How to Maintain Employee Morale During Layoff
When the economy takes a downturn it is sometimes necessary to layoff employees, including mass layoffs. During layoffs, remaining employees might become nervous and worried about their future with the company. It is therefore necessary to maintain employee morale during these turbulent times.
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Instructions
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Conduct the layoff carefully. If you hand employees their pink slip and disrespectfully or abruptly show them the door, this can be upsetting for the remaining workers. They will wonder if this is how they will be treated should their separation come. Maintain departing employees' dignity when handling separations by informing them in private. Allow them to say goodbye to their co-workers. If possible, assist them with outplacement services, and refrain from escorting them off the property as though they are criminals, unless it is truly necessary.
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Communicate to the remaining employees what is expected of them. Those staying with the company might wonder who will be responsible for doing the departed employees' work. Downsizing might result in a restructuring of the company and the assignment of new duties to remaining employees. To reduce uncertainty, communicate your expectations to employees before the downsizing occurs.
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Recognize that remaining workers might have different feelings. While some employees might be grateful they were not let go and work even harder to keep their job, others might feel guilt over being spared. Some might feel angry that their co-workers were discharged and that they are now expected to do additional work with no extra pay. It is critical that management know that these emotions are normal during layoffs. Management should have an open door policy, which allows employees to voice their concerns rather than bottling it up inside.
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Provide incentives. If the company used to give employees monetary rewards or throw big award ceremonies to show their appreciation, downsizing might curb these activities. However, remaining employees still need to know their hard work is appreciated or they might start looking elsewhere for employment. Recognize your employees by verbally praising them or regularly sending thank-you emails. Further, rather than giving cash, consider giving time off, such as a designated day of the week when a deserving employee gets to leave early.
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Continue with training and education. Although you might no longer be able to pay certain specialists to come in and train your employees, workers still need training to perform their duties competently. If the training concerns a topic that corporate leaders within the firm are knowledgeable about, have them conduct the training.
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References
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