The World According to Cachia

The attention given throughout any Redundancy process is [normally] for those leaving the Organisation, but what of those remaining? Too often it seems that the so-called 'survivors' are overlooked, yet they feel the [personal] pressure from such downsizing, suffice to say that redundancies, if not managed properly, can have a negative effect on the workforce.

Employees wonder if there’s more to come and some will consider leaving before they’re forced out. Those who are left have to cope with the range of emotions and uncertainty that can result from layoffs.

For those remaining there needs to be strategies and measures in place to restore the workplace back to its previous state, or at least a state of optimum productivity and engagement.

There are many different methods for making redundancies, all of which can have different effects on morale... By communicating clearly, explaining motivations and giving as much information about the future as possible you can reduce the effect of layoffs and maintain morale.

Best practice tips:

1. Give as much information as you can
   Layoffs often follow months of executive level discussion and strategizing, but workers don’t see that. By giving as much information about the company’s reasons and goals for the cuts you can help workers see the layoffs as necessary.
   
2. Try to do all the cuts at the same time
   Uncertainty will keep your staff on edge and have the more marketable workers, who are exactly the staff you want to keep, polishing their resumes. If you can assure them that the process is done, they can relax and focus on their jobs, knowing they won’t lose them soon.
   
3. Communication needs to be on-going and consistent
   There’s a big difference between “We’re not considering layoffs.” and “We’re not considering layoffs at this time.” Have one executive do all the communicating to avoid misunderstandings from different wording and ensure that the message is consistent. In these days of instant and frequent communication one announcement is insufficient. Two-way, on-going communication will reassure your staff that you are listening and care.
   
4. If possible, help staff understand how management decided which people to cut
   “Survivor guilt” is common among those left behind so reassure them there’s a reason for every decision. If it seems like cuts were arbitrary or unfair that guilt will be worse, especially as workers may feel significant loyalty to their terminated colleagues.
6. Be good to those who are leaving
   Giving the departing staff a “soft landing” with counselling and severance packages shows the company cares about all its employees. Showing respect and compassion to those being laid off will generate goodwill among those who remain.