Source: Fortune
Summary
Korn Ferry’s Workforce 2026 report, based on a survey of 16,000 professionals, found that 62% of workers report increased workloads, and 61% take on responsibilities of more than one role. Nearly half say they are too busy to contribute meaningfully to growth. The report coincides with companies like Uber cutting jobs and flattening structures, though some, like Meta, are reconsidering. The report questions whether job cuts actually eliminate work or just shift it to remaining employees.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
62% of workers say their loads have grown.
61% now do more than one role.
Companies cut jobs, not work.
Efficiency is a mask for more work.
Author: Evan Null
Eliminating jobs vs. eliminating employees
Peter Cappelli, a professor at Wharton, argues that cutting managers doesn’t improve productivity. He says it only cuts costs and headcount, which CFOs favor. He distinguishes between cutting jobs and cutting employees, noting that the same work still needs to be done by fewer people.
Cappelli’s point is simple: companies often confuse cost-cutting with efficiency. They reduce managers, but the work remains. Employees take on more, but productivity doesn’t necessarily improve.
The gap between C-suite and front-line workers is widening. CEOs report improved efficiency from AI, but only 51% of individual contributors feel the same. Many say AI has made their jobs harder.
Academic research supports this. A study found that AI implementation created more work, not less. Employees spent time experimenting, refining outputs, and adapting to evolving models—work that leadership often overlooks.
Leaders assume AI is a stretch assignment. But without support, employees disengage. That makes it harder for companies to realize the value of their AI investments.
The two-job job
Korn Ferry’s report highlights the “two-job job”—employees covering more than one role. This trend is accelerating as companies flatten structures and cut managers. The result is more work, not less.
Managers are also feeling the pressure. 42% of organizations cut management roles in the past year. 55% of remaining managers say they are exhausted. 39% of workers feel directionless without enough managers.
Uber’s recent cuts—10% of its workforce—were framed as a way to improve decision-making and free up time for innovation. But the same employees now carry more work, not less.
Meta is one of the few companies rethinking its approach. It is offering some employees the chance to return to management roles, suggesting a shift from pure efficiency to sustainability.
The report’s key takeaway: companies are cutting jobs, not work. Employees are left to do more with less, and morale is dropping.
The cost of efficiency
Employee motivation has dropped from 71% in 2024 to 61% in 2026. Korn Ferry’s Lesley Uren says growth doesn’t come from asking people to do more. It comes from passion, not pressure.
Cost-cutting and restructuring can save money, but they don’t always drive productivity or growth. Without employee engagement, companies risk losing the very people who make their strategies work.
Leaders need to rethink how work is divided between people and AI. The current model is unsustainable. Employees are overworked, under-supported, and under-motivated.
The challenge for companies is clear: lean doesn’t mean fewer people doing more. It means smarter work, not more work.
Efficiency, as it’s currently practiced, is a short-term fix with long-term costs. Companies that don’t adapt may find themselves stuck in a cycle of burnout and stagnation.
The illusion of progress
Companies are rebranding layoffs as efficiency, but the reality is more complex. Workers are doing more, not less. Managers are overwhelmed, not empowered. AI is not making things easier—it’s adding to the workload.
The same work is being done by fewer people. That’s not efficiency. That’s overwork. And it’s not sustainable.
Leadership often assumes that AI will solve productivity issues. But the data shows it’s creating new ones. Employees are spending time experimenting, refining, and adapting—work that wasn’t there before.
Without support, recognition, and resources, employees disengage. That’s bad for morale and bad for business. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break.
The illusion of progress is that cutting jobs makes things better. But the truth is, it’s making things harder—for everyone involved.
