Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is laying off a portion of its global workforce.

“We can confirm that some employees have been notified (yesterday) of a reduction in force that is impacting our global workforce,” a company spokesperson told BizTimes Tuesday morning.

The company declined to comment further on the local impact and scale of the layoff initiative.

The news comes a month after Harley-Davidson’s chief executive officer Arthur “Artie” Starrs told analysts during a February earnings call that the company is focused on rebuilding company culture at its corporate headquarters. A December 2025 initiative included a return to office mandate for corporate office employees working at the Juneau Avenue headquarters complex on Milwaukee’s west side.

By “going back to the bricks” at Harley-Davidson’s headquarters, Starrs said the company will improve its decision-making, collaboration and accountability across departments, BizTimes reported in February.

For 2025, Harley-Davidson Motor Company reported a 12% decrease in global retail motorcycle sales (to 132,535 units), with motorcycle shipments down 16%. It saw an operating loss of $29 million in 2025, plus a $67 million loss in 2025 due to tariffs.

For the full year 2026, Harley-Davidson anticipates global motorcycle retail sales of between 130,000 and 135,000 units and operating income of between a $40 million loss to a $10 million profit.