[07 SEP] PAPER CUT - Hard Reset, Soft Demand

Salesforce cuts staff. Amazon tightens rules and chases urgency. Paramount plans five days in the office. The market cools, workers hedge, and AI only pays off when companies change how they work. Paper Cut distils the noise into practical moves for employer-brand leaders.

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📌 Sources & Links

Hard Reset at the Top

Salesforce lays off 4,000 employees; support staff trimmed from 9,000 to about 5,000

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/salesforce-lays-off-4000-employees-ceo-marc-benioff-says-ive-reduced-support-staff-from-9000-heads-to-about-5000-because/articleshow/123631907.cms

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reshapes company culture to restore urgency and discipline

https://www.ainvest.com/news/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-reshapes-company-culture-restore-urgency-discipline-2509/

Amazon’s strict phone policy stirs employee concerns over trust and control

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/culture-reset-turns-personal-amazons-strict-phone-policy-stirs-employee-concerns-over-trust-and-control/articleshow/123709779.cms

Amazon asks staff to report personal use of work phones as cost cutting deepens

https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/amazon-asks-staff-to-report-personal-use-of-work-phones-as-cost-cutting-drive-deepens-80180.htm

Unilever to review its top 200 roles under turnaround strategy

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/unilever-review-top-200-roles-under-turnaround-strategy-2025-09-03/

Office Rules, Talent Gravity

Paramount to mandate five-day return to office from January, internal memo says

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/paramount-mandate-five-day-return-office-starting-january-memo-says-2025-09-04/

Amazon’s strict RTO policy is costing top tech talent

https://africa.businessinsider.com/news/amazons-strict-rto-policy-is-costing-it-top-tech-talent-according-to-internal/syr3et6

Community reaction and internal chatter on Amazon RTO

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45132093

Regional and suburban shared workspaces boost productivity for WFH

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-03/shared-workspaces-regional-suburban-wfh-option-productivity/105680458

Want staff back at their desks? Make the office less boring

https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/want-your-staff-back-at-their-desks-maybe-make-the-office-less-boring-20250901-p5mrfi

Soft Demand, Smaller Bets

US JOLTS: job openings and layoffs

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/economy/us-jolts-job-openings-layoffs-july

“I applied to 5,000 jobs” in a brutal market

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/career-advice/applied-over-5000-jobs-brutal-market/

Feeling stuck in a stagnating job market

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feeling-stuck-stagnating-job-market-120000344.html

The coming white-collar recession

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4817969-the-coming-white-collar-recession

Gen Z career minimalism and the rise of job hugging

https://fortune.com/2025/08/26/gen-z-career-minimalism-side-hustle-management/

Signs of the rising job hugging trend and how to address it

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/08/26/signs-of-the-rising-job-hugging-trend-and-5-ways-to-address-it/

AI Reality, Trust Required

Employees are using AI and companies are not prepared

https://www.fastcompany.com/91394046/employees-are-using-ai-and-companies-arent-prepared

Why AI change management matters more than hype

https://www.inc.com/fast-company-2/ai-change-management-mckinsey-doge/91233676

Academics raise alarm over suspected AI use in a Deloitte report

https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/academics-raise-alarm-over-suspected-ai-use-in-deloitte-report-20250822-p5mp0f

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#EmployerBrand #AIatWork #RTO #OrgDesign #WorkCulture #TalentStrategy