Layoffs roll on, RTO gets louder, and consulting is rebuilt by the very tools it once sold. Workers hedge, managers lose the room, and trust becomes the only durable advantage. This week’s Paper Cut turns headlines into practical moves for employer-brand leaders.

📰 Subscribe to the free Paper Cut newsletter: https://ebn.to/sub25

🔗 Follow EBN on LinkedIn: https://ebn.to/lin25

⸻

📌 Sources & Links

Layoffs With a Side of Spin

https://www.reuters.com/business/novo-nordisk-slashes-9000-jobs-slim-down-fierce-weight-loss-drug-battle-2025-09-10/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fifth-consecutive-month-microsoft-layoffs-102009142.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/11/microsoft-ceo-nadella-says-company-must-rebuild-trust-with-employees.html

https://citywire.com/asia/news/goldman-sachs-to-lay-off-3-of-staff-at-global-headquarters/a2473769

https://www.businessinsider.com/rto-mandates-driving-workers-quit-helping-employers-avoid-layoffs-2025-9

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-oil-gas-company-layoffs-2024-2025-2025-09-03/

Consulting Gets Rewritten by Its Own Pitch

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-ai-boom-is-leaving-consultants-behind-c9088fda

https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-is-changing-the-structure-of-consulting-firms

https://www.businessinsider.com/mckinsey-growing-entry-level-hires-ai-era-partner-says-2025-9

https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-it-takes-to-lead-through-digital-disruption

Workers Play Defense, Managers Lose the Room

https://fortune.com/2025/09/07/silicon-valley-gen-z-tech-industry-jobs-dissappearing-millennials-ai-automation-careers-older-workforce/

https://www.cfodive.com/news/ai-driven-job-displacement-may-already-be-here-report-says/759570/

https://www.newsweek.com/employers-employees-very-different-outlooks-us-economy-2127036

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianehamilton/2025/09/06/why-employees-prefer-ai-over-their-managers-the-impact-on-leadership/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracylawrence/2025/09/09/why-your-company-picnic-wont-fix-your-work-culture/

Place, Product, and Perception

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-send-employees-back-to-office-rto-remote-work-2025-9

https://www.businessinsider.com/cbre-announces-building-experience-lab-annie-dean-office-design-2025-9

https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/how-did-an-employee-get-clues-that-layoffs-in-his-company-are-coming-soon-he-could-sense-from-his-managers-behaviour-he-just-ghosted-us/articleshow/123734166.cms

https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/lifestyle/job-hugging-what-uk-jobs-employment-b2823073.html

https://qz.com/careers-most-vulnerable-in-a-recession

⸻

#EmployerBrand #AIatWork #RTO #Consulting #WorkCulture #TalentStrategy