When the only thing that “matters” is quarterly performance, leadership starts trimming everything that isn’t a number that moves the stock. Pay. Comfort. Flexibility. Those are the first to go.
Directors and VPs play it safe. They tighten rules not because they believe in them, but because they’re scared to stick their neck out. Fear trickles down faster than trust ever does.
Are you in a position to stick your neck out and to potentially get fired? Yes? Great, go ahead and stick your neck out and get fired. Some people do not have this luxury. This company is not a democracy. They have a goal which no one really knows about and will uproot a lot of lives in pursuit of it. I've seen it first hand with past colleagues. You either ride it out or leave. A lot of my colleagues are taking it quarter by quarter.
Welcome to 1986 when the world changed. Quarterly performance came into being and pension plans disappeared.