If Your Plan Is “Wait and See”… You Don’t Have a Plan

It’s April 21, 2025.

If you work in GovCon—or in a federal agency—you’ve either delivered a layoff notice, witnessed your organization walk your colleagues out the door, or you’ve been the one packing up your desk. The room is quieter. The Slack channels are slower. The tension? Palpable.

And yet, despite the slow-moving storm and the very obvious thundercloud overhead, many organizations are still clinging to the same approach:

“Let’s wait and see.”

Let me be crystal clear: “Wait and see” is not a strategy. It’s a stall tactic. It’s indecision disguised as risk management. And whether you want to believe it or not, damage has already been done.

💼 To Employers: Indecision Is a Decision

I get it. You’re reluctant to hit the panic button. You don’t want to appear out of control. You’ve convinced yourself that if you maintain a calm and stoic demeanor, the people that look to you for the answers will believe that you actually have them. But silence doesn’t feel strategic to your employees—it feels negligent. It’s a reckless gamble with the livelihood of the people that make your business, well…a business. 

Every day you “wait,” trust erodes.

Every Slack message left on read? A data point.

Every skipped town hall? A signal.

Every ghosted question about job security? Confirmation.

What happens next?

• Morale tanks

• Productivity slows

• Your best talent leaves before the axe even falls

You don’t see it now, but future you will pay for it—in turnover costs, broken internal systems, and a hell of a lot of resentment.

So What Should You Do Instead?

• Communicate. Even if it’s “we don’t know yet, but here’s how we’re thinking through it.”

• Scenario plan. Your staff should know what to expect if Contract A gets cut or if a recompete fails.

• Name your priorities. What will you fight to protect? What is up for re-evaluation? Be honest.

• Treat people like adults. They can handle the truth. They can’t thrive in limbo. 

Because here’s the thing:

The longer you “wait,” the longer—and more strenuous—the recovery.

🧠 To Employees: Don’t Just Sit There—Secure the Bag

If you’re an employee watching the walls close in and your leadership’s only response is “we’ll keep you posted”… it’s time to take the reins.

Here’s what you can do right now to stay ahead of the chaos:

📋 Update EV👏ER👏Y👏THING👏

Resume. LinkedIn. Clearance info. Certs. All of it. And if you’re not applying yet, start now. If your organization hasn’t even addressed the very obvious agency, budget, and contract cuts, chances are they’re not going to grow a conscience and give you any sort of forewarning when it comes time for mass layoffs. 

🧐 Ask better questions.

Don’t just ask, “Are layoffs coming?” Ask:

• “What’s the 30/60/90-day funding picture?”

• “How are we prioritizing employee retention?”

• “If cuts happen, what support will be in place for transitioning staff?”

The goal? Make leadership think. Make them plan. Or at the very least, make it clear that you are.

✈️ Build your exit ramp.

Not every fallback has to be a full-time gig. If you're laid off, you don’t need to spiral—you need to shift.

Here are just a few side hustles/freelance gigs that match GovCon skill sets:

Your Skill	Side Hustle
Proposal Writing	Resume writing, Upwork gigs, ghostwriting
Program/Project Mgmt	Freelance PM for nonprofits, startups
HR/Recruiting	LinkedIn profile audits, sourcing contractor support
Admin Support	Virtual assistant work, scheduling, inbox management
Graphic Design	Canva templates, pitch decks, freelance branding
Procurement/Compliance	Fractional CO/CS support for 8(a)s & small firms

You were hired for a reason. You have value. And in this market,

you don’t need permission to pivot.

🧯 The Punchline

"Wait and see" is not a neutral choice—it’s a reckless gamble

On your reputation.

On your future.

On the livelihood of the people that make your business successful.

Whether you’re leading a team or securing your own future, don’t wait for the next pink slip or missed invoice to be your wake-up call.

Make the plan. Ask the question. Make the move.

Because in this economy, doing nothing is the biggest risk of all.