How to Talk to Employees about Cutbacks

Handling company cutbacks requires diplomacy, a vision of the company’s future and empathy of the staff. How to deal with the employees that have been laid off and those who have been kept in place will require the attention for the days that follow once the announcement has been made. It is important that the announcement is made soon when the cutbacks become a necessity. The employees that will be affected need to be informed first in private and given a review of the benefits or the severance package that they will be getting.

The best time to announce the cutbacks to the rest of the employees is at the end of the day so that they do not get distracted. A decision has to be made whether the employees that are being laid off will be allowed to work to a given date or will have to go soon after the official announcement. There are a few things that one will need to keep in mind when talking to the employees about cut backs:

·         The communication needs to be honest

·         It should be clear that you are concerned about them despite the cutbacks

·         Ensure that you do not promise them things you will not be able to fulfill

·         Do all you can to help those that have been laid off to get back on their feet

After the announcement, take some time to let the employees take in all that you have told them and observe their reactions. Be prepared to respond to these reactions and varied emotions. There are those who will be quite angry and it is good not to be defensive but to handle them in a diplomatic way. Have tissues for those who will cry and be able to handle the anxious ones.

Have the appropriate paperwork ready for them to sign that include details explaining their compensation for unemployment, retirement plans, health insurance and final paychecks. Inform the employee that has been laid off how to access the benefits that they are entitled to. In addition, give them information about private job hunting resources and local government where they can look for jobs.

A Human Resources degree is important for understanding how to handle this situation with dignity. These staff cutbacks have to be addressed with the remaining employees too and this takes a slightly different approach and skill. A line of communication needs to be kept open so as to handle rumors that may be circulating about the changes that are happening in the company. The employees will also be concerned about the extra work that they will possibly have to do. The cutbacks should be the stepping stone of evaluating and streamlining the processes and systems that are in place.

Emphasize the importance of broadening their knowledge with the new work load and the expectations also need to be realistic. If overworked, they will have issues prioritizing and meeting the deadlines that have been set. Keeping a positive attitude could be hard after the cutback announcement as the staff expects you to set the tone. Being angry or frustrated in front of them will just make things worse. Search for opportunities that will boost their morale and reward them for the good work they have done.

 Image credit: www.sharpcareer.blogspot.com

You’ve Been Promoted to Manager – Now What?

Congratulations on your promotion! We’re sure you deserve it and are completely ready to make the move from worker to manager. What’s that you say? You’re having a panic attack? Your former friends are now under you and you’re not sure who to go to lunch with? Relax! We have you covered.

Here are five quick tips to make the transition from worker to manager a little less stressful:

1.       Read.

Head to the library and check out one of these great books about management or browse on over to this blog post listing the Top 10 Posts of 2012 about Leadership, Communication and Career. You may be new to the role but it’s good to know what the experts think and to hit the ground running. Also, sign up for your industry’s trade publications if you don’t already.

2.       Meet people.

Introduce yourself to heads of departments you’ll be collaborating with now and don’t be afraid go get better acquainted with your team. Get to know the strengths of every person on your team and show respect for their abilities.

3.       Network.

This may sound like “meeting people” but in this case it means to get to know people outside of your company that work within your industry or are one of your vendors. You never know how an outsider’s point of view may help you figure out a problem and it’s always nice to be the person that “has a guy” for everything.

4.       Educate Yourself.

This one involves reading but it’s more specialized to your industry or position. What we mean by educate yourself is that you should always keep your mind sharp and ahead of the trends. For you, that could mean going to a local industry event or seminar every month (great networking opportunities as well) or finally finishing up your masters in organizational leadership online. Whichever is right for you, your schedule and your finances as long as you’re learning and growing your career opportunities will as well.

5.       Be Polite.

Being promoted from within may mean that you’re now be the manager of someone you beat out for the job. This shouldn’t make things awkward for either of you or for your team. If it is, kindly invite the other employee(s) into your office and have an honest chat. Let him/her know that you respect them and know that they’ll be a great member of the team – maybe even a leader. Never rub anyone’s nose in the fact that you received the promotion and don’t talk down to them. Let’s get real: you moved offices. You haven’t been crowned Queen of Sheba.

We hope that these tips are helpful to you during your promotion. Feel free to comment and add any other tips you have that could be helpful to others in this situation.

Image credit: businessmanagementdaily.com

Are Companies Following Marissa Mayer’s Management Footsteps?

Marissa Mayer is the new CEO at Yahoo.

She is instrumental in changing things whether its for the better is yet to be discovered. Her new rules are no working from home. If you did not want to work in the office then you do not want to keep your job. This did not go over very well with people who worked from home on their computers. They started to submit pleas for special circumstances but this rule is being strongly enforced.

Will other companies follow suit? Many people feel that it is a huge step backwards in productivity.

People develop management ideas from their backgrounds – in life, in family, in education. Telecommuting conflicts with what Marissa Mayer wants businesses to do. She is focusing her efforts more on technology and less on media. This bold move caused much scrutiny from outsiders as well. Those who have the luxury of being able to work from home started getting worried that their company might also consider limiting this practice.

Consider all of the pros and cons of Marissa Mayer’s management footsteps. There are people that are on both sides of this change.

Pros:

• Everyone will work together as a team if they see each other at work in person.

• There will be more interaction and sharing of ideas if they are in the office.

• Productivity may escalate if there are no at home distractions.

• It is simpler to have meetings to discuss specifics if everyone is there.

Cons:

• There will be added expenses for the employees such as daycare and work attire.

• Contact at work escalates illnesses such as the flu. These are viruses that are spread in work environments.

• The work day will be confined to only the hours the office is open. Usually if people work at home they may work longer hours or on weekends to get the job finished.

• It may create a sudden loss of employees that go over to other companies that offer work at home situations.

The pros and cons on this issue are balanced but a lot of companies like the face to face interaction and the ability to physically see people working. As old school it sounds coming to the office everyday to work encourages people to keep their focus throughout the day rather than having distractions that come with working from home.

This is a topic that would be very controversial in a course in the online business degree curriculum. Students whom are going to school for business enjoy the ability to take classes online and are used to discussion boards and lectures that they can stop, rewind or replay. Some students argue that they do much better in this environment than they do by physically going to class. However, going to work is a bit different than catching up on lectures, the work environment has always been a place you go from 9-5 you build relationships, collaborate, and are able to be approached by coworkers who have questions or concerns.

What side of the debate are you on?

Image credit: telegraph.co.uk