The loss of team members, of leaders, and work, the very issue of preparing to be affected by a layoff stinks. It stinks for businesses that care, and the people that cared to make that business. Hard to focus when you don't know exactly WHAT to focus on, to be of the greatest use to the success of the business.
As individual contributors, as managers, and leaders, how do we react to such news? Is there a good way for employees to respond to news of layoff? Human nature being what it is, here are some things we can do to react as professionals in a way that does more damage to ourselves, and our business than help:
- Survival of the Fittest Mode: Show yourself as a raving success, with evidence of others failures to ensure you are not the "cut" percentage.
- Fearful "what if" mode: Look around and try to speculate with the little information you have.
- "Its so bad, our best resource is to panic mode": If you must collect news to assemble how you will survive the scariest of situations, make sure you don't romance in limitation.
- "Put your head down, lock your doors and hide mode:" When fearful thoughts connect, remember it is networking that creates most opportunity, now is not the time to get introspectively alone. Give the love you want to be receiving in this time, it will return to you and those that are likely feeling the need for appreciation in a time of speculation.
Let us keep in mind that there is more productive actions and choices we can make than worry. Let us find the grace to stay connected, keep caring, and keep making a difference.. That is our competitive value whether or not we stay employed together or not. It also is the vehicle that will help us connect to our next opportunity more readily if it is our time to be laid off.
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2 comments:
Dawn, there are certain steps companies that care to can take to do layoffs the right way.
See what I wrote on this a couple of weeks ago at http://humanracehorses.blogspot.com/2008/10/ten-rules-for-doing-layoffs-right.html
We are in the process of losing thousands of jobs in a few months. Sending positive energy to every one who needs it to recover quickly and successfully.
The first time I was at a major facility that had layoffs, they had brought in a grief counselor and an employment agency counselor, who immediately went to work helping these people find new jobs, and 90% of them had new jobs by the next day.
The second time this same facility had layoffs, under a different administrator, they brought a group of people into a room for a meeting, talked about nonsense for 30 minutes, then told them all that their jobs were being eliminated; thank you for coming.
Companies need to think as much about the people who are left as they do about the people they let go under these circumstances. There's nothing to encourage a remaining employee to want to stay, even if they stay under fear.
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