New Ebook Reveals Why Most Companies Are Failing the Employees Who Stay After Restructuring
David Grossman and The Grossman Group release a practical leadership playbook for earning trust, reducing survivor attrition, and leading through AI-driven workforce disruption
CHICAGO, June 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Grossman Group announced today the launch of a new ebook by founder and CEO David Grossman, “What Employees Actually Need from Leaders During Restructuring: Why Most Companies Are Failing the People Who Stay, and How to Get It Right.”
Created for leaders navigating today’s AI-driven economy, the ebook offers a practical leadership playbook for one of the most difficult and consequential moments organizations face: restructuring. As companies make workforce decisions amid economic volatility, AI disruption, and rising employee skepticism, Grossman argues that most organizations focus on the wrong audience.
“Most restructurings fail after the announcement,” Grossman said. “They fail when the people who stay are deciding whether they still trust leadership, whether they see a future for themselves, and whether they want to keep showing up.”
The ebook draws on The Grossman Group’s client experience, along with current examples and original research conducted with The Harris Poll. The findings point to a significant leadership gap: even among employees who rate their leaders as “good,” only 16% say what’s important to them is valued by their leader, 19% feel heard by leadership, and 14% say they are reaching their full potential.
According to Grossman, those gaps become even more consequential during restructurings, when employees look to leadership for guidance. Employees need to feel seen as whole people, know it is safe to be honest, understand the reasoning behind decisions, and see themselves as part of the organization’s future vision.
What Employees Actually Need from Leaders During Restructuring introduces several practical tools for senior leadership, including:
- The two-audience framework, which distinguishes between the first audience of investors, analysts, financial press, boards, and affected employees, and the often-overlooked second audience of legacy employees, candidates, customers and partners.
- The four questions employees carry into every restructuring conversation.
- Six differentiators of exceptional leaders during uncertainty.
- A three-phase restructuring playbook for what leaders should do before, during, and after an announcement.
- A 90-day conversation calendar to help managers connect with employees who remain.
- Role-specific guidance for boards, CEOs, CHROs, CCOs, leaders, and managers.
The guide also addresses the growing trend of AI as a justification for workforce reductions and warns against “cover story” language that employees can quickly see through. Grossman emphasizes that leaders must be able to explain not only what AI will do for the business, but where employees will fit in the organization’s future.
“The future-fit question becomes the trust question,” Grossman said. “The leaders who can clearly explain future roles and opportunities will hold trust through this period. The ones who cannot risk losing the people they need most.”
The ebook is available now from The Grossman Group at https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/free-ebook-what-employees-actually-need-from-leaders-during-restructuring.
About the Grossman Group
The Grossman Group is an award-winning internal and change communications consultancy based in Chicago that works with Fortune 500 companies to drive strategic leadership and organizational change initiatives, particularly during periods of uncertainty. The firm helps align business and communication strategy, strengthen workplace culture, improve employee engagement and performance, and deliver stronger business results. A certified diversity supplier, it partners with C-suite leaders and internal communications teams at companies including Abbott, Amsted, DHL, General Mills, Grubhub, Kimberly-Clark, Lockheed Martin, Novartis, and Stanley Black & Decker, among others.
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Michael Tilus Broadsheet Communications for The Grossman Group michael@broadsheetcomms.com
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