The “first of many” associate all-hands left a bad taste in my mouth, for more reasons than I can fully articulate. The shift to the Harbor Point studio was the first jarring departure from the cozy, informal town halls we had grown used to before this latest regime change. The broadcast felt more like a morning news segment than a company conversation - cold, staged, and impersonal. One thing was abundantly clear: the C-suite is not part of “us.” They operate separately, and we’re meant to feel that distance.
What followed were prewritten speeches, read from teleprompters, filled with buzzwords but lacking substance. The central message seemed to be that TRP is poised to capitalize on the next economic opportunity - but what that opportunity actually is remains unclear. And apparently, we’re not meant to ask. If the goal was to model an “AI-first” approach by delivering generated, impersonal messaging, then mission accomplished.
The most disheartening realization, however, was the unmistakable confirmation that the legacy TRP “people-first” culture is gone. I’ve watched this erosion over the past decade, but never has leadership been so transparent in its lack of consideration for employees and clients alike.
We sat through an hour of “new strategy” with barely any discussion about improving outcomes for clients or associates. The AI-focused approach, poorly thought through, centers on doing the same work with fewer people, relying on efficiency gains that feel more aspirational than realistic. Questions raised in Meeting Pulse about costs, risks, and whether our existing infrastructure can even support this strategy were noticeably ignored.
Most striking, though, were the repeated references to our “thriving culture.” The disconnect was hard to miss. The culture is speaking loudly - through Meeting Pulse, through forums like The Layoff - and the message is clear: employees are struggling. We’re dealing with internal friction, outdated technology, and a lack of focus after years of layoffs and reorganizations. Incentives to perform have eroded.
Compensation cycles have been consistently disappointing, with market conditions and outflows cited as justification, even as executive compensation continues to rise. Investments are being funneled into a new headquarters and high-profile marketing partnerships, while associates are quietly laid off and replaced with offshore labor. This isn’t “doing more with less” it’s being asked to do less, with less, and somehow maintain the same standards of quality.
At this point, our ability to deliver meaningful work is being undermined, and the prevailing message from leadership seems to be that we should feel fortunate just to be employed.
Today’s all-hands felt disingenuous and, at times, insulting. But more importantly, it made one thing clear: what leadership values is not aligned with the people doing the work. The culture is speaking, but it stands in direct opposition to the narrative coming from the TRP ivory tower.