Now is not the time ‘to hunker down and hope things pass’

Author(s): Dobson, S.

Date: 2025

Resource: Canadian HR Reporter

Despite the headlines about company layoffs as the US tariffs gain steam, now is not the time for employers to take drastic measures for the short term — because of the long-term consequences, say two Canadian experts.

“It’s possible to overreact to… what’s going on in the market today — we’re definitely into a period of volatility on all fronts,” says academic Catherine Connelly.

“But the response to that is not to increase your company’s volatility by making sweeping changes.”

A lot of companies are in this moment of panic, she says, and wondering what to do.

“There’s a feeling of maybe retrenchment, in terms of ‘Protect what we have try to save as much money as we can.’”

Making big, sweeping decisions can feel like you’re taking action, but sometimes the best action is no action, says Connelly, professor and business research chair in organizational behaviour, in the Human Resources and Management department of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.

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