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.
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📌 Sources & Links
Layoffs With a Side of Spin
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fifth-consecutive-month-microsoft-layoffs-102009142.html
https://citywire.com/asia/news/goldman-sachs-to-lay-off-3-of-staff-at-global-headquarters/a2473769
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://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
Place, Product, and Perception
https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-send-employees-back-to-office-rto-remote-work-2025-9
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