Within today’s challenging business environment, workforce reductions have rippled through industries and sectors, changing the way teams, departments, and even entire organizations work. As the focus of layoffs is typically on employees leaving, it’s not always acknowledged or understood how remaining employees are impacted. This new report, Kahoot!’s 2025 Layoff Survivor Survey, dives deeper into this question, highlighting the challenges employees face after a company layoff and what they need to help them shift from surviving to thriving at work. 

Based on a survey of over 1,000 US employees who experienced a company layoff within the last three years, this new report underscores a key missing piece in post-layoff workforce strategy: employee training and development for workers who stay. 

Explore some of the survey’s most surprising insights below, or unlock the full report for free to discover all the survey’s findings and get tips to support your organization’s workforce. 

Remaining employees call for “re-onboarding”

When workforces lose talent, employees who stay will often be assigned new responsibilities to cover for their former co-workers—in many cases, permanently expanding their job role. However, according to the survey, only 27% of employees are being provided with formal training or support resources for these new tasks. Seventy percent of respondents said that a structured re-onboarding program—introducing employees to their updated role and responsibilities, and equipping them with the necessary training—would have made the post-layoff transition easier.

Lack of training leads to costly mistakes and missed opportunities

Not only is the lack of re-onboarding creating more stress for remaining employees; it’s also leading to missteps and missed opportunities that could potentially hurt business performance. Among employees surveyed, 65% said they made a costly mistake or felt unprepared or hesitant to act at work due to a lack of training after layoffs. This is even higher among Gen Z workers at 77%, underscoring how young employees could be particularly affected by the training deficit. 

Training is a make-or-break issue for retention and engagement

When people lose confidence in their ability to do their job well—due to lack of skills or knowledge, unclear expectations, etc.—they may start looking for a different job where they can be successful. Forty-five percent of survey respondents said they would likely leave within the next year if their company doesn’t provide the training they need. Another 31% said they would stay, but feel less committed to the company. These numbers highlight the serious implications a lack of training post-layoff can have on a company’s ability to retain and engage top talent.

Start empowering employee success at your organization through engaging training and more with Kahoot! 360!

Get access to the Kahoot! 2025 Layoff Survivor Survey for free today.