The Great Betrayal?

A new snazzy headline is emerging, called The Great Betrayal. I guess everything trendy is also ‘Great’ from resignations to reconsiderations and now, betrayals.

But is that true? Maybe instead, we are simply beginning to create a relationship with life?

Our relationship with employment has been changing for a few decades now. And mainly because our relationship with life has been evolving at the edges. And isn’t it fascinating that betrayal means a violation of our trust or confidence, of a moral standard.

While many continue to believe we are in quiet quitting, hiring or thriving, we are actually questioning everything. Why? Because trust is shaken to the core.

With the recent layoffs, 62% of “knowledge workers” feel betrayed and say they no longer feel safe committing to one employer. When we give our heart and soul to a company, we believe that it is two-way. But recent events continue to show the heartless, mechanistic machines we created. 

The Illusion of Employee Loyalty

In the fast food culture we created, where speed and productivity are everything, we become faceless, disposable and interchangeable. And the “news” is lecturing us on who laid off people humanely and inhumanely. But is this really the question to ask? Why are we allowing anyone to disregard our lives? 

Don’t we know in our hearts that safety is often risky? And when we buy into the brand message, it often is a veil of reality. 

This broken trust is creating a wave of independence where people no longer want to be co-dependent with a company that will toss us out without notice or care. 

Whether there is a move toward freelance and gig work, the bottom line that what is being dubbed now The Loud Layoffs shook another layer of awakening to what’s important to our lives. 

Are we starting to realize that leadership is not outside ourselves and we are the leaders of our lives? In a world where meaning is increasingly important to people of all ages, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. 

In tech companies, we always knew that the next series of layoffs were around the corner. So, there is a reason why trust is broken because it is always a two-way road. We have one of the biggest leadership crises in history in every corner of the world and it will only shift when we become the leaders we need. 

And again, this has nothing to do whether we choose full time employment or not. It is not about remote, hybrid or office work. At the core, it is about getting real and building organizations that matter not just to the bottom line but are connected to our humanity and the planet. Our children need us as much as we need ourselves right now. 

The Great Betrayal or Opportunity?

But maybe there is no one to blame and no reason to experience betrayal? We have been conditioned to trust untrustworthy people and organizations throughout our lives. How many disappointments have we each experienced in people not being who they say they are? This is perhaps why conflict needs to “managed” when we can also learn to create inner peace? Is this an opportunity for us to get clear on what it is we actually need and be accountable for our own choices?

When more of us become conscious and open up avenues of dialogue, connection and community, we will become aware of how powerful we are to live meaningful lives with healthy systems that support us. And also see trust, relationships and community as our cornerstones. 

We will no longer need scripts and expect loyalty outside ourselves. Because we will create value exchanges that matter, always respecting ourselves and each other. Our inner peace and self-confidence will be reflected in the world around us.

So, maybe this is a Great Opportunity to trek into the unknown, leave certainty and empty promises behind, and uncover that safety and security are an inside job? No one outside ourselves can give us autonomy and safety because it’s personal and ours to create.