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Laying Off Employees |Leila's House of Corrections

There's no easy way to do it. Laying off an employee is one of the biggest challenges for any manager and how you handle it shows the character and values of you and your organization. Learn 3 best practices to deliver the news with respect.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

Speaker: Leila Bulling Towne, Executive Coach, The Bulling Towne Group

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Tags: Employee, Video, Corporate Communications, Marketing, lay offs, laid off, management, Leila's House of Corrections, HR, downturn, economy

 
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  •  
    1

    macquid

    11/05/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    Just a little underwhelming...

  •  
    2

    sayanasarudin@...

    11/07/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    Perfect. Deliver right on the spot without facila emotion. Tq

  •  
    3

    Babs76

    11/07/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    I always enjoy Leila's practical and timely advice! Her tips on being "PC" when letting employees go are right on, especially the one regarding empathy - "I understand how you feel." There's a time and place for empathy, however, when you lay someone off, that's not the time.

  •  
    4

    A mehta

    11/11/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    I like Leila's practical advise, however, I think this would not work for all geographies. For example if we are to deal with Indians, who are highly emotional in the best of times, such a cut and dried approach would not quite do the trick.

  •  
    5

    LeilaBT

    12/09/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    A mehta,
    I agree with your point that cultural factors do influence how you deliver hard messages like this one.
    So, I would hope that if you are a manager and laying someone off, you know the employee well enough to identify some unique ways to approach the situation. You are still following the "rules" yet you are tailoring the situation for the individual. The most effective managers treat people differently, and that is OK.
    Feel free to share your tips on how to approach this.
    Regards,
    Leila

  •  
    6

    LeilaBT

    12/09/08 | Reported as spam

    RE: Laying Off Employees | Leila's House of Corrections

    Thanks, sayanasarudin and babs1976 for the feedback.
    macquid, what ideas do you have to share for this situation?
    Thanks everyone,
    Leila

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Laying Off Employees |Leila's House of Corrections

There's no easy way to do it. Laying off an employee is one of the biggest challenges for any manager and how you handle it shows the character and values of you and your organization. Learn 3 best practices to deliver the news with respect.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

There s no easy way to broach this topic: laying off employees is hard. Let s get down to business and learn some key steps in preparing to have this difficult conversation.

Come on managers, it s time to learn to lay off employees.

Eliminating a position and delivering the message is one of the toughest tasks managers handle. No matter how often you do this, it s never going to be easy.

A lot is said about companies and managers by the way they lay off employees. The actions you take when you make an employee redundant speak to your character and values as well as to those of the organization.

Here are some best practices.

#1: Work with HR to prepare.

HR is an essential partner in this process. HR reps guide managers on what to say (and not) and how to say it. They cover the details of the paperwork with you and the affected employee. They can be in the room with you when you deliver the message. And if you are concerned that the conversation may turn aggressive, HR can arrange for Security to be at hand.

#2: Write a script and stick to it.

Brevity is key. Saying more in this situation will not help you. After you utter, I m laying you off or Your position is being eliminated, the employee tunes out. Most often, at that moment, the employee has just a few thoughts racing around his mind: what s the package, if there is one, and when can I end this conversation?! Deliver the message, pause for questions, don t rush, yet keep your words to a minimum.

#3: Don t say you know how the employee feels.

Avoid saying, I know how you feel. In truth, you don t know. Trying to express that you understand what it is like is a mistake. Emotions are high on both sides of the table, and if you try to make the person feel better by saying, I know what it is like, you may escalate the conversation.

It s natural to have the urge to deflect responsibility for the action away from you and onto HR, executives, or the company itself. Avoid that.

There are great rewards in becoming a manager and there are also great challenges. Laying someone off will never be a simple, effortless task, yet delivering it with respect for the employee will put you up there with the best of managers.