Don't let finance drive the list alone.

Tech Lead

You know who's irreplaceable. Share that with your manager before the meeting. Names and reasons. It matters.

Protect Your Team

TL;DR

  • When AI "efficiency" becomes headcount reduction, someone has to advocate for the people. That's you.
  • Have a keep list. Have reasons. "Indispensable" means: owns critical systems, multiplies others, or would create a painful knowledge gap.
  • David can't save everyone. He can make sure the right people are protected. That requires preparation.

Layoffs happen. "AI efficiency" is often the story. Your job is to make sure the cuts aren't dumb — that you're not losing the people who'd hurt most to lose.

The Keep List

Before anyone asks, know:

  • Who owns critical systems? (Single points of failure.)
  • Who multiplies others? (Mentors, leads, go-to people.)
  • Who has irreplaceable context? (Domain experts, long-tenure, "the only one who knows X.")

That's your keep list. When the spreadsheet comes, you have names and reasons.

How to Advocate

  • Bring data. "If we cut X, we lose our only person who knows [system]. Replacing that will take 6+ months and cost more than their salary."
  • Propose alternatives. "Instead of cutting 5, what if we cut 3 and redeploy 2 to [high-priority area]?"
  • Push back on bad criteria. "Cutting by tenure/salary is stupid. Cut by impact and replaceability."

You might not win every argument. You'll sleep better having made it.

Support the Survivors

The people who stay after a cut need support too. Morale drops. Trust erodes. "Am I next?" is in everyone's head.

  • Be honest. Don't pretend everything's fine.
  • Over-communicate. What's the plan? What's stable? What's changing?
  • Give people something to control. New projects, new ownership. Agency helps.

Quick Check

'AI efficiency' becomes headcount reduction. The spreadsheet is coming. As David's peer, what do you need BEFORE the meeting?

The list comes. It's tenure-based. Or salary-based. Your best people are on it. You didn't prepare. You can't articulate why they should stay.

Click "Advocate" to see the difference →

Do This Next

  1. Write down your keep list. Who would you fight for? Why? Update it. You might need it.
  2. Have the conversation with your manager. "If we had to reduce, what's the process? I want to make sure we're making smart choices." Know the process before the crisis.