Employees need to be able to express their feelings - their concerns about the people who have been laid off, their concerns about their jobs and their concerns about the company’s future.
"The number one way to prevent guilt is [through solid] communication," Jason P. Zickerman, president of The Alternative Board, a Denver-based executive-consulting firm, told BusinessWeek.
Leadership IQ’s Murphy counsels managers that how a layoff is conducted is important, but the aftermath needs even-more-careful management.
"Managers need to be highly visible to their staff, approachable even when they don’t have anything new to say, and candid about the state of things in order to build their trust and credibility," he says. "If your company has to conduct a layoff, it is imperative that you train your managers how to both manage that process and deal with the highly debilitating aftermath. Otherwise, you will waste any potential cost savings from the layoff on lost productivity, quality problems, and service breakdowns."
The discussion of the state of the business should include context about how that company’s overall industry or sector is doing, says Janet C. Barnard, a management consultant and former associate professor of management at the Rochester Institute of Technology College of Business.
Going forward, part of that communication has to include detailed discussion of goals and expectations - for the individual workers, for the entire department and for the company, Barnard says.
"Goals are very important, particularly in a period of uncertainty," like the one U.S. workers face right now, Barnard says.
Goals give workers more of a feeling of control, allowing them to feel as if they have a role or say in their own destiny. That’s crucial, because as the feeling of control increases, it reduces the feelings of powerlessness, fear and uncertainty, Barnard says.
Goals should be specific, measurable and attainable. And there should be periodic reviews, with feedback, so that the workers understand how they are doing, she says. Those reviews should be "information rich," meaning there should be context about how the company is doing overall - particularly if these efforts are propelling the department, or even the entire company, forward.
"If you give employees a feeling of some power [over their future], they feel less fearful," which makes them much more productive, Barnard says.
When facing a jobless recovery, these can add up to a winning formula for you as a manager, and for your company.
(By Dave Field)
[Editor's Note: The first in an occasional series that looks at unique strategies for navigating the jobless recovery.]
