That's not true.
> If a company fires 100 employees and certain operations stop functioning, they may hire back 10 employees and reassess
How likely is it that 10 employees come back? How likely is it that critical institutional knowledge is lost forever?
> The result is a company that functions just as effectively as before but with fewer employees
Does it? Have you ever been through a reorg or restructuring at work? Do things ever get back to just as effective as before any time soon?
> This is an optimization of resources and efficiency
It's squandering human capitol, knowledge and reduced efficiency both in the short term and long term. It's the most expensive way to reduce your overhead. A far cry from optimization.
No, that's ^ not true ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
> How likely is it that 10 employees come back?
Pretty much nobody is irreplaceable.
> How likely is it that critical institutional knowledge is lost forever?
In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk.
> Does it? Have you ever been through a reorg or restructuring at work? Do things ever get back to just as effective as before any time soon?
Yes, I've been through many re-orgs at AWS. If done right, things get better fairly quickly (3-6 months).
> It's squandering human capital, knowledge, and reduced efficiency both in the short term and long term. It's the most expensive way to reduce your overhead. A far cry from optimization.
Not necessarily. The short-term pain of restructuring can lead to long-term efficiency gains. Organizations that fail to optimize end up bloated and sluggish, which is far more costly in the long run. Smart cuts, when combined with proper reallocation of resources, create a more effective organization.
Nobody is so thorough at documenting that their job is 100% documented and the documentation is fully up to date.
You think Jim, who's been training the new hires on the factory floor for a decade, who knows all the tricks to making this fit together at wiget factory even when the process instructions are vague, has documented everything?
Could document everything?
Just be cause digital records are present doesn't mean they're complete, up to date or accurate.
Institutional knowledge is a thing, and it's very valuable. You can't wave it away and say we're in a digital age.
No, I don't think so. That's why the lay-offs predominantly target probationary employees.
What is their average tenure at the department?
Is this the case for all federal jobs or can it be longer for some roles?
It's a very hamfisted deliberate disruption of all operations and services. Which, again, can hardly be called "targeted" by any metric.
Are you sure you really work at AWS? Dude, how often do you realize the documentation is not sufficient and you have to dig through people's brain to actually get the nuances, that is, lucky enough they are still around? lolll
The problem is you don't know which 95% of studies beforehand.
The argument that 'slashing' is the only way to reduce headcount is also extremely dumb.