When designers become disposable
A perspective on short-term efficiency vs. long-term health, and the simple truth that a company’s greatest asset is still its people.
A few years ago, I sat in a meeting where a designer was described simply as “headcount.” Not by name. Not by their contribution. Just a number on a spreadsheet.
I don’t think the person who said it intended harm, it was just shorthand. But it revealed something I’ve seen many times since: in some organizations, designers (and often whole teams) are treated as interchangeable. Easy to add when the business needs extra hands, just as easy to cut when the winds shift.
On paper, this might look efficient. In practice, it’s a short-sighted way to run a business.
The human side of design
Design is not plug-and-play. Great work takes context, trust, and time spent with cross-functional partners. A designer who has lived with a product through months of research, iterations, and customer conversations carries judgment and insight that can’t simply be swapped out.
When people feel disposable, they stop leaning in. They stop taking creative risks, they stop fighting for customers, and eventually, they stop believing their best work is wanted. That loss doesn’t show up in a quarterly report, but it seeps into culture, morale, and ultimately into the product itself.
The hire-and-fire reflex
I’ve watched companies staff up quickly when a new initiative launches or when emergencies happen (Covid, anyone?), then just as quickly cut those same people when budgets tighten or priorities shift. Sometimes the reasons are debatable. To leadership, it might feel pragmatic. To the people living it, it feels like whiplash.
This reflex creates a culture of caution. If your team believes they’re valued only when convenient, they’ll hold back. They’ll protect themselves. And you don’t get bold, inspired design from people who are worried about being next on the list.
More than shareholder value
Of course, businesses need to be financially healthy. But shareholder value is not the only value that counts. A company’s true strength is its people: their creativity, their relationships, their ability to solve complex problems together. When you treat employees as costs to manage instead of partners to invest in, you weaken that foundation.
What leaders can do differently
If you manage designers, remember: leadership is not just about allocating resources. It’s about people.
Develop your soft skills. Active listening, coaching, and empathy are not “nice to have”, they’re what build trust.
Show that you care. Take the time to understand what your designers value, what motivates them, and where and if they want to grow.
Invest in continuity. Give designers the stability and context they need to bring their best ideas forward.
Treat them as partners. Invite designers into defining the problem, not just executing solutions.
At large organizations, this is obviously much more complicated. Budgets shift, reorganizations happen, and leaders are under pressure to move quickly. But culture doesn’t only live in the C-suite, it lives in teams, in pods, in the everyday moments of collaboration. Even inside massive structures, small groups can build a warm, supportive environment where people feel valued and empowered to do their best work.
A more sustainable path
Every company will face tough moments and hard choices. But treating designers as disposable isn’t a strategy, it’s a shortcut that erodes trust, weakens culture, and ultimately costs more than it saves.
The organizations that thrive will be the ones that recognize a simple truth: a company is its people. Real investment means giving them context, stability, and care, not just rolling out slogans like “we’re a family” while acting otherwise.
When people feel genuinely valued, they give back many times over, not only in shareholder returns, but in the quality of products, the strength of experiences, and the culture that makes it all sustainable.