Picture this:
Meet “Edna,” a loyal 58-year-old grandma and secretary who’s been with The Company for 35 years. One Friday afternoon the CEO lays off poor Edna along with maybe 50 others—the stock was bloated, the books were cooked and the execs bounced to France. Left with no pension, no new job skills, and maybe a few months’ cash reserves, Edna snaps. She follows Mr. CEO down to his executive parking spot and bladow! Caves his skull in with a bolt of Xerox paper.
Now tell me, who’d lock Edna up knowing the only reason she did it was because they stole the rest of her life? The day this happens for real and hits the press, it’s open season on crooked execs worldwide. As for Edna, prison or not, she’s getting a parade, a book deal, plus guest spots on The View. (Hey, it could happen. In some hoods when you steal from people, the cops are the least of your worries.)
Again, it’s not the layoffs it’s how and why they’re being done that’s bound to backfire. If your company is struggling and cuts are necessary, I totally understand that and so can most everyone else. But if you’re laying people off to cover greed or stupidity, then I might side with the overworked grunt in the cube that goes upside your head.
But seriously, if you’ve got cuts to make here’s a few tips on severing ties the right way:
Now tell me, who’d lock Edna up knowing the only reason she did it was because they stole the rest of her life? The day this happens for real and hits the press, it’s open season on crooked execs worldwide. As for Edna, prison or not, she’s getting a parade, a book deal, plus guest spots on The View. (Hey, it could happen. In some hoods when you steal from people, the cops are the least of your worries.)
Again, it’s not the layoffs it’s how and why they’re being done that’s bound to backfire. If your company is struggling and cuts are necessary, I totally understand that and so can most everyone else. But if you’re laying people off to cover greed or stupidity, then I might side with the overworked grunt in the cube that goes upside your head.
But seriously, if you’ve got cuts to make here’s a few tips on severing ties the right way:
If employees are expected to give two weeks’ notice before quitting, employers should give two weeks’ (or more) notice when laying them off. There’s no reason you can’t sit an employee down and say, “Look, we have to make some cuts and you’re on the list. But they won’t go into affect for a couple more weeks, so can you stick around and help us out until then?”
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “If we say that, our lame-ducks will put viruses on our computers, call the trades, slack off...” All I can say is if you don’t trust the people you hire to be professionals until the end, you shouldn’t have hired them in the first place. (If you believe your fiancé might kill you in your sleep you don’t jump the broom anyway, do you?)
2. Be Upfront and Honest
Don’t lie about layoffs. Lying only makes it worse. I once knew a guy, “Stan.” His company’s revenues were directly in line with his job. The better the company did, the busier Stan was. Well, during a few months’ stretch, things slowed down. Then they got slower. And slower. Stan got nervous and went to his boss with, “Are we in trouble? Is everything okay?”
His boss, a VP, assured him he had nothing to worry about and things would pick up soon. So Stan went out and bought a car. A few weeks later, Stan got laid off along with 20 others. Turns out, the company was bleeding red ink and the layoffs had been in the works for weeks. Stan was stuck with a fat new car note and no way to pay it. It wasn’t a fancy car, just something to get to and from work. Still, Stan snapped and rightly so, he’d been lied to. They had to bring in extra security just to deal with him.
They also axed “Ted,” a graphic designer who had a similar deal going: Also working under the assumption his job was safe, Ted went and bought a house for his wife and newborn daughter. Locked up all his money in escrow and everything. Ted got canned about a month after he moved in. (Try paying house notes on SSI.)
So if you know for sure that you have to lay people off, warn them. Tell the truth. Tell folks that cuts may be coming so they can prepare, too. The only thing worse than losing your job is being lied to about it. That’s when people snap.
3. Fire some Coaches.
Of all the layoffs I’ve witnessed and been told about—less than a handful ever involved execs. It’s the equivalent of cutting all your players after a bad season but keeping the coaching staff and front office in tact.
If things have gone so bad that you need to lay off 20 folks in a department, maybe it’s not the 20 that need to go but the one or two bosses that helped run things into the ground. Look, if a company is struggling, why layoff 10 fish at $30k per when that whale in the corner-office raking in $250k a year isn’t helping either? Just as we need fair and balanced hiring, we need fair and balanced firing.
Ask yourself: How hard will any employee work knowing they’ll always be the first to go no matter what? And when your company recovers, what professional will come work for you once they find out that this is you how do business? So let’s have some parity. When the time comes, cut some execs.
4. Post-layoff Support
Where’s the luv once you’re gone? When you’re done with a hooker of a stripper, at least she gets a kiss if she wants one. But what do we give the people we lay off, besides a couple weeks’ severance? Not much else. I say if you’re laying folks off and it’s truly not their fault, give support. Make a phone call to see how they’re doing. If I give 10 or 15 years to a place, can’t I get a follow-up call?
I say help the fresh cuts out. Let them use company facilities so they can revise and update their resumes. Or letters of recommendations or job leads. If you can’t directly help them move on, at least cheer them on. Just as you don’t burn bridges as an employee, you shouldn’t do it as an employer.
