When Designers start to feel replaceable
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.
The comment wasn’t malicious; it was shorthand. But it reflected something I’ve seen more than once: in certain environments, Design teams can start to feel interchangeable, easy to scale up when priorities shift, just as easy to cut when they change again.
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 replaceable, they tend to 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 understandable, but still hard to accept. To leadership, it might feel pragmatic. To the people living it, it feels like whiplash.
This reflex often leads to caution rather than creativity and innovation. 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, financial health matters. But the value of a company also comes from its people: their creativity, collaboration, and ability to solve complex problems together. When organizations invest in their teams as true partners, they strengthen the foundation that makes long-term success possible.
What leaders can do differently
If you lead designers, start with care. Listen to them, coach them, and build real trust. Take time to understand what they value, what motivates them, and where they want to grow.
Stability also matters. Designers do their best work when they have context, support, and a sense of continuity. When people feel grounded, they can take creative risks and push the work further.
Invite designers into the conversation early. Let them help shape the problem, not just deliver solutions. That sense of partnership makes teams stronger and the work more meaningful.
At large organizations, this is not always easy. Budgets change, teams reorganize, and everyone is under pressure to move fast. But culture does not live only at the top. It lives in the small teams, in day-to-day collaboration, in how people show up for each other. Even within complex systems, it is possible to create a space where people feel supported, trusted, and proud of what they make together.
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.
When people feel genuinely valued, they give back many times over: in better products, stronger experiences, and cultures that last.
This essay isn’t about any one company. It’s a reflection on patterns I’ve seen across the industry and what leaders can do to create more stable and innovative environments.