There's two ways you can announce a big corporate change: 1. A fully formed announcement, where everyone learns their fate on day 1. People will complain that

There's two ways you can announce a big corporate change: 1. A fully formed announcement, where everyone learns their fate on day 1. People will complain that it came out of nowhere, they weren't consulted, and that skulking managers sharpened their knives in secret. 2. A gradual announcement, where everybody knows well before the big announcement that something is coming. People will complain about uncertainty and sleepless nights spent fearing for their jobs. (Neither option is complaint-free, because there's no way of firing 18% of your workforce without putting people in the mood to complain)