Don't talk about "exciting plans" in one sentence, and "a series of restructuring initiatives, including a significant reduction in our workforce" in the next. Especially when you just worked your employees to the bone revamping your platform.
Also, when you are announcing your company was sold for scrap, it is tone-deaf to gush about how it has been "the most engaging and challenging time of my professional career."
Yeesh.
So you start by saying almost everyone will be fired and the pension plan is bankrupt. Let that sink in. Then an email goes out saying that the executive team has discovered some funds and saved the pension plan. A day letter, good news, the TPS report Writing Team are keeping their jobs. And so forth.
There's only so much bad news people can take and then they just put it down as a bad news email whether there's goo dnews in there or not. Good news in that email is entirely wasted.
And thanks for reminding me that I need to read that book.
Don't know what's up with the downvotes. I appreciated this comment and upvoted accordingly.
Even if the original message did not have all this nonsense, it was likely edited by PR flacks for a "positive" spin. That's one industry (PR) ready for some refreshing new approaches...