and they don’t reach for the layoff lever every time there is a problem with profits.
Agreed! (Some businesses pay out a large part of revenues in wages. The more labor costs in a biz, the quicker that probably has to be trimmed or cut when cuts become necessary due to lower revs or higher taxes/other costs. But yes, look to see if revs can be boosted first or if there are other expenses that can be reduced. )