It’s All in the Execution
We have all read about the many companies over the last 18 months that have downsized or closed their doors. They all had to make very difficult decisions to layoff some of their finest employees. The topic even hit the red carpet this year with George Clooney staring in Up in the Air. Now I have never been asked to “fire” anyone’s employees like George had to in the movie, however I have been there to listen to what the employees’ feelings were about their previous employers and how they “executed” their layoff strategy.
When a company is going through a layoff they have a lot of options as to how they are going “execute” their layoff strategy and when it comes to granting outplacement services timing is everything. Outplacement services are benefits offered to an employee who is being laid off. These services are delivered by a specialized firm that the company laying off hires on behalf of their soon to be or laid off employees. Outplacement services can range from employee counseling and career guidance to resume writing, job placement help, job fair events and more.
It’s important to remember that what a company and its employees will get from an outplacement company is only going to equal the effort they put into the process. That means the services available and the ability to use them will only be perceived as good as the method and time in which they are presented to employees in a transition. Remember…It’s all in the execution!
That being said, the execution of the services is the most important aspect of any company’s outplacement efforts. This is because employees need to have ample time to adjust to the idea of losing their jobs and using the help available to them.
Example: Company A, let its employees know that their jobs would be eliminated about 45 days in advance. That’s great! (given the circumstances) However, outplacement services or any other services or resources, weren’t offered to the company’s employees until their final days before their jobs were to be cut.
That sort of lack of communication left the employees feeling bitter and jaded. At this point, employees reluctantly take advantage of the services they’re offered, but don’t use them to their full advantage, instead of having the opportunity to be completely open to them.
“Why couldn’t we have been given this information a month ago when we found out we were losing out jobs?” asked one employee from Company A. “Maybe then I would have been closer to finding a job before this one was eliminated.”
What could we learn from this? If you are giving your exiting
employees access to any type of resources, including outplacement services, let them know right away. Even if the employees aren’t scheduled to leave the company for a month or two, they will be more likely to work harder at their jobs and become engaged in the process if you make the services and resources available to them up front. Some people argue that could be distracting for the employees; however I would argue that it is more distracting to have your employees worrying about how they are going to find their next job all by themselves. Of course, some companies have no choice but to wait until the last minute to notify employees they will lose their jobs. In that case, you should still give them any outplacement information you have available as soon as possible.
Make sure your employee has access to the contact information for the outplacement company or have a representative who will be available for the employees to talk to. Sometimes your employees will feel better just by having a 3rd party to talk to.
Finally, make sure the company providing you with the outplacement services has the contact information for each employee being affected by the layoff, that way they can be sure to follow up with the displaced employees and make sure their transition is going smoothly.
If you are having to layoff and lose some of your most valued employees remember that the most important thing to think about is your plan and how you are going execute….not the employees, but the exit strategy.
