Dear When I Grow Up,

My company recently went through a sizable layoff. It wasn’t big enough to make national news, but it was something that everyone in the company heard about and is talking about.

No one in my direct team was impacted (the focus was on a specific business unit), but there is definitely a feeling of uneasiness after the announcement. I don’t think there are more layoffs coming, so my team should be ‘okay’ going forward.

How do I address my team’s ongoing concerns and help everyone get back to business as usual?

• Sticky Situation

Hi Sticky. You are absolutely right to be thinking about how you can help your team move forward from a layoff, even if they weren’t directly impacted. The reality is, these events affect everyone in the company, in one way or another.

We can split the organization into three groups

First are the management team and the people ‘in the know’ leading up to the decision. This group goes through weeks or months of conversations and preparation. They are deeply involved in every step of the process.

Second, are the group of people directly impacted by the layoff. These people get the news and have a set of next steps to pursue. This includes tactical things like closing up their work and returning equipment. They also need to figure out what they are going to do next.

The third group is associates that weren’t directly impacted. They hear the news and whatever communication happens within the company. After, they are expected to return to business as usual and/or pick up additional responsibilities.

Change curves differ for each group

Group 1 spends time and emotional energy leading up to announcement day. They have the burden of making decisions and carrying confidential information while going about their regular work. They are the ones to share the news and the rationale with the team. They feel the effects most before the announcement.

Group 2 has a big surge of emotion on announcement day. They have a heap of new information and circumstances to deal with. Hopefully, the company has provided resources to help them sort out what to do next. They might not have a clear path on the big picture things, but the next couple of weeks are fairly straightforward. Close up at work, return equipment, and say goodbye. Polish the resume, contact career services, and figure out health insurance and unemployment. There is a lot of action.

Group 3 starts processing after the announcement. They might have a combination of relief and survivor’s guilt. Their confidence is shaken because they saw talented people lose their jobs.  They have to reckon with the idea that they, too, are just a number on a bottom line.

Those who remain need to rebuild together

Group 1 and group 3 are the ones left after the dust settles. Group 1 probably feels like their work is done after all the announcements have been made and things are out in the open. After all, they did all that preparation getting ready for the day.

However, there is so much work that needs to happen after a layoff to establish the new normal. Group 3 needs support to deal with what happened. Group 1 needs to answer some tough questions, lest the organization fall into a pattern of suspicion and speculation:

that meeting was canceled….what do you think it means?

my boss pushed our 1:1 back, do you think that is a bad sign?

These two groups need to come back together. Especially because Group 1 probably pulled back during the lead-up to the announcement.

It’s natural. You can’t say anything, so you reduce the number of interaction points. It feels terrible to carry the news and look into the faces of the people you will be letting go in a week, so better to just sit in your office or avoid meetings with the broader team. Especially the ones where they would have a chance to ask you unscripted questions.

Leaders need to focus on coming back together

What steps can you take as a leader to get back to an undistracted, un-fearful working environment?

Do:

• You need to be more present. Show your continued commitment to the team.  Provide psychological reassurance with your presence and engagement. Being off ‘in a room’ literally or metaphorically will spook people.

• Talk to the team about what happened and offer a roadmap for the next 4-6 weeks. People will immediately jump to ‘how does this impact me and my day-to-day’ so bring some answers. Talk through how you are going to redistribute work, how you will restructure teams, and if there are any more changes coming.  If you don’t have answers, take the question and get back to people.

• Take a pulse check 1 week, 2 weeks, and 1 month later. Ask what is on people’s minds. See how they are dealing with the change. New issues might pop up; be available to address them and problem-solve with the team.

• Continue to develop your people. You never know what the future holds and you might as well invest resources in upskilling now (vs. after the next round of layoffs). That way, you get the benefit of the new skills on your team today.

• Be thoughtful about hiring post-layoff. It sends the wrong message when you have open reqs and you go through a big layoff. Yes, they might be different role types and yes they might be strategically unique situations. But if your team sees you sending XX good talent out the door and bringing in YY new talent they will question your motives and the underlying message.

Don’t:

• As a leader, you NEVER get to talk about how hard it was for you to go through the layoff process in public. You can talk to your coach or mentor about the toll it takes. Never talk to your team about this.

• Don’t make it just about numbers. Yes, there is usually a financial reason behind these changes. That is not reassuring to the people left behind (because…financial reasons can come up anytime). If there is a bigger strategic problem to solve - share it and invite the team to participate in problem-solving.

• You might be excited about what the change ‘unlocks’ for you and your team. More budget for investment, less pressure to hit numbers, a strategic change you are trying to usher in. But….your team isn’t going to be excited, at least not today. Give them time to adjust before you spring the ‘good news’ of what’s ahead with a lot of enthusiasm.

As a leader in this situation, your need to stay tuned into how your team is processing the change, be honest (as much as you are able to), and pave the way to the new normal.

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