The hardest part about layoffs isn’t the layoff itself, although that is hard.
The most difficult part about layoffs is making sure your people still believe in the future you’re creating.
So, how do you do that?
It starts well before layoffs ever become a part of the conversation.
It starts with developing a strong culture where the organization and leadership are focused on caring for their people. Not just caring about whether they are happy, but making sure they are where they need to be.
Are they in a position where they can be their best?
Does the work they’re doing give them fulfillment?
Are they producing meaningful results or do they have what they need to achieve those outcomes?
So, building this type of culture is the first thing. The second thing is transparency.
As events are unfolding, we’ve seen it over and over with our clients, leaders who share what’s happening with their team find their people are more engaged and feel truly cared for no matter the outcome.
So be transparent: “It could go this way. It could go that way. We don’t know right now, but we wanted you to be part of the conversation.”
Share with them:
- What’s happening
- What you’re doing to respond
- What you believe about the future you are creating
- The risks
- The concerns
- What you are seeing
Then, invite your team to share what they are seeing. Invite them to help shape the future being built.
In my experience guiding clients through layoffs, when they’ve developed a culture of care and transparency, their people appreciated what the company had done for them and they’ve said, “When this picks up again, call me because I want to work here again.”
Their people knew, despite the layoffs, the leaders had their best interests at heart. They were still part of the future. The layoffs were an interruption, not the end of their story. And they were in it together.
If you’ve been through layoffs, what helped your people continue to believe and get aligned around the new future you were creating?