Cracking down on “low performers” in the workplace will backfire. Numerous companies, from Meta to Microsoft, have been sending a message to their staff: raise your performance or get laid off. While it sounds like CEOs are just promoting meritocracy, the use of “te---r as a motivation” almost never works. For one thing, it “comes at the expense of quality” as workers rush to avoid the axe. “What’s more, work in the performance pressure cooker becomes less innovative” because insecure workers are less willing to take chances. In addition, “making employees fear for their job security” causes them to flee, and it tends to be the higher performers - the ones with the most options, that head out first.
https://www.businessinsider.com/low-performer-layoffs-firings-elon-musk-mark-zuckerberg-management-tech-2025-3