The Responsible and Sustainable Board

Stressful times force hard choices: A company with declining revenues may curb corporate travel and lay off nonessential employees to ensure it has sufficient capital to remain a going concern.


A “downsized” breadwinner may cancel cable TV and eschew dining out to scrape together enough money for mortgage and medical expenses.


But decisions made under duress are not always the most prudent, and things that may appear expendable during the heat of the moment may actually prove essential upon a more cool-headed examination.


If a slumping company jettisons too much of its workforce, will it be able to capitalize on the next upturn? If a laid-off worker sells his car and cancels his Internet service, how is he going to find his next job?