Navigating Staff Reduction with Empathy

So, Your Company is looking at a Staff Reduction

No matter what you call it – Layoff. Staff reduction in force. Termination. Separation. Dismissal. Redundancy. Reorganization, no HR professional enjoys the process of letting people go from the organization. Most simply hope it will go smoothly and that the affected employees will find a new job and land back on their feet quickly.

Unfortunately,  organizations do not always provide transitioned employees with much more than a pat on the back and a box to pack their belongings. Others might want to do more but do not know what is best, or what departing employees might need or want the most.

A survey of HR professionals we talk to— all of whom have gone through the process of laying off employees themselves — share how they would best manage terminating employees while maintaining the company’s reputation and relationships. What we found is that they all figured out a common way to help get separated employees back on the right foot again. It is a win-win proposition that leaves a positive impression on the departing employee’s mind while protecting the employer’s brand.

Building Lasting Relationships: Transitioning with Dignity

A seasoned HR professional understands that former employees can be terrific brand ambassadors. When employees leave an organization, it is not the end of the relationship. It is the beginning of a new one. That is why companies do informal celebrations when someone voluntarily leaves, such as taking the departing employee out to lunch or buying them a gift. It is also why businesses conduct exit interviews, to give the departing employees an opportunity to share their employment experience. Even though the person will not work there anymore, the company still values their perspective and the ongoing relationship.

Involuntary Separation: Taking Responsibility and Providing Support

If the reduction is an involuntary separation, the circumstances are a bit different. When an employee leaves because of a layoff or because things are not working out, smart companies realize that they must take some responsibility for the situation. The employee did not cause the layoff. It is possible the employee was a poor fit and should never have been hired in the first place. Or maybe the employee didn’t receive the necessary support and resources to be successful. Regardless of the reason, the goal in severing the working relationship is not to embarrass the employee. It is to allow the employee and the company to end their working relationship with dignity and mutual respect.

Investing in Employee Futures

Long-range thinking organizations offer employees who are being involuntarily separated from the company outplacement services to help them find their next opportunity.

Career Transition Assistance supports participants in assessing opportunities and successfully redeploying expertise and skills to achieve their career goals as quickly as possible through career assessment, defining career direction, developing, and implementing a personal marketing plan, enhancing interview skills, resume preparation, and negotiating the job offer and compensation package.

Coaching of impacted individuals is enriched when managed by certified career coaches including jobs skills development. The individuals will develop a competitive advantage in their new job search and in most cases a quicker, more successful landing in their next career.

Empowering Career Transitions: Key Components of Support

CAREER ASSESSMENT: Participants learn to identify their work and stress styles, ideal work environment and job strengths to determine their “best fit” career objective. Studies assessment results and how interests and behaviors help identify ideal work environments and responsibilities.

STEPS TO A GREAT RESUME: Challenging each participant to develop a more polished and powerful first impression on paper. Customizing each resume to the position develops a strong marketing piece of the participants learning and contributions along with their work history. It builds confidence in preparing a more effective verbal presentation.

INTERVIEW AND NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES:  Highly interactive sessions where participants review current interviews and question formats which prevail in today’s employment marketplace. Concentrates on expectations, answering questions, effective negotiating strategies and techniques to achieve a mutually beneficial package with a potential employer.

JOB SEARCH TECHNOLOGY:  Modern job search is concentrated on several fronts, leveraging customized career portals and social networking sites is critical in today’s environment. Understand the nuances of an effective LinkedIn profile and how to leverage connections into job prospects.

If you are impacted by a reduction, ask you company to provide career transition assistance if they can. You will gain an advantage in your job search and become a brand ambassador for your previous employer.