In late January I wrote two blog entries concerning the bleak job market. The day was January 26, 2009, and over 70,000 people lost their jobs at the drop of a hat. It was aptly named “Bloody Monday.” Today, the Department of Labor announced a total of 631,000 people filed new claims for jobless benefits in the week ended May 16. Amazingly, this actually represents a slight decrease of 12,000 from an upwardly revised 643,000 in the previous week. That is a scary proposition.
Needless to say, countless companies are dealing with staff reductions in an effort to keep their doors open. Those employees who survive the layoff are often apprehensive and nervous about their own job security. The survivors become consumed by fear, anger and stress. Job performance and career goals go by the wayside. Conversely, management may believe that the surviving employees will be so grateful that they still have a job that production will actually increase. So, what is a Company to do? How can Management bridge this gap of such divergent feelings and emotions?
A little over a month ago, Elizabeth Garone of the Wall Street Journal published an article setting forth five steps Management can take to help alleviate the feelings referenced above and boost the morale of the surviving employees.
(1) Find Alternative Incentives – Obviously cash incentives are in all likelihood no longer an option for those employees meeting or exceeding performance goals. For instance, one Company created “Winter Fridays,” in which the award was for someone to leave early each Friday.
(2) Transparency Is Key – Hold open forum meetings with your staff to discuss why the layoffs occurred and what the Company is doing to get back on track. Again, employees want to know what is happening with the Company. This goes a long keeping and/or regaining the trust of your employees. Management needs to be seen and heard.
(3) Recognition Counts – Everyone wants to be patted on the back for a job well done. It’s human nature. Recognize people when they succeed. Again, don’t just make it known to that individual. Make it known to the entire workforce that so and so is doing a great job and the Company recognizes and appreciates his/her efforts. This lets the entire workforce know that the Company recognizes and values a job well done.
(4) Keep Educating – Obviously, the current economic situation requires that budgets be cut, and continuing education is not immune to those cuts. Consider alternatives such as internal training, cross-business assignments or projects and on the job training/coaching. For instance, one Company implemented bi-monthly training sessions over lunch.
(5) Promote a Good Work/Life Balance – It stands to reason that after a layoff there are less people to do more work. Be mindful that the stress the employees are feeling over the layoffs and increased work load can easily create problems at home. However, understand that the employee also has a “job” at home which may cause him/her to take time out of their day to address personal issues. Your thoughtfulness/understanding during these trying times can go a long way in gaining the respect and admiration of your employees. People who respect you will work hard for you.
